Land Use and Water Primer
Purpose: This three-part Land Use and Water Primer is a high-level reference for those interested in learning more about what water and land use planning that Colorado’s local governments typically engage in, either voluntarily or in compliance with state or federal requirements. The primer series was developed jointly by staff from the Department of Local Affairs’ (DOLA) Community Development Office and the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s Water Supply Planning Section.
Audience: A primary audience is policy-makers, policy analysts or those otherwise involved in informing policy related to land use, housing, water, and related topics. We also intend this as a supportive resource for local officials and planning professionals seeking to better understand current practices, roles and responsibilities at the local and state level, along with opportunities for integration of water and land use planning. A potential secondary audience includes those interested in the planning profession generally who can build upon this reference (researchers, NGOs, etc.).
Format: DOLA Division of Local Government will host this Primer series as a series of subpages on its Water and Land Use Integration webpage. It may be formatted for print at a later date.
Part 1 – Planning Basics
Reviews the importance of integrating water and land use, along with the current practice of land use planning and water planning across Colorado. In addition, the document outlines a variety of plan types at the nexus of water and land use planning. For each plan or key policy, we cite relevant state statutes or federal regulations that enable or require them, local departments or agencies that are typically responsible for them, state agencies that are involved, status of plan adoption, the level of local variation, and whether the state has the information in a centralized database.
Review the Current Practice of Water and Land Use Planning in Colorado
Part 2 – Support and Data Resources
Summarizes support for land and water planning integration from state agencies and other organizations. Describes state and local data sources that could inform water and land use planning. Includes links to more in-depth resources on planning efforts, as well as data and uses.
Learn What Support and Data are Available for Integrating Land Use and Water Planning
Part 3 - Key Context
A quick reference that summarizes, in bullet format, key points about land use planning, water planning, interaction between water planning and land use planning, and water and land use data and resources.
Contact Us
If you have questions, suggestions, or corrections, email DOLA Land Use and Water Planner, Scott Williamson.