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Addressing the state's water challenges by improving water efficiency through diverse community connections, innovative solutions and valuable member resources

  

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Have news to share with the Colorado water conservation community? Email us and we will share the information here.

  • Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:44 AM | Diana Denwood

    WHAT IS THE STATEWIDE WATER EDUCATION ACTION PLAN?

    SWEAP is the first-of-its-kind, a water education guide that organizations and individual educators can use to realize the “Outreach, Education and Public Education” goals set forth in the Colorado Water Plan. The framework features 10 key outcomes, related strategies, and examples of actions local entities can take to reach their unique audiences. Developed with the assistance of more than 40 water educators statewide, SWEAP will empower Coloradans to take an active role in their communities and make informed decisions about critical water issues.

    BENEFITS OF SWEAP

    SWEAP bridges water education gaps across the state and provides opportunities for educators to ensure:

    • Coloradans have the knowledge and skills needed to take an active role in their communities and make informed decisions about critical water issues. 
    • Water education is inclusive and accessible to underrepresented communities.
    • Educators can customize local actions to reach their unique audiences.
    • Opportunities are available to mobilize funding and resources for water education.
    • Baselines and assessment results demonstrate the value of local and regional education activities.

    LEARN MORE

    Background
    The Plan
    Implementation
    Measuring Success
    ​Get Involved


  • Tuesday, December 24, 2019 9:05 PM | Melissa Brasfield (Administrator)

    Brought to you by:   

    Do you need money to fund conservation and conservation planning? Colorado Water Conservation Board grants are available to water providers to help implement water conservation and efficiency programs. If you have a great program that you would like to see implemented, but need grant writing and implementation support to achieve your goal, please contact us at:
    charlotte.roehm@westernresources.org or peter.mayer@waterdm.com

    Additional information available in this flyer.

  • Thursday, November 21, 2019 11:25 AM | Diana Denwood

    Join us Water Education Colorado (WEco) on December 10 for a drink, a game of trivia, and a celebration!

    We're ready to party after a big year for WEco publications, marked by:

    • The one-year anniversary of Fresh Water News in July
    • The regular publication of Headwaters magazine, with a new issue focused on Drought Contingency Planning in the Colorado River Basin hitting mailboxes now
    • The new Citizen's Guide to Where Your Water Comes From
    • And more on the way with an updated Citizen's Guide to Colorado Water Quality Protection and an all new guide to Colorado Groundwater coming in the next few months

    All are welcome to celebrate alongside the editors, reporters, photographers, designers and experts who create these resources ... and what better night to do so than on Colorado Gives Day?

    RSVP TODAY

    Mark your calendar to join us:

    December 10, 2019

    5:00-7:30 p.m.

    Jagged Mountain Brewery

    1139 20th St., Denver, CO


  • Wednesday, November 20, 2019 1:49 PM | Diana Denwood

    The South Metro Water Supply Authority is pleased to offer the next Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) class in Castle Rock, CO. 

    COST: The fee for this certification course is $75.00. There are TWO steps to registering for this class.

    Location: Castle Rock Water
    183 Kellogg Court
    Castle Rock, CO 80109
    View in Google Maps

    Presenter: Lisa Darling, SMWSA Thomas Riggle, CWSD Nicole Opalinski, PWSD Rick Schultz and Linda Gould, Castle Rock Water

    When:

    • Tuesday, December 10th, 2019 8:00 am-5:00 pm - Location: Castle Rock Water
    • Wednesday, December 11th, 2019 9:00 am-2:00 pm - Location:
    • Thursday, December 12th, 2019 8:00 am-5:00 pm - Location: Castle Rock Water
    • Friday, December 13th, 2019 8:00 am-2:00 pm - Location: Castle Rock Water

    Registration Closes: 12/10/2019

    For full details and to register, visit https://www.qwel.net/pub/class/123

  • Sunday, August 25, 2019 5:27 PM | Melissa Brasfield (Administrator)
  • Wednesday, May 01, 2019 8:52 AM | Laura Wing (Administrator)

    Read the Colorado WaterWise 2018 Annual Report. Thank you to our members and partners for your support!

  • Sunday, March 17, 2019 7:53 PM | Melissa Brasfield (Administrator)

    Second Public Comment Period for Water Rating Index:

    BSR/RESNET/ICC Standard 1101

    Standard for Calculation and Labeling of the Water Use Performance of One- and Two-Family Dwellings Using the Water Rating Index (BSR/RESNET/ICC Standard 1101)

    Comment period March 15, 2019 - April 29, 2019

     


    WHO/WHERE DOES THIS EFFECT?
    Water is the new frontier for RESNET and HERS Raters.

    In many parts of the nation, water is fast becoming an ever increasingly expensive commodity. There is clearly a need for a system to rate a home's efficiency in water use. This will allow home buyers to know how efficiently water is being used in the homes they are considering buying. It will also provide an opportunity for homebuilders to monetize the efficiency of their homes in the same fashion that the HERS Index plays for energy efficiency.

    WHAT IS IT?
    Proposed Standard BSR/RESNET/ICC 1101-201x, Water Rating Index, establishes a uniform methodology for evaluating, rating and labeling the water use performance of single family and duplex dwelling units.

    The Standard provides a consistent, uniform methodology for evaluating, quantifying, and labeling the water use performance of one- and two-family dwellings. The methodology compares the water use performance of an actual home (rated home) with the water use performance of a reference home of the same geometry, resulting in a relative Water Use Rating called the Water Rating Index (WRI). Where the water use performance of the actual home and the reference home are equal, the Water Rating Index is 100.

    WHEN DOES THIS HAPPEN?
    The first draft of proposed standard BSR/RESNET/ICC 1101-201x was submitted for public comment in August of 2018. Changes resulting from comments received on that draft have been incorporated into the second draft, PDS-02, which is open for comment. All sections of the second draft of the standard (PDS-02, of BSR/RESNET/ICC 1101-201x) are open for public comment during a 45 day comment period. To review and comment on the Draft, follow the link below:

    Draft PDS-02, of BSR/RESNET/ICC 1101-201x

    Comments will be accepted on all text in draft PDS-02.

    The public comment period will be open for 45 days beginning March 15, 2019, through April 29, 2019.

     

    CLICK HERE to View RESNET Pending Standard Amendment Page
  • Tuesday, February 26, 2019 5:39 PM | Laura Wing (Administrator)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    February 26, 2019

     

    CONTACT:       Kevin Reidy, Water Conservation Specialist, Colorado Water Conservation Board, kevin.reidy@state.co.us

    DENVER, CO – The Colorado Water Conservation Board announced the availability of new guidance to Colorado water suppliers on implementing water conservation measures through land use planning. This guidance, approved by the CWCB on January 28, 2019, is intended to provide a suite of best practices for incorporating land use planning techniques into water resources operations that can be considered by municipal water utilities and water districts and adapted to their unique circumstances.

     

    “This new guidance provides step-by-step instruction for water providers for collaboration with their land use authorities to configure new development in a way that reduces overall water demand,” said Rebecca Mitchell, Director of the CWCB. “Working together, Colorado water suppliers and planning departments can use a ‘smart-from-the-start’ approach that provides enhanced ability to absorb new growth, meet community priorities, and contribute to better resiliency of existing supplies without sacrificing quality or desirability.”

     

    State legislation in Colorado requires an evaluation of best practices for implementing water conservation and efficiency through land use measures. In addition, Colorado’s Water Plan sets a measurable objective of having 75 percent of  Coloradans living in communities that have incorporated water-saving actions into land use planning by 2025. The new guidance is intended to further both goals.

     

    The guidance document is a joint project of the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy and the Environment at the University Of Colorado Law School and the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, a center of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, with involvement and support from the CWCB. The best practices were compiled through an extensive outreach effort that included interviews of Colorado water providers, an advisory committee of experts in the field, and a day-long workshop with interested and knowledgeable individuals.

     

    “Many Colorado water providers have already improved their efficiency through use of inclining block rate structures, structured tap fees, and landscape guidelines,” said Anne Castle, of the Getches-Wilkinson Center and a co-author of the new guidance. “But with continued pressure on water supplies, the greatest potential for additional future water savings lies with the initial land use approval, and that process should integrate both land planning and water resources tools and concerns.”

     

    “Many resources for integrating land use and water planning are geared toward land use planners. In addition to meeting statutory requirements and goals of the Colorado Water Plan, this new guidance clarifies for water providers how land use techniques can reinforce their water efficiency activities,” said Erin Rugland, Babbitt Center Junior Research Fellow and co-author of the new guidance.

     

    Work on the best practices guidance document was made possible through funding from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the CWCB. The co-authors of the study are Erin Rugland of the Babbitt Center and Anne Castle of the Getches-Wilkinson Center. The new guidance is available on the CWCB website. http://cwcb.state.co.us/technical-resources/water-conservation-plan-development-guide/Pages/main.aspx [cwcb.state.co.us]

     

    The mission of the CWCB is to conserve, develop, protect and manage Colorado’s water for present and future generations. The Babbitt Center seeks to advance water sustainability through improved integration of land use and water planning, management, and decision making. The Getches-Wilkinson Center incorporates creative, interdisciplinary research and innovative problem solving to further sustainability for lands, waters, and environment.  For more information on the integration of land and water planning, see Colorado’s Water Plan implementation discussion [colorado.gov].


  • Wednesday, February 20, 2019 11:00 AM | Diana Denwood

    Come and learn the latest from five key AWWA manuals on the topics of water conservation, water loss, water rates, water resources planning, and drought preparedness. This will be a “one-stop-shop” overview to learn the new elements of each manual and where key pieces of information are located.

    This webinar will provide information, tools, and skills needed in the field when implementing water conservation, water loss control, water rates, water resources planning, and drought preparedness.

    Full details and registration

  • Thursday, February 14, 2019 9:00 AM | Diana Denwood

    Linda Gould and Rick Schultz from Castle Rock Utilities will talk about their innovative landscape code. 

    Kevin Reidy with the Colorado Water Conservation Board will talk about the water-land use nexus and the State's new guidance document for incorporating land use planning into water conservation plans.

    Time: 9:00-12:00

    Location: Castle Rock Utilities, 175 Kellogg Ct., Castle Rock CO

    Email Thomas Riggle at triggle@highlandsranch.org for full details.

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