Our Trout Unlimited Chapter’s relationship with Denver Water and other diverters has evolved considerably over time. Not that long ago, we fought bitterly in court with diverters. Ultimately, we came to recognize that the diverters had both the well-established legal right to the water as well as the political clout and deep pockets to doom virtually all litigation on our part. We acknowledged that legal battles with the diverters were doomed to failure.
We realized that the strategy that would yield the best real-world outcome to protect our rivers was to communicate and (when appropriate) cooperate with the diverters. Our strategy of working with the diverters, while continuing to apply pressure on them to do the right things has resulted in many, many successes. Read Kirk’s letter for more insights.