Nine Basin Bulletin Summer Wrap-Up 2025
Hi! Welcome to our 2025 Summer Wrap-Up Nine Basin Bulletin. We wish you a happy (and wet) end of summer! The Nine Basins Bulletin is the Southwestern Water Conservation District (SWCD) and the Water Information Program (WIP) newsletter.
Summer & Fall Water Events
SWCD Events
10-08-25 & 10-09-2025 SWCD Regular Board Meeting - Location TBD
11-06-2025 Water Connections Event - Fort Lewis College
Other Events
- 09-15-2025 Water Resource and Agriculture Review Committee - more information can be found here
- 09-16-25 - 09-18-25 CWCB Meeting & Shoshone Hearing - Durango, CO - more information can be found here
- 09-18-25 Colorado WaterWise Water Conservation Symposium, Westminster, CO - more information can be found here
- 09-23-25 & 09-24-25 Managed Aquifer Recharge: Unleashing Resiliency, Protecting Groundwater Quality, Denver, CO - more information can be found here
- 10-03-25 Colorado River District Annual Water Seminar, Grand Junction, CO - more information can be found here
- 10-07-25 - 10-09-25 Sustaining Colorado Watersheds Conference, Avon, CO - more information can be found here
- 10-23-25 SW Basin Roundtable - Durango, CO - more information can be found here
- 10-28 -25 & 10-29-25 2025 C9 Summit - more information can be found here.
- 10-29-25 Water Resource and Agriculture Review Committee - more information can be found here
SWCD Summer Re-cap
SWCD Grant Program
NOW OPEN
Are you looking for water project funding for 2026? SWCD's Grant Program is now open! Our board has tentatively increased our grant program to $350,000 (past years it has been $250,000). This budget number will be finalized at our October Board Meeting. This funding will be to advance water projects and hopefully help entities fill the gap that frozen or pulled Federal Funding has left in our communities. Please visit our grant page and reach out with any questions: Financial Assistance Program - Southwestern Water Conservation District
New role at SWCD brings financial expertise
This July, SWCD hired a new position, an accounting and grants coordinator! The District is excited to welcome Josh Brooks into the role and looks forward to his financial expertise. Please visit our Staff page to learn more about Josh. SWCD Staff Page
SWCD Summer Events and Meetings
Summer is a busy time in Southwest Colorado! We've had two board meetings, were the prime sponsor on Water Education Colorado's Southwest Tour, and had a few board members attend the Colorado Water Congress Summer Conference in Steamboat. We've also been behind the scenes, keeping up with the Colorado River 7-States' negotiations, advocating for the release of B2E funding for Colorado, and monitoring current water conditions. SWCD has also been working away on their Water Conservation and Infrastructure Partnership. Visit the Partnership page to browse our highlighted resources: SWCD's Water Conservation and Infrastructure Partnership - Southwestern Water Conservation District. For regular updates on any of these topics, please join us for our regular board meetings!
Did you miss our SWCD Annual Water Seminar? Visit our seminar page to watch the full seminar now! Southwest Water Seminar - Southwestern Water Conservation District
27th Children’s Water Festival: Kids Dive into Water Wisdom at Ft. Lewis College
On May 14, 2025, Fort Lewis College buzzed with energy as nearly 800 fifth‐grade students from 18 schools across the Southwest Basin gathered for the 27th Annual Children’s Water Festival. (waterinfo.org)
Organized by the Water Information Program in partnership with the Southwestern Water Conservation District, the festival brought together 29 presenters from various agencies and organizations. These experts donated their time and expertise to teach about water conservation; what is a watershed; forest, soil and river health; fish habitat; the Water Cycle; Durango Water services, and more. Turning complex topics and lessons into immersime hands‐on experiences, while getting a rich, well-rounded introduction to how water connects to every part of life. Each 20-minute session throughout the day was designed with fifth graders in mind.
Big thanks to all the volunteers and presenters, teachers, and partner organizations who made this year’s festival a success. Your efforts are shaping the next generation of water stewards—one activity at a time.
Interested in making a difference? We're always looking for new volunteers and presenters. Reach out to elaine@waterinfo.org to get involved.
Forest to Faucets Teacher Training Workshop Inspires Educators
On July 31–August 1, teachers from across the region came together at Fozzie’s Farm and sites around Dolores for the annual Forest to Faucets teacher workshop. Hosted by Mountain Studies Institute, Water Information Program, and San Juan Mountains Association, the free two-day training offered a mix of hands-on classroom activities, field trips, and expert presentations designed to help teachers bring local water and forest lessons into their classrooms.
Teachers received an Activity Kit with all of the supplies for thier classroom, free lunch, 16 contact hours, and plenty of opportunities to network with fellow educators.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. Teachers praised the workshop as “relevant, digestible, and transferable,” with “such amazing resources and lessons.” Others called it “incredibly informative, inspiring, and full of ideas for place-based education,” while many highlighted the “diversity of instructors with tons of practical experience” and the passion of the presenting team.
The workshop left educators energized and full of new ideas for place-based education—bringing local water, land, and forest topics directly into their classrooms. With such positive feedback, the Forest to Faucets program continues to strengthen the link between teachers, natural resources, and the next generation of water stewards.
Water Law in a Nutshell - October 22, 2025
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Water Law in a Nutshell course on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at Fort Lewis College. This full-day, in-person seminar will be facilitated by Aaron Clay, attorney at law and former 26-year Water Referee for the Colorado Water Court, Division 4. Over the course of eight hours, Aaron will provide a clear and comprehensive overview of Colorado water law, covering topics such as appropriation, ditch and water rights, groundwater, abandonment, easements, enforcement, and interstate compacts. Whether you are a landowner, water user, attorney, real estate professional, or simply someone interested in understanding how water law shapes life in Colorado, this course offers valuable insights and practical knowledge in a friendly, approachable format.
Continuing education credits available for realtors, appraisers and lawyers.
For more information and to register click here.
News Articles & Press Releases
Sen. Heinrich introduces bill to increase tribal access to clean water - The Journal
Arizona, Nevada and Mexico get less Colorado River water for a third year - The Journal
Town of Telluride implements outdoor watering restrictions | News | telluridenews.com
PAWSD board debates housing surcharge, community role - The Pagosa Springs Sun
Sports betting revenue for water projects surges 21%, hits new record - Water Education Colorado
Project Funding
SWCD has an annual grant program that opens in the fall and closes in the winter for the following year. The program funds grants for water supply, water planning, and water education, among other things. This opportunity is NOW OPEN -browse our funding page or contact Mo Bardier (mbardier@swwcd.org).
Have a project in the Southwest Basin? Is it on SWCD's Water Conservation and Infrastructure Partnership Pipeline? Contact Carrie Padgett to add your project to our pipeline and let us help you find funding! With the pipeline we can bundle like projects and pull in funds for multiple projects at at time. Learn about our partnership here: Water Conservation and Infrastructure Partnership - Southwestern Water Conservation District
Don’t Know Where to Start?
Current water project funding opportunities are a lot to take in. That’s part of why the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) hired regional water plan grant managers–to help project proponents navigate this once-in-a-generation opportunity to implement projects statewide. Contact Laura Spann (based in Durango), laura.spann@state.co.us, 720-916-7723 if you need help getting started, or email her to get signed up for her mothly funding newsletter.
Other Resources:
- Climate Resilience Grant Program - Colorado Department of Agriculture: Up to $30,000 (no match required) for individual farmers and ranchers "who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing a climate-change induced disaster to increase the resilience of their operation".
- Senator John Hickenlooper Grant Navigation Webiste
- Opportunity Navigator CWCB has compiled this database to serve as a tool for people and organizations across Colorado to navigate all available funding opportunities for water projects in a single place.
- Irrigation Infrastructure Resource Hub Have a water funding need but don’t know where to start? DARCA and the River Network teamed up to create this hub.
- Water Plan Grants The CWCB offers grants to advance the goals of the Colorado Water Plan. Adding storage? Have a multi-benefit project? Lots of project partners, collaboration? An innovative or landscape-scale project? It might fit well here. Roundtable letters of support, while not required, add value to your application. If you want their consideration, the Southwest Basin Roundtable requests a short proposal and presentation at a meeting. Next Cycle: December 1
- Water Supply Reserve Fund: The current WSRF Southwest Basin Account balance is $615,171. That balance does not include three pending Roundtable recommendations totaling $224,521 and awaiting approval from the CWCB board. The annual WSRF allocation from the CWCB Board this fall would bring the Southwest Basin Account balance up to $750,000. The Roundtable considers requests up to $100,000 from the WSRF Southwest Basin Account. The WSRF Statewide Account is currently not available for new applications. Step 1: Submit WSRF applications to Roundtable Chair Peter Butler and Recorder Wendy Weygandt by Thurs, September 25. Step 2: Contact Peter Butler to secure a spot on the October 23 Roundtable meeting agenda in Mancos or Cortez (location TBD). Step 3: With a Roundtable letter of support, submit final WSRF applications in the CWCB portal by December 1. Please contact Ben Wade with any questions. For more information, please review the attached FAQ and contact Peter Butler and Ben Wade.
- NEW! CWP Wetland and Riparian Restoration and Enhancement Projects
Want to apply for federal water grants but don’t have the staff capacity?
- WaterSMART Program Portal This site houses Reclamation's schedule for funding through WaterSMART and Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration and opportunities for Multi-Benefit Projects to Improve Watershed Health.
- Colorado Wildlife Mitigation Funding: Here's a list of state, federal, and private funding available for a wide variety of wildfire mitigation projects, including Watershed Health.
- Technical Assistance for Federal Cost Share Program: The CWCB Technical Assistance for Federal Cost Share (TAFC) program is now accepting applications. The TAFC Program provides direct grants to water users to develop high-quality, competitive applications for federal funding. Funding can be used for feasibility studies and other planning, project design and engineering, grant writing, and other important project elements that contribute to a federal grant application. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please contact Michael Regan for more information.
Please email mbardier@swwcd.org if you have anything you'd like to share in this newsletter, including events, news articles, or any open water-related jobs.