The American Water Works Association has extended the call for abstracts for the North American Water Loss Conference (NAWL) until April 6.

If you would like to share your water loss work, now is your chance to throw your hat in. Let’s show the rest of the world the good work we are
doing and the challenges we are addressing here in Colorado! NAWL is also an excellent chance to spend a couple of days talking with a rare group of people who really understand water loss and might be able to give you new ideas on how to work on your own water loss issues. Come share your experiences!

The submittal portal is here: Water Loss | American Water Works Association

In early March, Jerd Smith of Water Education Colorado published a news article discussing Colorado's placement in the 9th position of the national water conservation ranking. Within the article, Smith conducted an interview with our member, Diana Denwood, a water conservation specialist at Aurora Water, who co-authored the 2022 Colorado WaterWise report. Denwood stated that numerous commendable water conservation programs are being executed by water providers, but there is still ample room for enhancement. Read the full article here.

The Sonoran Institute, Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, and partner Northern Water are now accepting applications from counties, municipalities, and districts in Northern Colorado that are interested in attending the Growing Water Smart workshop.

 If your team is accepted, the workshop is free. Participants cover their own travel. Meals and lodging are provided.

 The goal of Growing Water Smart is to ensure that the water-related growth and development challenges your community is facing are addressed collaboratively and effectively with the greatest tools at your disposal.

 Attend with your team of land use planners, water providers, elected officials, and other water or land use experts. We will share a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools and facilitate your team to ensure your community can realize its water efficiency, watershed health, and resilience goals.

 Workshop Details:

May 8-10, 2023

Estes Park • YMCA of the Rockies

 This workshop provides a great opportunity to begin collaborative thinking around linking water and land use, create an action plan, and qualify for technical assistance to support your path forward.

 Don't take our word for it - listen to past participants share their workshop experiences in this video.

 Learn more and apply today!

WaterNow Alliance is delighted to share that applications for the Transformative Water Leadership Academy are now open through September 15!

As detailed below, together with AWWA, WaterNow are seeking emerging leaders with 3-10 years of experience to participate in this 10-month cohort, which is designed to prepare the next generation of utility leaders to meet the challenges of today—and tomorrow—through sustainable community leadership practices.

The TWLA website has more information on who’s eligible and how to apply: https://www.awwa.org/Professional-Development/Transformative-Water-Leadership-Academy.

(from the website of the Colorado General Assembly)

HB22-1151

Turf Replacement Program

Concerning measures to incentivize water-wise landscapes, and, in connection therewith, creating a state program to finance the voluntary replacement of irrigated turf, and making an appropriation.

SESSION: 

2022 Regular Session

SUBJECT: 

Water

The bill requires the Colorado water conservation board (board) to develop a statewide program to provide financial incentives for the voluntary replacement of irrigated turf with water-wise landscaping (turf replacement program). The bill defines water-wise landscaping as a water- and plant-management practice that emphasizes using plants with lower water needs. Local governments, certain districts, Native American tribes, and nonprofit organizations with their own turf replacement programs may apply to the board for money to help finance their turf replacement programs. The board will contract with one or more third parties to administer one or more turf replacement programs in areas where local turf replacement programs do not exist.

The state treasurer is required to transfer $2 million from the general fund to the turf replacement fund, which fund is created to finance the turf replacement program. The money is appropriated to the department of natural resources for use by the board to implement the turf replacement program, with $11,400 of the money reappropriated to the office of the governor for use by the office of information technology to provide information technology services to the department of natural resources.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)

Read the full text of the bill at  Turf Replacement Program | Colorado General Assembly

Are you working to design, fund, or launch an innovative water program in Colorado? WaterNow is pleased to announce that the application cycle for its Regional Colorado Project Accelerator is open! Project Accelerator offers cities, water agencies, and other organizations the opportunity to jump start a sustainable water project. We provide free, high-value capacity and expertise that helps make meaningful progress toward more
affordable, community-oriented solutions. This application cycle will focus specifically on Colorado communities.

Selected projects receive:

• Tailored support for your program, which may include policy guidance, research and analysis, program design, and training and education
• Access to a broad network of water sector experts in program development and innovative financing
• Up to 250 hours of assistance over an approximately 6 month period (valued at $25,000)

Learn more and apply now to receive support. Applications are due by December 13, 2021.

Every water system experiences water loss. 

Establishing a baseline of validated water audit data is the anchor of a successful water loss strategy. 

The Colorado Water Loss Initiative provides a path to building and progressing your water loss program. 

The Colorado Water Loss Initiative (CWLI) is back with more FREE water loss training and technical assistance offered to Colorado water systems by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)! 

Registration is NOW OPEN! Click here to REGISTER 

Phase 1 of the CWLI program took place from 2018 – 2020, introducing the American Water Works Association (AWWA) M36 methodology and the industry standard tool for quantifying water loss and non-revenue water, the AWWA Free Water Audit Software. 

Phase 2 is available to all systems and offers water loss training and technical assistance at 2 different entry points. Water systems that completed Phase 1 in full will continue an advanced track with training and direct technical assistance depending on the utility’s loss profile. Technical assistance opportunities include supply input meter testing, billing data analysis and prorating, customer meter test design and result analysis, real loss component analysis, or leak detection. Systems that partially participated in Phase 1 or are brand new to the program will enter a new learner track with the opportunity to move into the advanced program track. 

Phase 2 is expected to start in Fall 2021 and continue through 2024. 

Think BIG, even if you’re small. The CWLI and the M36 methodology are for systems of all sizes, and we want smaller systems to know that your time commitment and participation will not be over-burdensome. Approximately 85% of participants in Phase 1 said they spent 40 hours or less throughout the two-year program on efforts outside of the CWLI workshops ((e.g., data gathering, internal team meetings) and 93% said that their experience in the Phase 1 will drive them to continue using the AWWA M36 methodology and Free Water Audit Software annually moving forward. Upon registration, a member of the program management team will reach out to you and your team to help you understand the time and effort in the program. 

Everyone is welcome! Register here TODAY 

We are excited for you to join us in this continued opportunity to save water, reduce costs, and be proactive about your water loss management. If you have any questions, please visit www.coloradowaterloss.org or contact us at team@coloradowaterloss.org.

Are you working to design, fund, or launch an innovative water program? WaterNow is pleased to announce that the Spring 2021 application cycle for Project Accelerator is open! Project Accelerator offers cities, water agencies, and other organizations the opportunity to jumpstart a sustainable water project. We provide free, high-value capacity and expertise that helps make meaningful progress toward more affordable,
community-oriented solutions.

Selected projects receive:

• Tailored support for your program, which may include policy guidance, research and analysis, program design, and training and education
• Access to a broad network of water sector experts in program development and innovative financing
• Up to 250 hours of assistance over an approximately 6 month period (valued at $25,000)

Learn more and apply now to receive support. Applications are due by May 24, 2021.

Application Deadline: May 7, 2021 • 5:00 PM (MDT)

Sonoran Institute and Brendle Group are seeking Colorado communities that wish to use metrics to track progress and impacts of integrated water and land use planning in their community.

Selected communities will receive specialized training and assistance from Sonoran Institute and Brendle Group, including guidance in forming a stakeholder group, goal-setting, selecting metrics, gathering and analyzing water and land use data, and applying the findings.

Participating communities will benefit from increased ability to make data-driven decisions about land and water resources, tools to communicate trends and progress, and stronger collaborative
relationships.

Learn more about the pilot program and the application process. Register to attend an informational webinar on March 24, 2021 at 3pm MDT. Can't make it? A recording will be made available online.

Questions? Email: climateresilience@sonoraninstitute.org

Through the WaterSMART Small-Scale Water Efficiency Projects, the US Bureau of Reclamation provides 50/50 cost share funding to irrigation and water districts, tribes, states and other entities with water or power delivery authority for small water efficiency improvements that have been identified through previous planning efforts. Projects eligible for funding include installation of flow measurement or automation in a specific part of a water delivery system, lining of a section of a canal to address seepage, or other similar projects that are limited in scope. Applications are due on March 18, 2020, at 4 p.m. MDT. 

Visit the Reclamation WaterSmart webpage for full details.