By Ed Roberson, Palmer Land Conservancy

In 2009, the Pueblo Board of Water Works (Pueblo Water) bought 28 percent of the water shares of the Bessemer Ditch, located on the Saint Charles Mesa southeast of Pueblo. The Bessemer provides irrigation water across the farm communities of Saint Charles Mesa, Vineland and Avondale in eastern Pueblo County. It provides some of the most senior and reliable water supplies anywhere in Colorado’s Arkansas River basin, and irrigates some of the state’s best agricultural lands. The area contains the most significant local food production close to Colorado Springs and Pueblo, the largest urban areas in southern Colorado.

More than one-third of the potential dry-up is on farms identified as the most critical production areas in Pueblo County. Though Pueblo Water’s shares are currently being leased back to farmers, these agreements are set to expire in 2029, at which point these critical production areas could be lost forever. Pueblo Water is in the process of a change case to convert the agricultural water rights to municipal use. Historically, once agricultural water is converted to municipal use, the land on which the water was used must remain out of agricultural production permanently. Without a community-based, large-scale solution, Pueblo County risks losing its farming base to the devastating buy-and-dry outcomes seen elsewhere in the region.

The Bessemer Farmland Conservation Project seeks to maintain a critical mass of productive agricultural lands while still providing for Pueblo’s municipal water needs. Harnessing the energy and expertise of a large, diverse community coalition of stakeholders, the project’s ultimate goal is to balance both agricultural and municipal uses through new water exchange frameworks. The ultimate vision is that of Pueblo County being home to a resilient and prosperous agricultural community with opportunities for specialization and growth, as well as a water-secure metropolis that is attractive for business and residence.

The project presents a rare opportunity for a win-win-win solution to western water shortages. Working collaboratively, the community can bolster the region’s agricultural economy, ensure the water security of Pueblo County, and achieve significant conservation victories in a threatened landscape.