IBCC outlines future water planning scenarios at upcoming C9 summit

The Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC) convened on July 8, 2025, to discuss updates on water planning scenarios and the ongoing development of the C9 planning framework. The meeting began with a review of previous discussions from February, focusing on the integration of drought resilience strategies and the technical updates for the water plan.

The committee highlighted the importance of the water planning cycle, which is set to extend from 2025 through 2033. The current phase includes a technical update funded to begin in the next fiscal year, with plans for basin updates and a comprehensive water plan update to follow. The committee aims to refine its planning scenarios, which have historically included five distinct scenarios, to a more streamlined approach featuring three primary scenarios: low, medium, and high water stress conditions.

Key discussions revolved around the need to simplify the narrative surrounding these scenarios to enhance public understanding. The committee acknowledged challenges in effectively communicating the complexities of the scenarios and expressed a desire to align these planning efforts with statewide projections, particularly those from the state demographer's office, which are expected to extend to 2065.

The meeting also addressed the integration of adaptive management strategies for no and low regrets, with consensus reached to advance these initiatives. The committee plans to engage with a technical advisory group to provide feedback on the proposed scenarios and to facilitate an interactive activity at the upcoming C9 summit in October, aimed at fleshing out the narratives supporting the planning scenarios.

The C9 summit, scheduled for October in Lakewood, Colorado, will include an IBCC meeting on the first day to further explore these planning scenarios and discuss the initial topics of the no and low regrets work plan. The committee emphasized the importance of collaboration and communication in addressing the future of water management in Colorado, with a commitment to revisiting and refining the planning scenarios as new data and insights emerge.