Western Water Partnerships facilitates the advancement of market-based innovative water transfers by creating partnerships from our community of water managers, municipalities, irrigators, and conservation organizations interested in a sustainable future. WWP is leading several exciting innovative water transfer initiatives that are described briefly below.
Rio Grande Basin Water Cooperative Project
WWP is leading a consultant team to develop an in-basin water marketing program in the San Luis Valley to help the water users meet their goals of replacing stream depletions, sustain agriculture, keep water in the Basin, and provide multiple other benefits such as enhanced environmental conditions and beneficial streamflows where feasible. The aim is to design water sharing mechanisms such as temporary water leases or rotational fallowing as part of the water market program. This effort is funded by the CWCB, Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado Open Lands, Rio Grande Land Trust and the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and the Subdistricts and is expected to be completed in 2025.
Colorado Water Conservation Board
In 2021, WWP assisted the CWCB in the development of a list of potential water sharing project in the state and to develop one or more Reclamation WaterSMART grant application(s). WWP was successful in the development and submittal of a WaterSMART grant for the Rio Grande Water Conservation District. Notice of award for this request was provided in July 2021.
City of Greeley
WWP is working for the City of Greeley to help advance their agricultural-municipal water sharing efforts. This work involves the development of water sharing concepts with regional ditch companies.
City of Aspen
WWP is leading a consultant team to explore and develop water sharing agreements for the City of Aspen. The project’s objective is to use ATMs to help increase the reliability of the City’s municipal water supply and provide for instream flows for the Roaring Fork River and/or its tributaries.
Riverview Farms ATM Project
WWP is leading a consulting team to develop a water sharing agreement for Riverview Farms, a 500-acre irrigated farm located west of Fort Morgan.
Sylvan Dale Ranch ATM Project
WWP is leading a consulting team to develop a water sharing agreements for the Sylvan Dale Ranch, an irrigated ranch west of Loveland. The project involves 259 C-BT units involving the ranch’s water rights.
Colorado Springs’ Utilities
WWP contracted with Colorado Springs’ Utilities to help advance their agricultural-municipal water sharing efforts. This work involved analysis and development of water sharing concepts, economic/valuation analysis, water rights analyses and policy work from 2016 to 2018.
Larimer County ATM Pilot Project
In 2017, Western Water Partnerships successfully brokered Colorado’s first perpetual agricultural-municipal water sharing contract between Larimer County and the City and County of Broomfield involving an irrigated farm with over $7.0 million in water rights. WWP managed a team of experts to the program to fallow the farm (or reduced irrigation) in dry years and for use by Broomfield in those years. In all other years, the water stays on the farm for irrigation.
Northern Colorado Agricultural Land/Water Buffer Program
WWP has partnered with the Open Water Foundation and Colorado Open Lands on this ground breaking project. The concept is simple; By combining interruptible water supply agreements with land preservation tools (e.g. conservation easements or fee title acquisition), productive irrigated agricultural lands can be protected while providing valuable dry-year water supplies for towns and cities. This project was completed in the Fall of 2016.
Rio Grande Basin Water Cooperative Project
WWP is leading a consultant team to develop an in-basin water marketing program in the San Luis Valley to help the water users meet their goals of replacing stream depletions, sustain agriculture, keep water in the Basin, and provide multiple other benefits such as enhanced environmental conditions and beneficial streamflows where feasible. The aim is to design water sharing mechanisms such as temporary water leases or rotational fallowing as part of the water market program. This effort is funded by the CWCB, Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado Open Lands, Rio Grande Land Trust and the Rio Grande Water Conservation District and the Subdistricts and is expected to be completed in 2025.
Colorado Water Conservation Board
In 2021, WWP assisted the CWCB in the development of a list of potential water sharing project in the state and to develop one or more Reclamation WaterSMART grant application(s). WWP was successful in the development and submittal of a WaterSMART grant for the Rio Grande Water Conservation District. Notice of award for this request was provided in July 2021.
City of Greeley
WWP is working for the City of Greeley to help advance their agricultural-municipal water sharing efforts. This work involves the development of water sharing concepts with regional ditch companies.
City of Aspen
WWP is leading a consultant team to explore and develop water sharing agreements for the City of Aspen. The project’s objective is to use ATMs to help increase the reliability of the City’s municipal water supply and provide for instream flows for the Roaring Fork River and/or its tributaries.
Riverview Farms ATM Project
WWP is leading a consulting team to develop a water sharing agreement for Riverview Farms, a 500-acre irrigated farm located west of Fort Morgan.
Sylvan Dale Ranch ATM Project
WWP is leading a consulting team to develop a water sharing agreements for the Sylvan Dale Ranch, an irrigated ranch west of Loveland. The project involves 259 C-BT units involving the ranch’s water rights.
Colorado Springs’ Utilities
WWP contracted with Colorado Springs’ Utilities to help advance their agricultural-municipal water sharing efforts. This work involved analysis and development of water sharing concepts, economic/valuation analysis, water rights analyses and policy work from 2016 to 2018.
Larimer County ATM Pilot Project
In 2017, Western Water Partnerships successfully brokered Colorado’s first perpetual agricultural-municipal water sharing contract between Larimer County and the City and County of Broomfield involving an irrigated farm with over $7.0 million in water rights. WWP managed a team of experts to the program to fallow the farm (or reduced irrigation) in dry years and for use by Broomfield in those years. In all other years, the water stays on the farm for irrigation.
Northern Colorado Agricultural Land/Water Buffer Program
WWP has partnered with the Open Water Foundation and Colorado Open Lands on this ground breaking project. The concept is simple; By combining interruptible water supply agreements with land preservation tools (e.g. conservation easements or fee title acquisition), productive irrigated agricultural lands can be protected while providing valuable dry-year water supplies for towns and cities. This project was completed in the Fall of 2016.