May 28, 2024 - Governor Polis was joined by legislators, local elected officials, and non-profit organizations in Silverthorne to sign the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) Annual Projects Bill, which provides funding for water and infrastructure projects across the state. The signing comes on the heels of a busy legislative session, which saw many bills to improve and conserve our water and other natural resources in Colorado. The 2024 CWCB Projects Bill package includes $220 million for Water Plan Grants, turf replacement, water forecasting, drought planning and more.
“Water is life in Colorado and today I was proud to protect our water resources that are essential for our agriculture, our economy, and our way of life,” said Governor Jared Polis.
“Thank you to Governor Polis and the Colorado General Assembly for prioritizing and protecting our water,” said CWCB Director Lauren Ris. “By signing bills this season that fund important infrastructure and support water resiliency—our agency can continue our mission to conserve, develop, protect and manage Colorado's water for present and future generations.”
The CWCB Projects Bill (HB24-1435) is an annual bipartisan bill that funds water infrastructure improvements, conservation initiatives and water planning efforts to support the diverse water needs of Colorado's communities, agriculture and environment. The breakdown of the $220 million this year includes: $23M in Water Plan Grant funding (supported by Sports Betting revenue); $2M for Turf Replacement Program; $2M for Innovative Water Forecasting; $4M for Drought Planning; $165M in loan funds for water supply projects; and $20M for Shoshone Water Right acquisition on the Colorado River.
This legislative session also brought several other successes, such as:
- Securing Colorado’s water future by helping our communities grow with water-efficient and climate resilient urban landscapes. SB24-005 (Prohibition on Non-Functional Turf, Artificial Turf, and Invasive Plant Species) will prevent a local government from installing, planting or placing or allowing any person to install, plant or place, any nonfunctional turf, artificial turf, or invasive plant species as part of any new project or development after January 2026.
- Protecting Colorado’s wildlife through conservation projects. SB 24-199 (Annual Species Conservation Trust Fund Projects) wildlife conservation programs directed at conserving candidate species or species that are likely to become candidate species, and includes $5M in funding for species recovery efforts (in consultation with the CWCB and others).
- Mitigating drought on the Colorado River. Among other recommendations, SB24-197 (Water Conservation Measures) will provide an additional tool for the CWCB’s Instream Flow Program to restore flows where environmental needs exist and storage water can be put to beneficial use without injuring other water rights. It also requires the CWCB to reduce or waive match funding for Water Plan Grants for the Ute Mountain Ute or Southern Ute Tribes to help advance important water supply and watershed health projects.
Read more about water- and natural resources-related bills that benefit Colorado in the Department of Natural Resource’s press release here.
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