Local water district attorney appointed to the Colorado Water Conservation Board

John McClow to serve three-year term

There’s a new face on the state’s main water board, and he’s someone you may know. Governor Bill Ritter appointed Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District (UGRWCD) attorney John McClow to the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) on April 7.

 McClow says, “It’s an opportunity to represent the interests of the Gunnison Basin on a statewide level. I’ve worked on water issues with people throughout the basin from Gothic to Grand Junction.”
 CWCB was created in 1973 to assist in the protection and development of waters in the state. There are 15 seats on the CWCB, and the governor appoints board members after they apply for the position or are nominated for it.
McClow applied to the CWCB and was appointed as the Gunnison River Basin’s representative. Montrose resident Keith Catlan formerly held the seat. Board members serve three-year terms, and McClow’s term will expire in February 2012.
The CWCB meets every two months in locations around the state, often in a place where there is a pressing water issue.
“I think it’s great news for us,” says UGRWCD board member George Sibley. “There’s not a more knowledgeable person on the West Slope about the Gunnison Basin’s doings, and certainly about water law in general.”
Ritter also made two re-appointments of incumbent board members Eric Wilkinson of Greeley and Carl Trick II of Cowdrey.