November 6, 2017

via email

Dear Commissioners of Counties within the Colorado River District:
Some of you may have received recent correspondence that raises certain questions about the
Colorado River District. As President of the Board of Directors of the Colorado River District, I
want to assure you that your concerns are important to us and that we hear them loud and clear.
As you know, the River District is made up of all, or part of, fifteen counties on the West Slope
that comprise the greater Colorado River Basin, with one Director representing each county. This
is a diverse and potentially divided area, both economically and politically. The Board and River
District staff have worked hard to maintain a cohesive and unified approach to further our mission:
to protect and develop the water resources of the Colorado River Basin for the benefit of the entire
District. We have done this with the utmost transparency -- all of our financial dealings are public
record, decided in open and recorded session. The River District has always been determinedly
non-political and has benefited over the years from the input of Directors from all of our counties,
including those from Mesa County-recently Dick Proctor, John Justman and Steve Acquafresca.
To advance our goals, we have recruited and assembled a highly talented staff of professionals
who dedicate themselves with long hours and frequent travel. To get the best, we need to have
competitive compensation that is competitive with Front Range water groups with whom we often
tangle, as well as our headwaters’ communities that we represent and for which Glenwood is the
gateway.
Not only does the River District compete legally with Front Range interests, we also provide
engineering assistance to all our sub-basins, operate several reservoirs and water augmentation
plans, lobby for West Slope interests and provide leadership in technical understanding of water
needs for the Basin. To do this we need the best people who are both qualified and highly
motivated. The Board believes we have them.
Over the past several years the River District has accomplished many milestones which benefit the
whole District, including Mesa County. I would point specifically to the Colorado River
Cooperative Agreement, the Shoshone Outage Protocol, the PBO for the Colorado River
(protecting water users from the ESA), the purchase of water and full retirement of debt from
Ruedi Reservoir, the Orchard Mesa Irrigation District’s reservoir project and financial aid to other
water groups in the Grand Valley. Ask Ute Water, the Grand Valley Water Users or Orchard Mesa
Irrigation District about the contributions of the River District to maintaining important water
functions which provide a solid economic base for Mesa County. Doing this requires dedicated
staff.

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November 6, 2017

Commissioners of Counties within the Colorado River District
Our gauge for our employees is their performance. We have not and cannot use any political litmus
test in hiring or evaluating employees. Just as the various Directors do not always see eye to eye,
but put aside differences to work for the greater benefit of the River District, so our staff must be
judged on how well they accomplish the goals of the District, not on their personal beliefs. We are
confident they score highly on this metric.
Finally, it is important that we remember the lessons of the past and remain united as a West Slope
advocate. Simply put we are stronger together than we are separately. As a Board, the River District
has always listened respectfully, discussed alternatives and agreed on the course which most
benefits our constituents. I am proud to serve on this Board, the most effective and involved I have
ever seen, and am confident that the leadership of the Board will keep the River District on its
course and its staff providing the skills and services we have come to expect. We will discuss our
policies on senior-position staff hires further at our next meeting.
If I can be of any help in your discussions with the River District, please feel free to call on me.
Of course your respective County’s appointed representative to the River District will also be
happy to meet with you, as will any senior staff member. I am firmly convinced that we all have
much to gain by working as one to protect the interests of the West Slope, particularly as it relates
to the vital preservation of our water.
Sincerely,
Tom Alvey
President