Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Dan Gibbs, Executive Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources announced in March 2021 the establishment of a Water Equity Task Force to better understand existing equity, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) challenges in Colorado water issues and inform the Colorado Water Plan.
“In Colorado, water is the lifeblood of our state and critical for our economy, agriculture, wildlife and environment. This Task Force is another important piece in creating a Colorado for all and will inform our Colorado Water Plan by ensuring that future efforts in planning for Colorado’s water future are increasingly inclusive," said Governor Polis. "I want to thank Director Gibbs and the Water Conservation Board for their leadership on these efforts and look forward to the work ahead.”
Check out the Water Equity Task Force press release!
The Colorado Water Plan Riverside Chat will be a 2 hour interview-style event held on January 27, 2021 with Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) staff and CWCB Director, Becky Mitchell. The goal of the event will be to share the progress to date on the Colorado Water Plan Update.
To register for the event please visit: Eventbrite: Water Plan Update - A Riverside Chat
In September, staff and panelists from the June listening sessions reconvened to explore more about their ideas on next steps in the Colorado Water Plan Update. That presentation aired at Colorado Water Congress in September. You can watch that video here!
In June 2020 public Listening Sessions were held to explore hopes for the Colorado Water Plan Update. This included the following sessions which you can view:
You can also view the public comments and staff responses.
Governor Polis announced his Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) for the year. Including in these is a Water WIG that aims to support the existing basin implementation plan process by setting a June 2021 goal to identify 500 projects across the state that have great data and are ready to launch. This goal layers on to the existing basin work to enhance project data and tier projects. The CWCB is grateful to have the Governor's support of these efforts and focus on getting an array of projects that are emblematic of all the areas of the Water Plan. You can learn more here.
“Water is the lifeblood of our economy and this WIG sets a state goal to identify 500 ready or near ready projects, backed by strong data and representative of our Colorado values. From our vibrant cities to our growing suburbs to our thriving agriculture, and for our quality of life and protecting our rivers and watersheds, this goal advances the Colorado Water Plan.”
- Governor Jared Polis
“The Colorado Water Conservation Board is thankful to have the Governor’s support for meeting a need identified in the Colorado Water Plan - to get better cost data for identified projects. Now is such a critical time for us all to be working together to make a strong business case for the projects that are so important to local communities across the state who all depend on water for cities, watershed health and farming and ranching.”
- Director Rebecca Mitchell
