Colorado Springs, Western Slope forge Blue River water rights deal
A proposed agreement to boost water storage on the Western Slope and send more water to Colorado Springs is in the final stages of approval after years of debate. The deal focuses on water rights on the Blue River, a tributary of the Colorado River that begins in southern Summit County and flows northward into Dillon Reservoir. If approved, the agreement would set in motion a plan to build one new reservoir for Western Slope use and expand Montgomery Reservoir — which will increase the water supply for Colorado Springs. … Colorado Springs Utilities could use its conditional water rights to build three reservoirs to store Colorado River Basin water and release it through the Hoosier Tunnel.