As the former State Engineer of Colorado, I have dedicated my career to understanding and managing our state’s most precious resource: water. Throughout my tenure, the challenges posed by water management in the arid West have only grown, exacerbated by increasing demand and the effects of climate change. It’s a complex puzzle, especially within the framework of Colorado’s prior appropriation system, often summarized by the old maxim, “first in time, first in right.” I grew up understanding the challenges of this doctrine being raised on an irrigated farm that continues today as I share this passion of farming with my children and grandchildren. However, my involvement with the Colorado Water Trust has reinforced my belief that there are innovative solutions to restore water to our streams and rivers while continuing to meet our traditional water needs, despite these challenges.

The prior appropriation system, which governs water rights in Colorado, was developed during a time of rapid expansion and development in the West. It was designed to encourage the settlement and economic development of arid lands by granting water rights to those who first diverted water from streams for beneficial use. While this system has been instrumental in the development of agriculture and industry, it has also led to situations where environmental needs, such as maintaining streamflow for ecosystem health, were often overlooked.

Recognizing this gap, I became a member of the Colorado Water Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring flows to Colorado’s rivers in need. The Water Trust works within the existing legal framework to develop voluntary, market-based projects to secure water for environmental needs. This approach not only respects the rights of existing water users but also highlights the potential for collaboration and innovation in water management.

One of the primary reasons I joined the Water Trust was to help foster these collaborative efforts. By working with water rights holders, local communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders, the Water Trust develops solutions that benefit both people and the environment. These solutions often involve water leasing, water rights donations, or infrastructure improvements that free up water to be returned to the rivers without harming the original users’ needs. The Cache la Poudre River-Poudre Flows Project symbolizes an innovative solution involving collaboration among many stakeholders.

Additionally, Colorado Water Trust has facilitated projects where agricultural water users temporarily lease part of their water rights to enhance streamflows during critical times of the year. These arrangements provide farmers and ranchers with additional income while ensuring that streams receive much-needed water during drought periods or when fish and wildlife are most vulnerable. Two projects that exemplify this approach are the Little Cimmaron River-McKinley Ditch Project and the Slater Creek Project. These projects not only demonstrate that environmental restoration and agricultural prosperity can go hand in hand, but also serve as proof of concept that flexible water management can work under prior appropriation.

Moreover, my involvement with Colorado Water Trust has been a deeply rewarding part of my post-official career because it aligns with my longstanding commitment to finding balanced solutions to water management challenges. It allows me to continue my work in a meaningful way, contributing to the sustainability of our water resources and the health of our river ecosystems.

In conclusion, my decision to join the Colorado Water Trust was driven by a commitment to stewardship and a belief in the power of cooperation. Despite the constraints of the prior appropriation system, I am optimistic about our ability to find creative and sustainable solutions to water management. The success of the Colorado Water Trust shows that it is possible to restore flows to our rivers and streams, ensuring that they continue to thrive for future generations. Through continued collaboration and innovative thinking, we can protect and enhance Colorado’s waterways, preserving our natural heritage while meeting the needs of all water users.

Dick Wolfe
Board Member, Colorado Water Trust
M.S., P.E. Retired Colorado State Engineer, Senior Advisor LRE Water

The post Bridging Water Rights and River Restoration appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

That said, we know that conditions can change at any time and a good spring forecast does not necessarily mean healthy flows during the dry summer and fall season. However, forecasts help us plan ahead and to raise funds to purchase or lease water if our rivers are in need. 

With that, please read our full streamflow forecast for 2024 below:

Overall, the statewide picture at the end of March showed an average to above average snowpack in all basins and minimal drought conditions. The April to June 3-month forecast is looking like we’ll have a slightly hotter melt season with typical precipitation patterns. La Niña conditions are expected to return this summer. Seasonal forecasting for the North American Monsoon is not well developed but increasingly the monsoon is vital to maintaining healthy summer baseflows. 

March precipitation in the Gunnison Basin, where we have numerous projects, brought the numbers from average to well above average. Because many of our projects in the Gunnison Basin use a short-term lease to restore water to a Colorado river or stream, some of these projects may not need to operate this year. Short-term leases allow the Colorado Water Conservation Board to use a lessee’s water in 3 or 5 out of 10 years, so we aim to run those projects in the years when the river needs the most help. Tony LaGreca (Stewardship Manager) is communicating with our partners about whether we will operate our temporary leases this year or not.

The Yampa Basin had a slightly above average snow year. However, as we learned last year, even when the snowpack was 125% of median, flows in the Yampa dropped to critical levels in the dry season and we needed to run our project to keep the Yampa at a healthy level. We are planning for the need to operate our Yampa project again this year and are working to raise funds to purchase water from Stagecoach Reservoir. Josh Boissevain (Staff Attorney) has also been conducting legal work for a new project in the Yampa Basin. Stay tuned to hear more about our new project!

The 15-Mile Reach of the Colorado River near Grand Junction can need more water in almost any year depending on circumstances. Kate Ryan (Executive Director) is working to be able to release water from Ruedi Reservoir when the need arises.

Finally the forecast for the San Juan River Basin near Durango is pointing to below average runoff and the monsoon might be crucial to boost late summer base flows. Blake Mamich (Water Resources Specialist) and Danielle Snyder (Water Transactions Coordinator), who are based in the Southwest, are working on several new projects in that region that we hope to share more about soon.

Want to help us restore water to Colorado’s rivers in 2024? Make a donation to Colorado Water Trust today!

Tony LaGreca
Stewardship Manager
tlagreca@coloradowatertrust.org
720.570.2897 ext 4

The post 2024 Streamflow Forecast appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

Over the last five years, the Colorado Water Trust returned from the pandemic work from home period, and experienced a staffing transition that brought with it a shift in how we view the organization geographically. While the Water Trust has always worked programmatically statewide, historically the majority of staff lived and worked in the Denver/Boulder area. Now, a majority of staff work outside of the Denver/Boulder area in Buena Vista, Salida, Durango, and Ignacio. It’s a slim majority, as our leadership and legal teams are still located in Boulder and we are still a very small organization, but as a staff, we now both live and work statewide. This feels appropriate and exciting as we continue to work on and expand our projects throughout the state.

Even with this geographic spread, Water Trust staff are a tight-knit team that seriously value in-person collaboration. So, when we hired Danielle Snyder, another southwest Colorado resident, as our Water Transactions Coordinator it made sense to open an office where the two of us could work together.

With that, I am excited to introduce and welcome you to our Durango office in southwest Colorado! We are super fortunate to have our new office in the historic Smiley Building in downtown Durango. Culturally, it’s an excellent fit. It’s a vibrant, creative space that hosts, among other tenants, several other environmental non-profits that we collaborate with often.

While Danielle and I will continue to work statewide and have exciting projects in the pipeline outside of southwest Colorado, we are determined to do some good work in our neck of the woods as well. A 2024 update to Colorado State University’s Climate Change in Colorado Report notes that in southwest Colorado, springtime precipitation has decreased by 22% as compared to the 50-year period from 1951 to 2000. It’s the largest decrease in the state. Streamflow in our area over the last 20 or so years has reflected that decrease in precipitation. We’ve been able to see those reductions in streamflow in person, whether recreating in and around the rivers and streams in southwest Colorado or turning down headgates and figuring out how to best to run a stretch of gated pipe to irrigate a hayfield with a reduced diversion. We know these rivers, and we know the people that depend on them.

Part of the beauty of the Water Trust’s work is that we get to make a measurable, tangible difference to streams and rivers around the state. You can’t help but want to do that in your own “backyard.”

So, if you’ve got an idea about how to help the rivers and streams in southwest Colorado, or just want to nerd out about the wonderfully weird world of water in Colorado, pop into office 113 in the Smiley Building and let’s chat. We’ll even buy you coffee at the Smiley Café.

Blake Mamich
Water Resources Specialist
bmamich@coloradowatertrust.org
720.570.2897 ext 2

The post Colorado Water Trust Opens a New Office in Southwest Colorado appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

This spreadsheet tallies the streamflow volumes and the number of river miles with improved flows. Volume and miles restored are the primary metrics that describe our impact. We must report accurate records to the Division of Water Resources, and our funders like to see our volume and mileage metrics, as well. Heck, the first thing you see on our website is a cool animation tallying up our volumes and stream miles. Just looking at the site now, I see that we have restored 73,242 acre-feet of water to 612 miles of Colorado’s rivers, which is very impressive… or is it? Honestly what do those numbers mean? Is our work important? Impactful? Let’s dig a little deeper to find a better way to highlight the benefits our work.

Let’s start with terms. Acre-feet is a weird one—it’s a very important term in the water world but doesn’t translate well to a general audience. Us water nerds often try to better explain the term. “An acre-foot of water is enough water to supply two average households for one year” we will say in a very serious tone. Great, so now we can visualize how many showers and toilet flushes the Water Trust has restored. Hmm… perhaps if we convert it to gallons it will make more sense. I see that we have restored 22.6 billion gallons—that sounds impressive! Let’s convert it to metric tablespoons to get a truly enormous number. Unfortunately, the human brain is epically bad at comprehending large numbers so perhaps we should look at this another way.

Rivers and streams are not simple units easily counted and categorized. Rivers are homes for fish, drinking water for towns, irrigation water for farmers, places of recreation, and focal points for communities in the arid west. Rivers are local and personal. Our Yampa River Project is a great example for examining the alternative metrics we can use to measure our impact on the river and the community that depends on it. Low summertime flows on the Yampa lead to high water temperatures that are unhealthy or even deadly to the trout who call the river home. To help protect the trout, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is often forced to close the river to extremely popular recreational activities like angling and tubing. While the closures help keep fish alive, they severely impact summer tourism and the local economy. Since 2012, the Water Trust has partnered with the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, Colorado Water Conservation Board, City of Steamboat Springs, and the Yampa River Fund to release additional water from Stagecoach Reservoir 18 miles upstream of Steamboat. These releases help cool temperatures for the fish and keep the river open for recreation. Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the metrics that tell the story of our impacts to the Yampa and the Steamboat community.

Take a look at the plot below, which shows the flows in the Yampa River in Steamboat during the late summer of 2023. The blue shading shows the flows that the Water Trust released. Last summer, Water Resources Specialist, Blake Mamich, saw that dropping flows and high river temperatures were exceeding regulatory thresholds (which lead to river closures) so he acted quickly, coordinating releases to boost stream flows and keep the river cool.

Let’s look at some of the metrics that help tell the story of this successful project. In 2023, the Yampa River Project:

• Released water for 60 days, keeping the river cool to keep the city compliant with regulations.
• Boosted flows for fish for nearly two months.
• Averted 38 days of river closures, keeping the river open when it would have otherwise been closed for over a month during the busy tourism season.
• Water Trust releases often accounted for over 30% of the entire flow in the Yampa River, and has accounted for over half of the flow in years past.

Now there are some metrics that show the impact of our work a little better than 3,288 acre-feet or one billion gallons. Let’s look beyond the flow numbers to see how the project is providing benefits to the upper Yampa community. A 2019 study by the Steamboat Chamber of Commerce found that summer tourism has a $166 million-dollar impact on the city which supports over 2,000 jobs. While I am not an economist, it’s not unrealistic to imagine that a 38-day closure of the river flowing through the heart of town would reduce those numbers. It’s also interesting to note that less than 2% of the economic benefits would easily pay for this project to run in perpetuity. Looking beyond the tourism impacts, the water continues to flow downstream of Steamboat where it is available to agricultural users along the length of the river. This project is also a long-term investment in sustainable river health as the Water Trust has operated this project in 10 of the last 12 years, providing a decade of benefits.

Digging more deeply into the impact of our projects really shows why our work is so important. They go beyond just putting flows into the river—they make tangible and long-term impacts on the habitats and communities that rely on healthy rivers across the state.

I will keep updating the Master Dashboard Accounting Spreadsheet and reporting our volume numbers since they are still very important to our work, but I promise to chime in here on occasion to highlight all of the benefits that our projects generate. So next year when you are reading the annual report and you see we have restored enough water to cover Manhattan Island to a depth of 5 feet*, know that there is a story behind the numbers.

*That is true by the way.

Tony LaGreca
Stewardship Manager
tlagreca@coloradowatertrust.org
720.570.2897 ext 4

The post The Story Behind the Numbers appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

Before moving to Denver, I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and later attended Miami University of Ohio (not the warm one in Florida), where I majored in both of my passions: International Studies and Sustainability.

These became my passions back in 2016 when my high school took us on a trip to Guatemala. On this trip I became very close to the family of eight that we were helping build a new home. They collected rainwater in a tarp and yet were still willing to share everything they had with us. Meeting these incredibly kind people forever altered my view of everyday human necessities that I take for granted, like water. I knew I wanted to work in a field that encompassed my love for the environment and for the humanitarian rights affected by it.

To make a difference in this field, I knew I wanted a career in law. So, I chose a city that resonated with my passion for the environment while offering me the education I needed to get there—Denver. I currently attend University of Denver Sturm College of Law where I am focusing on Water Law and International Environmental Law.

It has been a joy to be working with people so likeminded and passionate about water at the Colorado Water Trust. Living in Colorado has allowed me to share in even more experiences with water that keep me motivated for the work I pursue. Whether it be swimming in St. Mary’s Glacier or tubing in Clear Creek (where I learned whitewater tubing is not a lazy river experience) Colorado is filled with water that deserves protecting.

I’m so fortunate to have found a place that allows me to align my passions with their mission!

Annie Lalonde
Legal Extern
alalonde@coloradwatertrust.org

The post Meet Annie Lalonde, Legal Extern appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

It is a bitterly cold December morning and I am tooling up Boulder Canyon to do some backcountry skiing above Nederland. As I slow down for a hairpin turn, the sun makes its way over the edge of the canyon and I notice some movement in the creek. It’s a little bird known as a Dipper, bobbing up and down on a rock in the creek—and now diving into a pool below a fallen tree. These incredible birds live year-round near flowing streams in the Rocky Mountains and elsewhere in the west. They dive underwater for their food—aquatic insects—and actually have an extra eyelid so they can see while they’re underwater! Dipper populations on a stream mean it has excellent water quality and low silt load—both characteristics of Boulder Creek in Boulder Canyon above the City of Boulder.

Excellent water quality for Dippers and other species that live in or around aquatic ecosystem starts—of course—with water in the stream. In Colorado, water use is controlled under the state’s “prior appropriation system”, which forms the legal framework for water distribution in the state. You may have heard the phrase “first in time is first in right” which simply means the more “senior” rights to use a quantity of water are associated with the earliest uses. In many parts of the state (for example the Cache La Poudre River near Fort Collins or the Rio Grande and its tributaries near Alamosa), many irrigation water rights pre-date statehood. And, while the act of putting water to use forms the basis of a water right, that right is only enforceable if confirmed by a district court or, since 1969, Colorado’s water courts.

In many, if not most streams in the state, the amount of water decreed far exceeds available water supplies. Such streams are “over-appropriated”, meaning that only in a very wet year will many of the more recent (“junior”) water rights get to divert water.  In fact, Boulder Creek is over-appropriated at locations downstream of the City of Boulder. The Dippers are still safe in the canyon, where there are few actual diversions of water for consumptive use.

“Over-appropriated” as a concept gets a bad rap. At the time of European settlement, those turning the prairie and mountain valleys into farms and cities were focused on building new homes in an unfamiliar place. Whether we agree with these decisions today, at the time, claiming every drop of available water was an obvious start to settling in a place as arid as Colorado. But Colorado’s prior appropriation system also has flexibility that allows volumes of water to be assigned to “instream flow” uses—providing a means to leave water in the stream to benefit aquatic ecosystems, including our friend the Dipper.

The Colorado Water Trust is on the forefront of creative and thoughtful efforts to use flexibility in state water law to put water back into streams. The Trust works to identify both streams in need of additional flows and water rights owners who want to re-imagine the use of their consumptive water rights to improve stream health in their own neighborhood. Broadly, these tools fall into two categories: leases or loans, which are used by the Trust and water right owners who want to maintain ownership of their water rights; and purchase of water rights from owners who are interested in selling to the Colorado Water Trust.

On the Crystal River, a tributary of the Colorado River, the Water Trust and Cold Mountain Ranch, a water user diverting from a critical reach of the Crystal River, entered into an agreement that compensates the Ranch for coordinating diversions in a manner that enhances stream flows. The result is two-fold: the Ranch coordinates its diversions during certain types of water years to benefit the stream flow, but maintains ownership of its valuable, senior irrigation rights for use when water is more plentiful; and the stream benefits in years in which the river reach would otherwise be dry.

The Trust has also, from time to time, purchased portions of water rights, including an interest in the McKinley Ditch which diverts from the Little Cimarron River near Gunnison. Historically, three miles of the Little Cimarron River near Gunnison ran dry during late summer, due to upstream water diversions. Working with the Trust’s frequent partner, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Trust obtained a change decree from the Division 4 Water Court. The change decree authorizes the Trust’s water, which would otherwise be limited to irrigation uses, to be left in the stream for the benefit of the aquatic ecosystem.

The Dippers in Boulder Canyon are in good shape, given the water quality and flow regime in Boulder Creek below Barker Dam; any resident Dippers in the Cimarron or Crystal watersheds in the vicinity of the Water Trust’s projects are in better shape than they were before the Trust’s projects were initiated. And for other streams in Colorado that may experience extreme low flows (or dry up completely) during certain types of water years, the Water Trust is actively looking for opportunities to partner with senior water right owners and use available tools provided by the prior appropriation system to enhance stream flows and enhance and protect aquatic ecosystems.

Sarah Klahn
Board Member, Colorado Water Trust
Shareholder, Somach Simmons & Dunn

The post Excellent water quality starts with water in the stream appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

I grew up in Minnesota, living on a pond in a suburb of the Twin Cities. Minnesota was an easy state to find a connection to water. Most weekends its locals could be found fishing, ice-fishing, or playing pond hockey on one of the 11,182 lakes across the state. Many mornings our alarm clock was the honking of 500 geese in our backyard, and at night we often would look out at turtles catching the sunset on a stump, or a family of muskrats paddling back and forth. Water was easy to see in most pieces of daily life.

Water plays a role in every aspect of our lives as Coloradans, and is arguably the most amazing and valuable—yet under-appreciated and little-known—resource we have. Water is special, and the more I learn about its importance, the more appreciation I have found for water’s role in my life here in the West and for others that intersect this great resource’s path.

My professional background and interests led me to the bike industry, where I have been fortunate to work with many great bike businesses and brands over the past decade. While there are so many Coloradans who are river guides, avid fly-fishers, and kayakers who find their weekend activities consumed by the joys of our amazing rivers, you are probably wondering why does a cyclist have such an interest in water?

In college, I studied Marketing and Economics, and many pieces of my life continue to involve marketing, public policy, and the outdoor industry. The common theme and interest that originally drew my attention to marketing is the same that drew me to water—learning about the hidden motivators driving our habits and decisions, and how these decisions impact our everyday experience with the world. Water’s importance in everything that makes Colorado an amazing place to live and recreate is invaluable, but it is noticeably under-appreciated, misunderstood, and “hidden”—water plays an invisible role in so many moments of our lives.

At first glance, water doesn’t seem to have anything to do with camping in Cottonwood Canyon, hiking up Green Mountain, eating a Palisade Peach, drinking wine from the Western Slope, driving through Black Canyon, running our dog at Cherry Creek dog park, enjoying a local brewery with friends, or any of the other quintessential things that help make Colorado, Colorado. 

The more I learn about water, though, the more clearly I can see its hidden beauty and connectedness to everything I interact with on a daily basis. On a hike up Green Mountain last month with a friend, we crossed a stream several times. Seeing snow at the peak, Gross Reservoir in the distance, and Boulder’s bustling streets below, was a powerful moment. The stream crossing our trail, even as a slow trickle given the season, was a grounding reminder of nature at work and the importance of water downstream to ensure we could continue living in such a beautiful place. Palisade peaches, Colorado’s breweries, camping next to Cottonwood Lake, and even early-season skiing wouldn’t be what they are without a balanced water system at work.

Even though we cannot all be “water professionals” (I will be the first to say that I am far from one, and likely never will be!), we don’t need to be in the water field to make a difference in the future of our home state. Knowing enough—that water intersects every piece of our daily lives, whether directly or indirectly, and that it is a limited resource—is the best start.

Colorado Water Trust continues to amaze me for one key reason: The Water Trust’s mission and supporters are wildly passionate about keeping Colorado’s rivers flowing, while balancing so many users’ needs fairly. Better than any organization I have come across, they find a way to balance the needs and requests of household water users, river guides, agricultural professionals, politicians, lawyers, and others to get behind one simple mission: to restore water to Colorado’s rivers.

I was drawn to volunteer with the Colorado Water Trust’s Outreach Committee for this reason. Doing a small part for Colorado Water Trust, even in the form of a small donation, can have a far-reaching impact on Coloradans, our millions of yearly visitors, and our future generations who will be able to enjoy the beauty we too often take for granted. We can see this first-hand in the Water Trust’s 20+ billion gallons of water restored to Colorado’s rivers since 2001. I invite you to consider joining us in our mission, and spreading the word.

Ray Kennedy
Outreach Committee Volunteer, Colorado Water Trust
Inventory Manager, Trek Bicycle Corporation

The post The Importance of Water From a Non-Water Expert, and how Colorado Water Trust is Making an Impact appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

Tributaries by the Numbers
73 Tributaries
$1,668 / Month
$20,016 / Year
That’s over 26.6 million gallons of water per year that we can restore to rivers and streams because of you!

November Events
We had two Tributaries Happy Hours in Denver and Boulder last month, with over 40 people in attendance. These events are a great place to come together, talk about the importance of our work, and share stories and ideas on how to continue making change moving forward.

Future Events
Stay tuned for more Tributaries events in 2024. And, if you’d like to sign up for a monthly gift, you can do so online at coloradowatertrust.org/donate.

The post Successful Tributaries Appreciation Month appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

Colorado, known for its breathtaking mountains and yes, beautiful streams and rivers, has seen an influx of people seeking a piece of the Rocky Mountain dream. However, as more individuals and families settle in the state, the demand for affordable housing continues to outstrip supply. The demands on our water system, driven primarily by population growth in Colorado and the Southwest, continue to grow at a pace that supply (in this case snow!) increasingly can’t keep up with.

In the housing market, several factors contribute to the supply and demand imbalance, some of them market-based and others policy-inflicted. High construction costs, limited availability of land (with access to water), and local zoning restrictions are some of the culprits. Similarly, the scarcity of water in Colorado can be attributed to a combination of market forces and policy (climate change is undoubtedly another huge driver, but we’ll ignore that one for now). Population growth, which in turn drives demand both through direct consumption of water (largely municipal providers) and indirect consumption through food consumption (agricultural users). On the policy side, because of our western “first in time, first in right” water rights structure, there are a lot of baked-in disincentives to using water more efficiently and a lot of trepidation that doing so will result in diminished value of water rights.    

Both imbalances have far-reaching consequences and impacts on our neighbors and community as a whole. The shortage of affordable housing leads to skyrocketing rents and home prices, making it challenging for many low- and middle-income residents to find suitable accommodation near where they work, go to school, or have a network of family/friends. In a parallel vein, the increasing water shortage in Colorado directly affects people’s daily lives, and its impact is most dramatic, most immediate, and most apparent on those individuals and families with the fewest economic resources.

The challenges of housing and water in Colorado demonstrate the necessity of collaboration and innovation. Private and public sectors, community organizations, and concerned citizens must work together to find sustainable solutions. Innovative technologies and practices can help optimize resource allocation in both areas.

The biggest difference I see between housing scarcity and water scarcity in Colorado, however, is general awareness. The average resident of Colorado, whether they live in the Front Range or on the Western Slope, generally understands that we have a significant challenge with affordable housing. If you don’t struggle with the cost of housing yourself, odds are you know someone who does. However, I believe far too many residents, especially those of us up and down the populous Front Range, take our water for granted and don’t fully grasp the very dire supply and demand imbalances that exist in water. Most of us are unaware where the water in our taps, toilets, and hoses even comes from (hint: it’s largely the other side of the Continental Divide).  

For real and meaningful changes to take place in sustaining and restoring our water systems in Colorado and throughout the West, the general population needs to be more aware of the increasingly dire situation we face out here in the arid West. And we need to be motivated to work together with our neighbors to do something about it before it’s too late. As hard as it is to build more housing, it’s a whole lot harder to build more water. It’s why I joined the Board and why I wrote this article. Please read up on water issues, do whatever you can to use less of it, and support great organizations helping us find the balance between healthy environments and communities like Colorado Water Trust.

Brad Weinig
Board Vice President, Colorado Water Trust
Mountain Region Developer, Pennrose, LLC

The post Water & Shelter: Parallel Challenges Facing Colorado appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

In 2023, the Water Trust helped bring flows to the Yampa and Fraser Rivers, as well as to our permanent projects throughout the state. In total, we restored 1.9 billion gallons of water to Colorado rivers and streams this year. Increasing river flows bolster local ecosystems, communities, and economies. Rivers and streams are the lifeblood of our state, and when they run dry, we’re all impacted.

Alone we are just drops in the river, but together we make mighty waves—thank you for your support!

With gratitude,
The Colorado Water Trust Team

The post Alone we are just drops in the river, but together we make mighty waves appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

I joined the Board of Directors of the Water Trust seven years ago because I was intrigued by its model: respect private property rights by paying market value to purchase or lease water rights to supplement streamflows in times of need. Rather than advocate to regulate water rights and thereby create an adversarial relationship with water users, the Water Trust works with farmers, ranchers, and municipal users and pays them to release stored water or temporarily forego irrigation to increase streamflows. Particularly in dry periods, when raising a crop can be difficult, many farmers and ranchers have welcomed leasing their water rights to the Water Trust to supplement streamflows in dry reaches or release cooler, more oxygenated water from reservoirs to support the aquatic environment. In addition to providing supplemental income to the water rights owners, the Water Trust arranges a secondary downstream use for the released water, which is especially important during drought periods. And all this can occur without permanently removing agricultural lands from irrigation.

It’s hard to put a price on preserving Colorado’s rivers and streams, but that’s the business of the Water Trust. With global warming inevitably reducing streamflows, together with the influx of people increasing water consumption, it’s easy to imagine more of the State being dewatered and losing the beauty and environmental benefits of our free-flowing streams. I’m proud of the work of the Water Trust to combat our diminishing streamflows while respecting the value of the private property that water rights entail.

Wayne Forman
Board Member, Colorado Water Trust
Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Denver

The post Proof that Capitalism Can Work to Help Protect the Environment appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.

Why donate monthly?

1. Smaller, monthly donations have just as big an impact on the Water Trust as a larger, year-end gift! Consistent donations help us to better budget and plan throughout the year, and help even out the lumpy, seasonal nature of typical non-profit funding.
2. It’s easier for you! Setting up a monthly recurring donation means you don’t have to remember to make your donation each year. Plus, you get to join our amazing Tributary community and have access to special events and other perks throughout the year.

Signing up for a monthly gift is easy online at coloradowatertrust.org/donate!

Here’s what a few of our Tributaries had to say about why they support the Water Trust all year long:

“Rivers are truly the lifeblood of the West. Approximately 80% of all species in the Rocky Mountains rely on riparian habitat for some part of their lives. Healthy waters means healthy ecosystems, and healthy ecosystems are good for all Coloradans. I like having rivers in mind every month of the year, and this is one way to keep river protection “present” in my thoughts.”
-John Carron, CWT Board Member & Monthly Donor

“The success the Water Trust has had building long-term relationships between the agricultural and environmental communities is inspiring. These two communities have historically been at odds in the West, but the Water Trust has gained a stellar reputation in both. Every day, it continues to show how successes in one community can also be successes for the other. Restoring flows to Colorado is something I care about deeply and being a Tributary allows me to put that care into tangible action.”
-Josh Boissevain, CWT Staff Attorney & Monthly Donor

“I donate monthly because I believe it’s important to give back to the rivers in my backyard that help sustain my home and the beautiful environment that surrounds me.”
-Dana Hatlelid, CWT Deputy Director & Monthly Donor

“Monthly donations from Tributary supporters provide the Trust with a reliable, highly flexible source of funding that allows them to react quickly to opportunities to further its mission.”
-Brad Weinig, CWT Board Member & Monthly Donor

“I love how the Water Trust works within the existing system to return real, wet water to rivers today AND works toward solutions to restore even more water to rivers in the future. As a consumer of water in a state with such limited water resources, it only makes sense to give back to our rivers. By being a Tributary, I can balance my water use and give back to the rivers that provide me with water.”
-Megan Begley, Monthly Donor

“Continuously flowing streams require programs like those of the Colorado Water Trust, which could not exist without a continuous supply of funding. Setting up a monthly donation is an excellent way to support this success!”
-Dick Wolfe, CWT Board Member & Monthly Donor

“I’m a part of the Tributary community because I love staying connected to the Water Trust staff and others in the community who care about healthy, local streams.”
-Alyson Gould, Monthly Donor

We hope you’ll considering signing up for a monthly gift to the Water Trust today! And, as a way to express our gratitude, all new and existing Tributaries will be entered to win a new Yeti cooler—what’s not to love?

The post Why give monthly to the Water Trust? appeared first on Colorado Water Trust.