This list contains often-used Colorado River
water-related acronyms

Highlighted acronyms will link you to pertinent websites

AF – Acre-foot, Acre-feet
ALPWCD – Animas-La Plata Water Conservancy District
AOP – Annual Operating Plan (ref: Bureau of Reclamation Colorado River operations)
AWRA – American Water Resources Association
AWWA – American Water Works Association

BCNM – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument
(C)BIP – (Colorado) Basin Implementation Plan
BLM – U.S. Bureau of Land Management
BMWCD – Battlement Mesa Water Conservancy District
BWCD – Basalt Water Conservancy District
BLWCD – Bluestone Water Conservancy District
BO – Biological Opinion
BRM – Big River Model

CAP – Central Arizona Project
CBM – Coal Bed Methane
C-BT – Colorado-Big Thompson Project
CCWCD – Central Colorado Water Conservancy District
CDPHE – Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
CFOPS – Coordinated Facilities Operations Study (ref: Fish Recovery Program)
CFB – Colorado Farm Bureau
CFS – Cubic Feet Per Second
CFWE – Colorado Foundation for Water Education
CGWC – Colorado Ground Water Commission
CRCA – Colorado River Cooperative Agreement
CRDSS – Colorado River Decision Support System
CROS – Combined Reservoir Operations Study
CRPAB – Colorado River Policy Advisory Board
CRSM – Colorado River Simulation Mode
CRSP – Colorado River Storage Project
CRSPA – Colorado River Storage Project Act
CRSS – Colorado River Simulation System
CRWCD – Colorado River Water Conservation District
CRWUA – Colorado River Water Users Association
CSU – Colorado Springs Utilities
CU – Consumptive Use
CUP – Central Utah Project
CREA – Colorado Rural Electric Association
CWA – Clean Water Act
CWC – Colorado Water Congress
CWCB – Colorado Water Conservation Board
CWQCC – Colorado Water Quality Control Committee
CWRPDA – Colorado Water Resources & Power Development Authority
CWQCC/D – Colorado Water Quality Control Commission/Division
CWRRI – Colorado Water Resources Research Institute

DCWRA – Douglas County Water Resource Authority
DOI – Department of the Interior
DMI – Data Management Interface
DNR – Department of Natural Resources (Colorado)
DougCo – Douglas County Water Resources Authority Study
DSS – Decision Support System
DW – Denver Water
DWR – Division of Water Resources (Colorado/ aka: SEO)

EA – Environmental Assessment (ref: Colorado)
EIS – Environmental Impact Statement
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
EPRP – Eagle Park Reservoir Project
ERA – Eagle River Assembly
ERWSD – Eagle River Water & Sanitation District
ERA – Eagle River Assembly
ESA – Endangered Species Act
ET – Evapotranspiration

FERC – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FONSI – Finding of No Significant Impact (NEPA)
FRICO – Farmer’s Reservoir and Irrigation Company

GASP – Groundwater Appropriators of the South Platte
GIS – Geographical Information System
GMR – Green Mountain Reservoir
GMUG – Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests
GVIC – Grand Valley Irrigation Company
GVWUA – Grand Valley Water Users Association

HCCA – High Country Citizen’s Alliance
HUP – Historic Users Pool (refers to Green Mountain Reservoir)

ICPA – Interstate Compact Policy Analysis
IGA – Inter-Governmental Agreement
IID – Imperial Irrigation District (California)
IRP – Integrated Resource Plan
IWB – Interstate Water Bank
IMAP – Information Management Annual Plan
IMC – Information Management Committee
IRP – Integrated Resource Plan

MAF – Million Acre Feet
MCID – Mesa County Irrigation District
MCWA – Mesa County Water Association
MOA – Memorandum of Agreement
MOU – Memorandum of Understanding
MPWCD – Middle Park Water Conservancy District
MWD – Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
MWSI – Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation

NCWCD – Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (Northern Water)
NFMA – National Forest Management Act
NPS – National Park Service (Department of Interior)
NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act
NISP – Northern Integrated Supply Project
NPDES – National Pollutant Discharges Elimination System
NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service
NWCCOG – Northwest Colorado Council of Governments
NWRA – National Water Resources Association

OMID – Orchard Mesa Irrigation District
OWC – Office of Water Conservation (Colorado Water Conservation Board)

PBO – Programmatic Biological Opinion
PID – Palisade Irrigation District
PSOP – Preferred Storage Options Plan
PRP – Platte River Project
PWSD – Parker Water & Sanitation District

QQ –Water Quantity and Quality Committee of Northwest Colorado Council of Governments
QSA – Quantification Settlement Agreement

RBWCD – Rio Blanco Water Conservancy District
RDBMS – Relational Database Management System
RFC – Roaring Fork Conservancy
RICD – Recreational In-Channel Diversion
RGWCD – Rio Grand Water Conservation District
RGWUA – Rio Grande Water Users’ Association
RIP – Recovery Implementation Program
RIP-RAP – Recovery Implementation Program – Recovery Action Plan
RMNP – Rocky Mountain National Park
RRA -Reclamation Reform Act
RWPA – Ruedi Water/Power Authority
RWPC – Redlands Water & Power Company

SECWCD – Southeast Colorado Water Conservancy District
SEO – State Engineer’s Office
SWWCD – Southwestern Water Conservation District
SWCD – Silt Water Conservancy District
SWSI – Statewide Water Supply Initiative

TABOR – Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights
TAC – Technical Advisory Committee
TCWCD – Tri-county Water Conservancy District
TDS – Total Dissolved Solids
TNC – The Nature Conservancy
TU – Trout Unlimited

USSD – United States Society on Dams
UCRC – Upper Colorado River Commission
UGRWCD – Upper Gunnison River Water Conservancy District
UPCO – Upper Colorado River Basin Study
USACE – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
USBR – United States Bureau of Reclamation
USGS – United States Geologic Survey
USFWS – United States Fish and Wildlife Service
UVWUA – Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association
UWCD – Ute Water Conservancy District
UYWCD – Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District

WA – Wilderness Act
WAPA – Western Area Power Authority
WDWCD – West Divide Water Conservancy District
WESTCAS – Western Coalition of Arid States
WRNF – White River National Forest
WSWC – Western States Water Council
WSRA – Wild & Scenic Rivers Act

YRBP – Yampa River Basin Partnership

YJWCD -Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy District

7/30 – Seven States/30 Sovereign Tribal Nations in the Colorado River Basin
3 -State Agreement – Colorado/Nebraska/Wyoming for Platte River Endangered Species