Seven New Community Funding Partnership Projects Approved

River District Board of Directors greenlights over $500,000 in grant funding at Second Quarterly meeting.

On Wednesday, April 20, the Community Funding Partnership took center stage at the River District’s Second Quarterly Board Meeting. Amy Moyer, Director of Strategic Partnerships, brought seven new projects to the table for board review – the largest slate of projects presented for board approval to date.

“As expected by River District staff, interest and awareness of the Community Funding Partnership throughout our district, coupled with widespread awareness of current Infrastructure and Jobs Act funding, has resulted in an uptick in the number of applications,” Moyer said.

As interest in the program grows, Moyer explained, extra care must be taken to respect the time and energy of grant applicants and River District staff. As such, pre-application meetings with potential grantees, site visits, and highlighting CFP’s rolling application deadline will be even more essential for successful implementation of this important, multi-benefit program.

All seven Community Funding Partnership projects presented to the board on April 20 received board approval per staff recommendations. Details for these seven projects can be found below. With these approvals, the Community Funding Partnership marks $1.7M awarded to local, multi-benefit water projects across the West Slope in 2022 and $4.5M distributed to 35 projects since the program’s launch in 2021.

Projects

Advancing Irrigation Efficiency Across Summit County – High Country Conservation Center
$76,475 awarded, Summit County

The primary goal of this project is to reduce outdoor water use in Summit County through implementation of an outdoor efficiency program. The project will conserve water, reduce future demand, and promote a water efficiency ethic through the following activities: (1) irrigation certification of local landscapers and government staff, (2) development of a rebate program that incentivizes irrigation audits and equipment upgrades, and (3) environmental education designed to drive water savings.

Sheriff Reservoir Dam Rehabilitation Final Design – The Town of Oak Creek
$80,000 awarded, Routt/Rio Blanco Counties

The project will finalize engineering for the dam rehabilitation project. The key deliverable will be the preparation of dam rehabilitation design and construction documents that can be approved by the Colorado Division of Water Resources Dam Safety Branch.

Somerset Water Treatment Revitalization – Somerset Domestic Waterworks District
$91,702 awarded, Gunnison County

The project will modernize Somerset’s water treatment operations by fixing an aging and leaking raw water storage tank, installing a GAC filter as an added layer of protection against trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and disinfection byproducts (DBPS) in the drinking water supply, and install a SCADA computer system that will allow automation and catch treatment errors.

Grandview Canal UML Headgate and Water Optimization Project – Grandview Canal & Irrigation Company
$135,000 awarded, Delta County

The project enhances an existing BOR-funded piping project across the Upper, Middle, and Lower laterals by installing a new headgate, eight AF regulating pond, and associated concrete structures. Additionally, this project includes the installation of SCADA to improve water resource management through the implementation of water measurement devices with remote data collection.

CCDC Upper West Lateral Pipeline and SCADA – Crawford Clipper Ditch Company
$150,000 awarded, Delta County

This project will pipe 4,900 linear feet of existing earthen ditch and create a six AF irrigation control pond to expand the sediment basin and improve water quality in an area of flat elevation. Additionally, this project will connect to a larger piping project funded by the BOR Salinity Control Program, which will enclose the entire Clipper West Lateral, creating greater water flexibility for on-farm users in irrigation water management. The project will also implement SCADA.

2022 Yampa River Flow Pilot Project – Colorado River District Staff on behalf of the Colorado River District’s Enterprise
$26,250 awarded, Moffat County

In 2021, the River District released 1,500 acre-feet made available through the River District’s Community Funding Partnership 2021 Yampa River Flow Pilot. This project will fund a continuation of this effort to benefit consumptive and in-channel uses during low flow periods.

Water Tank 3 Interior Rehabilitation Project – Buffalo Mountain Metropolitan District
$25,000 awarded, Summit County

The project will rehabilitate Buffalo Mountain Metropolitan District’s below-grade, 150,000-gallon steel water storage tank constructed in 1970. The existing storage tank is exposed to significant corrosion buildup and surface loss, and the original coating system has failed.