Main MenuWSRF and Water Plan Grant Update
Within the Gunnison Basin there are many water projects that need and deserve to be completed. For many of them, funding is the biggest hurdle. There are two Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) grant programs available for water projects in the Gunnison Basin that can help.
The first is the Colorado Water Plan grant fund and the second is the Water Supply Reserve Fund (WSRF).
Water Plan Grant Fund
The Colorado Water Plan supports projects in the following areas:
- Water Storage & Supply – includes development of additional storage, artificial recharge into aquifers, and dredging existing reservoirs to restore the reservoirs’ full decreed storage capacity for multi-beneficial projects and projects identified in basin implementation plans to address the water supply and demand gap.
- Water Sharing Agreements – includes projects that meet defined water needs while mitigating impacts associated with traditional water transfers.
- Conservation & Land Use Planning – includes long-term strategies for conservation, land use, water efficiency, and drought planning.
- Engagement & Innovation – includes water education, outreach, and innovation efforts.
- Agricultural – includes technical assistance or project/program funding for agricultural projects.
- Watershed Health & Recreation – includes planning, design, and implementation of watershed health and recreation projects.
The Water Plan grant funds are primarily aimed at new projects which have multiple beneficiaries. The best contact for finding out if a project could be funded by this program is Ashley Garrison [email protected] 719.466.9626.
There are two application deadlines: December 1 for a March decision and July 1 for a September decision.
Water Supply Reserve Fund
The WSRF program is also a CWCB grant, but accessed through the local Gunnison Basin Roundtable (GBRT), which must recommend any project to the CWCB. The GBRT is focused on:
- Primary Goal: Protect existing water uses in the Gunnison Basin
- Discourage the conversion of productive agricultural land to all other uses within the context of private property rights
- Improve agricultural water supplies to reduce shortages
- Identify and address municipal and industrial water shortages
- Quantify and protect environmental and recreational water uses
- Maintain or, where necessary, improve water quality throughout the Gunnison Basin
- Describe and encourage the beneficial relationship between agricultural and environmental recreational water uses
- Restore, maintain, and modernize critical water infrastructure, including hydropower
- Create and maintain active, relevant and comprehensive public education, outreach, and stewardship processes involving water resources in the six sectors of the Gunnison Basin
Generally, the GBRT is primarily interested in preserving and maintaining existing infrastructure whereas the Water Plan Grants can not usually go towards repairs or rehabilitation of existing water projects. Unfortunately, the WSRF does not have as much money dedicated to its program as does the Water Plan, but the program has been successful in providing several million dollars to local water improvements.
The contact for WSRF grants is Tom Alvey [email protected] 970.712.4030. Grant deadlines are the 1st of the month prior to the next GBRT meeting. For example, April 1 for the May GBRT meeting.
Take advantage of these two programs to improve or develop water capacity, reliability, and efficiency within the Gunnison Basin.