CITY OF LA JUNTA JOINS IN OPPOSITION AGAINST ANY NEW ANNEXATIONS
On May 5, 2025, at a regularly scheduled meeting, the City Council of the City of La Junta in Otero County, Colorado, passed a resolution formally opposing any new annexations in Colorado Springs that would increase its existing 34,000-acre-foot annual water supply gap. The City joins Crowley, Otero, and Prowers counties, the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, and others in this opposition.
The City’s resolution stated:
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta, incorporated in 1881, is a home rule municipality in Otero County, Colorado, committed to sustaining its agricultural heritage, supporting its local economy, preserving its water resources, maintaining stream flows for fish and wildlife habitat, and ensuring the well-being of its residents and businesses in the Lower Arkansas Valley; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta has experienced the detrimental impacts of permanent dry-up of farmland resulting from water being purchased and permanently removed from the Lower Arkansas Valley by Colorado Front Range municipalities, affecting our local economy, water quality, environment, cultural heritage, and rural way of life; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta is concerned about the growth of Colorado Front Range municipalities, including the City of Colorado Springs, that occurs without responsible planning to limit permanent water transfers out of the Lower Arkansas Valley; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta understands from testimony provided by Colorado Springs Utilities to the Colorado Springs City Council on January 14, 2025, that the City of Colorado Springs requires an additional 34,000 acre-feet of water per year to support full buildout of land already within its city limits, and that any new annexations will further increase this water supply gap; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta is concerned about the growth of Colorado Front Range municipalities, including the City of Colorado Springs, that occurs without responsible planning to limit permanent water transfers out of the Lower Arkansas Valley; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta understands from testimony provided by Colorado Springs Utilities to the Colorado Springs City Council on January 14, 2025, that the City of Colorado Springs requires an additional 34,000 acre-feet of water per year to support full buildout of land already within its city limits, and that any new annexations will further increase this water supply gap; and
WHEREAS, according to the Colorado Springs Utilities 2017 Integrated Water Resources Plan, much of this additional 34,000 acre-feet of water supply per year is expected to be sourced from agricultural transfers from Lower Arkansas Valley farms, including those in and around La Junta; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta questions whether an additional 34,000 acre-feet of water per year can be acquired by the City of Colorado Springs-whether through Colorado West Slope trans-basin imports, enhanced conservation and reuse measures, or from Lower Arkansas Valley farms-without causing significant harm to La Junta and surrounding communities; and
WHEREAS, the City of Colorado Springs has already purchased and continues to acquire irrigation water rights in the Lower Arkansas Valley, including in Otero County, and has filed water court change case applications and an exchange case application to permanently transfer this water out of the Lower Arkansas Valley for municipal use; and
WHEREAS, the City of La Junta recognizes that the current inventory of homes for sale in Colorado Springs is near a ten-year high, that Colorado Springs has over 70,000 lots not yet developed within its existing city limits, and questions the necessity of increasing its inventory of developable land through annexation, thereby adding to its existing 34,000 acre-feet annual water supply gap.
The City Council of the City of La Junta hereby states its opposition to any new annexations of land by the City of Colorado Springs that will increase its existing 34,000 acre-feet annual water supply gap.
The City Council of the City of La Junta hereby urges the City of Colorado Springs to carefully consider the consequences of additional water supply demands caused by new annexations on La Junta's economy, water quality, environment, cultural heritage, and rural way of life, as well as the broader Lower Arkansas Valley.
