The town of paonia located in delta county, colorado will conduct a holistic and comprehensive investigation to develop a water strategy to increase drought resiliency, mitigate wildfire hazards,…

The Town of Paonia, Colorado, has been awarded a $511,876 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation under the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage America's Resources for Tomorrow) program (CFDA 15.507). The funding will support a holistic investigation to develop a water strategy that increases the town's drought resilience, mitigates wildfire hazards, and improves its water infrastructure. The project will analyze past trends and future water supply projections, assess existing infrastructure, perform water marketing and rights analyses, and identify priority infrastructure work to address the impacts of longer droughts and increasing heat. The data developed through this planning effort will contribute to the Colorado Water Plan database and guide the town's capital improvement plan. The town will engage local stakeholders, including the U.S. Forest Service, agricultural users, public land managers, water districts, and community organizations, throughout this planning process. The award period is from January 13, 2025, to September 30, 2026.

The town of paonia located in delta county, colorado will conduct a holistic and comprehensive investigation to develop a water strategy to increase drought resiliency, mitigate wildfire hazards, and improve its water infrastructure. The town collects its raw water from spring systems which have been impacted by declining snowpack. This watershed has experienced reduced summer flows and the springs are vulnerable to surface contamination, drought conditions, and wildfire impacts to water quality. Through this planning effort, paonia will analyze past trends and develop future water supply projections, assess the state of existing infrastructure, perform water marketing and water rights analyses, identify and prioritize infrastructure work that will mitigate changes from longer droughts and increasing heat, and examine wildfire impacts and mitigation methods. Data developed through the study will contribute to the colorado water plan database and provide guidance to the town S capital improvement plan. Paonia will engage local stakeholders in this planning effort, including the U.S. Forest service, agricultural users, public land managers, water districts, farming and ranching associations, and community organizations.