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. 

Build resilience by enhancing the sustainable management of your water resources – apply to attend the Growing Water Smart workshop.

The main goal of the Growing Water Smart program is to ensure that water-related growth and development challenges are collaboratively and proactively addressed in your community.

Attend with your team of land use planners, water providers, elected officials, planning commissioners, and other water professionals. 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.

Virtual Workshop held over 3-4 days

Colorado: mid-May, 2021

Arizona: mid-June, 2021

Application Deadline: February 15, 2021

This physically distanced but highly collaborative workshop provides a great opportunity for counties, municipalities, or regions to link water and land use, create an action plan, and qualify for technical assistance to support your path forward. There is no cost to participating teams.

Additional information: https://resilientwest.org/growing-water-smart/colorado-growing-water-smart/

Have questions? Feel free to reach out to us at climateresilience@sonoraninstitute.org.

Are you working to design, fund, or launch an innovative water program? WaterNow is pleased to announce that the Fall 2020 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 December 14, 2020.

Reported by the Aspen Times

Western Slope voters have overwhelmingly passed a proposal by the Colorado River Water Conservation District to raise property taxes across its 15-county region.

According to preliminary results as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, encompassing about 246,245 ballots, about 72% of voters said yes to the measure. Saguache County was the lone county to vote against the measure.

Read the full article at The Aspen Times.

Reported by The Colorado Sun

"November in Colorado is usually a time for hyping up the winter powder season, speculating on how many snow days students will get and generally looking forward to flaky, fluffy precipitation.

But with almost 25% of the state classified in "exceptional" drought status, as of the latest drought monitor report released Thursday, and little reprieve on the horizon, snow enthusiasts might not want to get their hopes up just yet."

Read the full article at The Colorado Sun.

WaterNow's Project Accelerator

Free assistance to get your sustainable, innovative water initiative off the ground

Selected projects will receive up to 250 hours of technical and program assistance over a 3-6 month period.

Resources for selected projects include:

• Water Policy & Sustainability Expertise
• • Water Policy Research & Analysis
  • Advocacy Strategy
  • Access to a Broad Network of Water Sector Experts, including
  • Innovative Financing
• Broad Program Management Capabilities
• • Best Practices Research
  • Program Design Consultation
  • Program Success Metrics
  • Training and Education
  • Outreach & Communication Strategy

More information: bit.ly/Project-Accelerator

For any inquiries, feel free to contact Danielle McPherson at dm@waternow.org or (415) 360-2999.

Lawns are an American obsession. Since the mass proliferation of suburbs in the 1950s and '60s, these pristine carpets of green turf have been meticulously maintained by suburbanites, with grass length and other aesthetic considerations enforced with bylaws and by homeowner associations.

But for nature, lawns offer little. Their maintenance produces more greenhouse gases than they absorb, and they are biodiversity deserts that have contributed to vanishing insect populations. Residential lawns cover 2% of US land and require more irrigation than any agricultural crop grown in the country. Across California, more than half of household water is used outside of the house.

If attitudes toward lawn care are shifted, however, these grassy green patches represent a gigantic opportunity. In 2005, a NASA satellite study found that American residential lawns take up 49,000 square miles (128,000 square km) -- nearly equal in size to the entire country of Greece.

Read the full story here.

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