There may be a ceasefire in the Colorado River fight. Finally, someone is considering how to bring in water from other sources.  

Common sense enters through the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. This agency manages, stores and delivers water across the 17 western states. It also operates as a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior. 

This Bureau of Reclamation has signed a memorandum of understanding with major water agencies in Arizona, California and Nevada. This agreement pledges to explore interstate exchanges tied to desalinated and purified water.  

This agreement is not a finished water market exchange. It does not change water rights or commit anyone to a specific project.  

But it does mark an important shift. After years of political and courtroom fights among the seven Colorado River states, this could mean the West may be changing how it thinks about water.  

This whole fight has always been about which states gets forced to use less water. The emerging question with the new agreement is – who can conserve, recycle, desalinate, store, exchange or create usable water in ways that prevent water restrictions.  

Using any of those options make the entire water system more sustainable.  

The Colorado River serves roughly 40 million people. It supports farmland and ranchland, feeds growing cities and helps generate power. In an interview, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum emphasized the federal government’s obligation to protect the basin.  

“The Department has a responsibility to ensure the Colorado River system remains reliable and resilient for the millions of Americans, communities and industries that depend on it.” 

Let’s not get too excited though. The water issue is not settled. But at least it is moving from scarcity arguments to market-based experiments.  

Colorado may not be facing the same immediate mandatory cuts as the Lower Basin, but Colorado Springs is still part of the story. So we are not pretending water takes care of itself. 

Colorado Springs Utilities says roughly half of our raw water supply comes from the Colorado River watershed. Because imported water can be reused, it provides up to 70% of the water supply for local residents and businesses. Even so, we are working to conserve.  

Colorado Springs Utilities has a 50-year Sustainable Water Plan – based on growth, climate variability, storage, reuse, conservation and agricultural water sharing. That matters.  

Our city leaders have already accepted a basic truth: growth and water planning must move together 

That is the larger frame for Project Taurus.  

For anyone new to this conversation, Project Taurus is Raeden’s proposed data center at the former Intel site near Garden of the Gods Road and Centennial Boulevard. This has led to a pretty heated fight in our community.  

Our Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce representative told the Gazette in a recent editorial, 

“The project would repurpose the former Intel facility on Garden of the Gods Road, an underutilized site, into a modern, AI-focused data center, supporting government and defense operations. Rather than new sprawl, this is a smart rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, offering a practical and efficient path forward.” 

Those are very positive claims. Even so, like many – I admit asking a lot of questions about this industrial development.  

I found out that Project Taurus is not the same as the water-intensive industrial plants. Its closed-loop cooling system is better than evaporative cooling.  It should only have to be filled once. 

The city does not have to treat Project Taurus as a villain. However, city government cannot treat it as an automatic win because it promises investment.  

The best route is to use this project as a practical test of how Colorado Springs handles major economic development in this water-conscious era. We were right to ask the hard questions.  

Project Taurus can become a model for how growth fits into the water-smart future of Colorado Springs. We can support technology and still protect neighborhoods. We can stay committed to our long-range water planning and still ask each major project to show how it fits into our water sustainability plans.  

It’s what we should do.  

The recent Colorado River water-exchange agreement reminds us that the West is moving beyond fighting over water usage and restriction. The communities that thrive will be the ones that reward conservation, reuse, innovation and accountability. 

Colorado Springs is on the cutting edge of that. We know that water is economic development, public trust and good-neighbor policy all at once.  

Rachel Stovall is a Colorado Springs event manager, entertainer and community advocate.