Reconciling Economic Growth and Water Shortages in the West

This past week the ABA State and Local Government Section is meeting in Denver, Colorado and exploring recreational and medical cannabis issues for local government lawyers, cattle ranching and public lands, and impacts on state and local government of more frequent and more extreme weather.

One particular issue facing the region is reconciling economic growth and water shortages. Pace Law School’s Land Use Law Center, in partnership with Western Resource Advocates, is engaged in a multi-year training program on the front range of the Rocky Mountains to integrate water conservation and land use planning at the regional and local levels. From this, resources are being developed to assist planners, attorneys, and officials in the West as they race to accommodate robust development in the face of certain water shortages. Click here to see questions communities can use to guide water and land use planning integration.

Jessica A. Bacher