Devil's Advocate

So just how bad is the drought situation in Colorado? Well, according to Alan Salazar, the head of Denver Water, real bad.

On this episode of **Devil's Advocate**, Jon Caldara sits down with longtime Colorado political insider and Denver Water Board member **Alan Salazar** for a wide-ranging conversation about Colorado's worsening drought, the future of our water supply, government regulations, and the growing political divide within Colorado's Democratic Party.

Salazar reveals that Denver's reservoirs were only about 60% full when they should have been around 91%. What happens if Colorado experiences three or four more years of severe drought? Could we face a water emergency? And are government regulations making it harder to build the infrastructure we need?

They also tackle some tough questions: Why does California rely on Colorado River water when it has an entire ocean? Why did it take approximately 20 years to expand an existing reservoir? And if agriculture uses roughly 80–85% of Colorado's water, why is so much attention focused on residential lawns?

Then the conversation turns to politics.

Having worked with governors, mayors, U.S. senators, and presidential administrations, Salazar offers a rare insider's perspective on Colorado's changing political landscape. Are traditional, business-friendly Democrats losing influence to the progressive left? Has Colorado become too hostile toward businesses? And could a political reckoning be coming?

**In this episode:**

* How serious Colorado's drought really is

* Why Denver's reservoir levels are concerning

* What happens after several consecutive drought years

* California, desalination, and the Colorado River Compact

* The 20-year battle to expand Gross Reservoir

* Why agriculture consumes most of Colorado's water

* Government regulations and Colorado's business climate

* Growing divisions within the Democratic Party

* The future of bipartisan cooperation in Colorado

* How artificial intelligence could reshape Colorado's economy

It's a candid conversation about water, politics, government bureaucracy, and Colorado's future, with plenty of disagreement and a few laughs along the way.

**Do you think Colorado's biggest water problem is drought, government regulation, or how we use the water we already have? Let us know in the comments.**

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#Colorado #ColoradoDrought #DenverWater #ColoradoPolitics #DevilsAdvocate

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