The grand valley water committee is an existing watershed group working in the downstream portion of the colorado headwaters-plateau watershed, in western colorado, made up of stakeholders from…

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $300,000 Project Grant under the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (CFDA 15.554) to the Mesa Soil Conservation District in Grand Junction, Colorado. The funding will support the Grand Valley Water Committee, an existing watershed group, in the Colorado Headwaters-Plateau Watershed. Key activities include increasing community awareness and engagement, developing a watershed management matrix to prioritize local projects, and completing design work on 2-4 watershed improvement projects. This award aims to address challenges such as hotter and drier conditions, population growth, and water scarcity affecting the Grand Valley watershed. The project performance period runs from September 3, 2024 through December 31, 2027.

The grand valley water committee is an existing watershed group working in the downstream portion of the colorado headwaters-plateau watershed, in western colorado, made up of stakeholders from state and federal agencies, environmental nonprofits, municipalities, agricultural producers, recreationists, and concerned citizens. The grand valley watershed is experiencing hotter and drier conditions, population growth and urbanization pressures that threaten the valleys agricultural heritage and critical habitats, stretch over-allocated water supplies, and increase conflicts over diminishing water resources. The committee will increase community awareness and engagement, develop a robust watershed management matrix to identify and prioritize projects across existing local plans and initiatives, and complete design work on two to four projects within the watershed.