Water keeps Colorado running

 

86%

of Colorado’s water is used for agriculture. But up to 33% of irrigated farms could dry up.

Water controls our food supply.

Farmers need suitable water sources to irrigate their farms. But growing cities are looking for water, too. By 2050, Colorado could lose 500,000-700,00 acres of currently irrigated farmland to meet the demands of municipal growth.

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$3.9

billion were spent to repair damages from the 2013 floods along the Front Range.

18,000 people were evacuated. 1,852 homes were destroyed. 10 people were killed.

But local communities have come a long way since then. They’ve recovered. They’ve rebuilt. And they’ve increased resilience.

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80%

of Coloradans drink water that flows out of national forest land – and forest fires threaten that water.

Forest, fire and water are inextricably linked.

Ash, nutrients and sediment pollute water after fires. Wildfires are a reality for those living in the West, but the impact on the landscape lingers long after the smoke is gone.

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1973

When Colorado’s legislature created the Instream Flow Program

The Colorado Water Conservation Board is the only entity legally able to hold instream flow water rights.

Since then more than 9,700 miles of stream have been preserved through the acquisition and appropriation of instream flow water rights. A new market-based approach to acquire water rights from willing owners could help keep more water flowing in Colorado’s rivers.

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40%

The variance of traditional ground-based forecasting methods for snowmelt

Melting snow from the mountains drives Colorado’s water supply.

A new space-based monitoring system developed by NASA researchers could improve the accuracy of snowpack and runoff forecasts to within 2 percent, which would make a world of difference for water managers looking to tighten operations in water-strapped systems.

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We ensure a better future for Colorado through water education.

UPCOMING EVENT

Rethinking the Big Picture: Building Relationships into Program Design and Evaluation

Need a boost for your programs? Join Water Education Colorado on October 9. Effective design and evaluation are crucial steps toward creating robust and sustainable programs. During the first half of this workshop, we’ll share a next-gen approach to designing and evaluating programs that incorporates relationships into more traditional logic models. The second section of the day will be an optional community of learning where participants can apply the knowledge and skills gained during the workshop to one of their own programs or projects. Learn more and register here.

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