Community Funding Partnership

Page 300 of the public packet.

During the second quarterly meeting, the Board approved two new projects that reflect the District’s commitment to advancing multi-benefit water projects across Western Colorado.

1. Stillwater Reservoir Infrastructure Repairs: The Board approved a $123,000 grant to the Bear River Reservoir Company for repairs at Stillwater Reservoir in Routt and Garfield counties. The project will address seepage issues, stabilize the channel, and work toward removal of a fill restriction, restoring storage capacity for late-season irrigation and enhancing drought resilience for water users on the Bear River.
2. 3 Mile Mobile Home Park Drinking Water Upgrades: A $217,370 grant was awarded to the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation to improve drinking water infrastructure for 3 Mile Mobile Home Park in Garfield County. The project will replace aging system components, relocate infrastructure out of the floodplain, and enhance water treatment to address water quality issues and protect public health.

As of July 2025, the Community Funding Partnership (CFP) Program has reopened its application process to include the mainstem Colorado River Basin. This marks a key milestone in the ongoing effort to maintain equitable distribution of funding across all major basins within the River District.

As the District continues to address the impacts of a hotter and drier future, the CFP Program remains a strategic tool to forward local projects that bolster water supply security and resilience. Staff continue to coordinate with partners across the District to prioritize projects with regional benefits, diversified funding, and strong alignment with the River District’s mission.

To learn more about the Community Funding Partnership program, visit the website by clicking HERE.

To read the Community Funding Partnership program Annual Report, click HERE.

Hydrology Updates

Page 287 of the public packet.

Normal Snowpack Disappears After Exceptionally Dry Spring

We are well into Water Year 2025 and have seen a great deal of variability across the entire Upper Colorado River Basin with dry periods punctuated by stairstep gains in snowpack. Director of Science and Interstate and Regional Water Resources, Raquel Flinker, and Water Resources Specialist, Sam Calahan provided the board with the highlights (and lowlights) of the year so far.

“Overall, accumulations were greater to the north and lesser to the south, particularly when looking at the full Colorado River Basin scale,” said Flinker. She explained that this spring has been warmer and drier than average throughout the basin, particularly in April. Along with very dry soils, these conditions decreased the amount of snowmelt that was able to make its way into the river, creating a large gap between what was initially expected from peak snowpack and runoff. For example, even though the snow-water-equivalent peaked at 92% of average, the April-July water supply forecast into Lake Powell is 45% of average.

Based on this reality, the 24-month studies provided by the Bureau of Reclamation indicated that the elevation of Lake Powell is expected to drop below the target level of 3525’ in 2026. As negotiations between the seven basin states continue, this reality has created increased urgency around finding a solution.

Western Slope Hydrology and Reservoir Operations

On the western slope of Colorado, the picture wasn’t much better, unfortunately. April was particularly parched, with many areas on the West Slope reaching top-10 dryness for the month. Snowpack disappeared rapidly and made for challenging conditions for water managers who must decide early in the spring when and how much water to release from various high elevation, small-bucket storage reservoirs to make room for runoff.

Sam Calahan explained that while the two reservoirs owned by the River District, Elkhead and Wolford did indeed fill, the expectations for inflow were dramatically above the actual water that showed up.

Page 272 of the public packet.

Colorado River Basin 

During his General Manager’s report, Andy Mueller brought the board up to speed on recent developments in the interstate negotiations for post-2026 operational guidelines. In June, a new proposal was brought forward between the seven-state negotiators. Known informally as the “supply-driven model,” this proposal would base releases from Lake Powell on the average inflow to the reservoir over a 3-5 year period.

“There are some pretty essential details still being worked out,” said Mueller. These details include establishing upper and lower bounds for these releases to protect levels in Lake Mead as well as the ecosystem within the Grand Canyon. Other considerations include how this foundational shift in reservoir operations would impact the Upper and Lower Basin states’ previous Compact obligations, including Lower Basin tributary use.

While the final Supplemental Environmental Impact Study isn’t due until April, the federal government has impressed on the seven states that there needs to be significant alignment as early as mid-November or they will step in.

Strategic Plan Updates

Page 240 of the public packet.

At the July quarterly meeting, the Colorado River District Board of Directors approved and formally adopted the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, setting a clear and actionable direction for the next five years. The new plan builds on the District’s foundational work and outlines focused initiatives designed to meet current and future water challenges across Western Colorado.

The strategic planning process was highly collaborative, incorporating insights from Board members, staff, and facilitators at Civic Consulting Collaborative over the course of a full year. The result is a refreshed blueprint centered on three focus areas, while advancing the River District’s core services:

1. Community Protection – Collaboratively protecting and enhancing the water security of West Slope communities.
2. Trusted Resource – Enhancing the District’s role as a Comprehensive and trusted resource to guide decision making related to West Slope water issues.
3. Recognized Leader on Colorado River Matters – Leading with credibility and collaboration in ongoing state, regional, and federal water negotiations.
4. Core Services of the River District – Evaluating and enhancing organization capacity, resources, and assets, while respecting our taxpayer’s investments in the District.

The 2025–2030 Strategic Plan will be available soon on the Colorado River District’s website.

Evaluating Conserved Consumptive Use in the Upper Colorado

On the second day of the meeting, Hannah Holm with American Rivers presented on the results of a 2020-2023 study funding in partnership with CFP which explored how the implementation of various structures of conserved consumptive use impact both land and economic bottom line for producers. Her slide show (click here to view the .pdf) explains initial findings for the following questions.

Water use and forage recovery questions:

1. What is the CU and CCU on large irrigated high-elevation pastures during and after irrigation withdrawal for a year?
2. What are the forage recover patterns resulting from these practices?

Economic research question:

1. What does participation in a water conservation project mean for producers’ bottom lines?

Streamflow and habitat impacts:

1. How does water conservation impact the quantity and timing of water in streams and reservoirs?
2. How do changes in irrigation impact bird species?

Social science research questions:

1. What factors did producers consider when deciding to participate or not?
2. How did participants’ thoughts on the project change over time?

The final report for this study will be available soon. Email aderwingson@tnc.org to receive it in your inbox.

Shoshone Water Rights Preservation Project

Page 276 of the public packet.

Progress continues on the River District’s effort to secure long-term protections for the Shoshone Water Rights, a priority initiative to safeguard critical flows in the Colorado River for the Western Slope.

Since the April board meeting, the River District, together with Public Service Company of Colorado (Xcel Energy) formally presented the proposed instream flow acquisition to the CWCB at its May 21 meeting in Steamboat Springs. The proposal received strong support from a broad coalition of stakeholders during public comment, highlighting its basin-wide benefits.

However, four transmountain diverters, Denver Water, Northern Water, Aurora Water, and Colorado Springs Utilities, raised objections, primarily concerning the River District’s preliminary historical use analysis of the Shoshone Water Rights. These entities subsequently requested a contested hearing before the CWCB.

In response, the CWCB convened a special meeting on July 1 and granted the hearing request. The hearing will take place during the CWCB’s September 16–18 meeting in Water Division 7. Jackie Calicchio, Senior Assistant Attorney General, has been appointed as the hearing officer.

The Shoshone Water Rights Preservation project remains a cornerstone of the River District’s strategic work to protect the West Slope’s water future. Further updates will be shared as the process advances through the CWCB’s hearing timeline.

External Affairs Update

Page 384 of the public packet.

In the second quarter of 2025, the External Affairs team focused on planning, coordinating, and successfully executing eleven State of the River events across the District. This year’s event series set a new record for attendance and engagement, bringing together local communities, water users, and subject matter experts for meaningful discussions on the challenges and opportunities facing West Slope water.

The team also worked closely with leadership, legal, and technical staff to support the dynamic demands of the Shoshone Water Rights Preservation Campaign. This involved assistance in crafting documents and language to message new campaign updates and handling multiple waves of media interest related to the Shoshone effort.

Additionally, to provide greater clarity around the work of the External Affairs team for both internal and external stakeholders, Lindsay DeFrates now holds the title of Deputy Director of Communications/Public Information Officer.

Staff Updates

The Colorado River District continues to evolve its team to meet the growing needs of the organization and its role in water management and communications across the West Slope. Several recent title changes and a new hire reflect both internal advancement and strategic capacity-building.

• Amy Moyer has been named Chief of Strategy, joining the senior leadership team and building on her leadership of the District’s strategic partnerships and planning efforts. Amy provides oversight of the Community Funding Partnership, communications, and strategic priorities of the District.
• Raquel Flinker is now Director of Interstate & Regional Water Resources, providing technical engineering, scientific expertise, advocacy, and project management support on interstate policy efforts, while also supporting water users at the state and basin level.
• Lindsay DeFrates now holds the title Deputy Director of Communications/Public Information Officer, aligning titles with organizational structure and providing a clear point of contact for media coordination.
• Stephen Foster joined the District on April 1 as Water Resources Engineer/Project Manager, bringing valuable technical expertise to the River District’s technical team.

These updates underscore the District’s continued commitment to operational excellence and mission-driven service to Colorado’s Western Slope communities. A full list of Colorado River District staff can be viewed at coloradoriverdistrict.org/staff.