Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Dan Gibbs, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, have announced the establishment of a Water Equity Task Force to better understand existing equity, diversity and inclusivity challenges in Colorado water issues and inform the Colorado Water Plan.
Lee Bitsóí, associate vice president for diversity affairs at Fort Lewis College, and Ernest House Jr., chairman of the FLC board of trustees, were named to the task force.
The 20-person Water Equity Task Force geographically represents the legislatively defined nine basin regions across Colorado (representing each of the eight major river basins as well as the metro area).
The membership includes nine water-experienced stakeholders with insights into Colorado’s current water planning efforts and basin roundtable structure, two members representing Colorado’s federally recognized Native American tribes, the Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute tribes, and nine members representing community leaders not traditionally engaged in water issues.
