Similar to the historic Colorado River Record-of-Decision, signed in December 2007, Colorado House Bill 1141 (HB08-1141), sponsored by Rep. Kathleen Curry and Sen. Bob Bacon, could also be looked at as a landmark piece of legislation. According to one attorney, this has been an on-going conversation for more than 20 years. HB08-1141 would allow local governments to reject developments if builders cannot prove they have an adequate water supply.

Key players in the development of the legislative language include the Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Homebuilders Association, Colorado Municipal League, Colorado River Water Conservation District, and the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG). These groups and others, representing county and city governments, say the bill would give local officials a better picture of how housing developments will affect their communities. Under the measure, builders will have to show an adequate water supply for any development exceeding the equivalent of 50 single-family homes or fewer--as determined by local governments.

According to Curry, "You can't separate the growth and land use issues from water demand." It is Curry's hope that the legislation will help to facilitate better communication between water suppliers and decision makers--evidentially a missing link, on many levels, for many years. According to Shanna Koenig, with the NWCCOG, "Because so many view this Bill as an anti-growth or East Slope versus West Slope issue--which it isn't, this will be a tough one to pass and has already undergone substantial revisions." According to Koenig, the Bill would create consistent requirements across the state and ensure that local governments have the information they need to make informed decisions. As Koenig stated, "It is a policy statement-definitely something we should be talking about."