No & Low Regrets - Interbasin Compact Committee

Through the Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC) and the Basin Roundtables Colorado's water leaders, planners, agriculture producers, local governments, and non-governmental organizations are coming together to set a vision that addresses Colorado's water challenges.

This multi-year effort to update the No & Low Regrets (NLR) Action Plan began in June 2025 when the IBCC reached consensus to begin creating a long-term vision for Colorado’s water future—one that focuses on the most pressing challenges and the greatest opportunities. We are at a critical juncture where decreasing precipitation, increasing temperatures, fires, aridification, and degrading soil health coupled with a growing population are creating an array of challenges. Finding solutions for these challenges will require new hard conversations and a commitment to collaboration.

The basis behind “No and Low Regrets” is to identify strategies that further the goal of protecting Colorado’s water supplies, creating resilience, supporting agriculture, and preserving environmental and recreational water needs effectively across all potential future scenarios.

This effort to update the NLR Action Plan will help the IBCC, basin roundtables, and CWCB Board shape a consensus-driven vision—one that identifies critical gaps, seizes emerging opportunities, and strengthens a shared understanding of the state’s water security over the next 10-15 years. The updated strategy will build on past work and set a trajectory for implementation throughout the three phases of statewide water planning.

Background

The NLR Action Plan was first released shortly before the 2013 executive order calling for a statewide water plan, and consequently its consensus-based themes and calls to action became foundational in shaping statewide water planning.

The NLR Action Plan was developed by the IBCC with input from the Basin Roundtables, and ultimately approved by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, and integrated into the Colorado Water Plan in 2015. Its strategies became integral components in the 2015 and 2022 Basin Implementation Plans, the 2023 Water Plan, and some of the key goals have become realities over the last decade or more; including finding dedicated funding for water projects, setting water conservation targets through legislation, and supporting environmental and recreational attributes for the benefit of ecosystems, local economies, and quality of life.

This effort to update the NLR Action Plan will help the IBCC, basin roundtables, and CWCB Board shape a consensus-driven vision—one that identifies critical gaps, seizes emerging opportunities, and strengthens a shared understanding of the state’s water security over the next 10-15 years. The updated strategy will build on past work and set a trajectory for implementation throughout the three phases of statewide water planning.