Trio of Roberts Bills to Protect Colorado’s Water Supply and Improve Water Access and Management Pass Committee

DENVER, CO – Three bills sponsored by Senator Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, to modernize and improve Colorado’s water management programs passed the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee today. 

“Securing our state’s water future is one of the most pressing issues facing Colorado, especially for the rural and mountain communities I represent,” Roberts said. “All three of these bills update and expand tools and resources we use to ensure that we’re prepared to have enough water in the face of a hotter, drier future.”

HB25-1014, cosponsored by Senator Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, would streamline permitting for Colorado’s groundwater and cut red tape for the Division of Water Resources to more efficiently issue and extend permits for Coloradans who want to build a water well. 

HB25-1113 would expand an existing limitation on new artificial turf and invasive plants on government property to include new residential apartment or condo construction. It would require local governments to implement ordinances to limit turf installation by January 1, 2028. Studies show that artificial turf contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever” chemicals, and is therefore linked to broad negative health and environmental impacts.

HB25-1115, cosponsored by Senator Marc Catlin, R-Montrose, would expand power for the Colorado Water Conservation Board to administer programs to monitor, measure, and disseminate data on snowpack using the latest technologies. These measures would strengthen our state’s ability to forecast water supply and flood hazards. 

HB25-1113 now heads to the Senate floor while HB25-1014 and HB25-1115 head to the Senate Appropriations Committee for further consideration.