The Southwestern Water Conservation District’s new general manager, Andrew Straub-Heidke, started in July, bringing 20 years of experience in Southwestern Colorado’s water management.
He succeeds Steve Wolff, who retired in July.
As general manager, Straub-Heidke will oversee the district’s mission to protect, conserve and guide the use and development of water resources in Southwest Colorado. He will also have a seat at the table during Colorado River Compact negotiations and advocate for the varied interests of water users across the region.
Straub-Heidke graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, with an emphasis in hydrology and geography. He later earned a master’s degree in water security and hydrology from the University of Oklahoma.
During his undergraduate years, he interned at the Mountain Studies Institute when the organization was still based in Silverton.
Originally from Michigan, Straub-Heidke arrived in Colorado a few years after the 2002-03 drought and quickly realized how different the West’s relationship with water was.
“It really opened my eyes to the opportunities and career paths that you could have providing for the environment,” he said.
He worked in hydrology for the San Juan National Forest and later in the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s Water Resources Division, building a deep familiarity with the region’s watersheds, from Wolf Creek to the Four Corners and Paradox Valley.
His time with SUIT coincided with a pivotal period for tribal water interests in the Colorado River Basin. Tribes had been largely left out of key planning documents, including the Bureau of Reclamation’s 2012 Colorado River Basin Study, and began organizing to secure a more meaningful seat at the table.
Straub-Heidke supported the tribe’s participation in the 10 Tribes Partnership and its Tribal Water Study, completed around 2019. The study examined tribal water rights, current use and potential future development.
Now, in his new role with the water conservation district, Straub-Heidke sees himself as an “advocate and voice for southwestern Colorado” at the local, state and federal levels.
He also views the position as an opportunity to facilitate collaboration among the region’s many water interests.
Ensuring that communities are well represented going down the road will be critical because “we are going to face very complex water challenges,” he said.
Straub-Heidke said he is excited to return to an area of Colorado with such a rich and unique network of water sources, managers and users.
“I really missed working with the water community in Southwestern Colorado,” he said.
He is also looking forward to digging into the district’s history and records, which include a basement full of archival files.
Looking ahead, Straub-Heidke will continue work facilitating Bureau of Reclamation grant funding for 17 water projects for which federal funding was recently released. He also wants to build on the district’s legacy as a trusted and collaborative advocate for the region’s water interests.
“Just being a voice for water issues and working with other conservancy districts and landowners and communities, hearing their concerns and trying to support them as best as possible is what I’m looking forward to,” he said.
He moved with his wife and two young children.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
