We’re excited to announce the newest Project Accelerator partner communities in Colorado! Through Project Accelerator, WaterNow supports local governments and water agencies to champion affordable, climate resilient, and equitable water solutions. This latest round builds upon the success of previous Colorado Regional Accelerators, reinforcing our commitment to helping communities achieve their water conservation and efficiency goals.
Meet Our Newest Partner Communities!
City of Fort Lupton: Integrating Waterwise Principles into Land Use Planning
The City of Fort Lupton is working to integrate waterwise principles into its long-term planning and development policies to ensure sustainable growth and efficient water use. The City has already taken steps to assess water demands across land use types, now it seeks to align its landscape code, Comprehensive Plan, and land use policies with conservation goals. WaterNow and Western Resource Advocates will support Fort Lupton by refining ordinance language to update the City’s landscape code in accordance with state requirements and best practices, integrating waterwise concepts into the Comprehensive Plan, and identifying key programs and communication strategies to support implementation. The project will also explore how the City can incorporate waterwise planning into its future land use decisions, ensuring that zoning and development decisions align with long-term water supply planning. By creating a clear framework for policy updates and implementation strategies, this initiative will help Fort Lupton advance water-efficient development practices, guide future decision-making, and enhance community resilience.
Town of Superior: A Roadmap for Sustainable Landscaping and Irrigation Upgrades
The Town of Superior is committed to enhancing water efficiency by replacing non-functional turf on town-owned properties and upgrading aging irrigation infrastructure as part of its broader sustainability and conservation efforts. To create a more structured and effective approach to future projects, the Town aims to develop a comprehensive roadmap for non-functional turf removal and irrigation upgrades. WaterNow will support this effort by identifying best practices, refining site selection criteria, and developing clear implementation guidelines to ensure consistency across projects. The roadmap will also include funding recommendations to help Superior secure resources for long-term success. By providing a strategic and streamlined approach to landscape transformations, this project will improve efficiency, enhance interdepartmental coordination, and advance Superior’s water conservation goals.
Little Thompson Water District: Informing Little Thompson Water District’s Water Efficiency Plan Update
Little Thompson Water District (LTWD) serves a rapidly growing 200-square-mile area along Colorado’s Front Range, where rising water demands and increasing rates have sparked customer interest in conservation programs. With its current Water Efficiency Plan set to expire in 2027, the District is seeking to expand its analysis of conservation efforts to ensure the updated plan reflects both data-driven insights and community priorities. Through this project, WaterNow will support LTWD in evaluating existing conservation programs, assessing customer engagement, and researching conservation program best practices from similar water providers. A key component of this effort will be a customer survey to gauge awareness, participation barriers, and interest in new water conservation offerings. The findings will inform the development of a portfolio of potential conservation programs, along with a roadmap outlining funding opportunities, implementation strategies, and key performance metrics. By conducting this comparative analysis and engaging customers in the process, this project will help LTWD refine its conservation approach and strengthen the long-term impact of its water efficiency initiatives.
These projects will be available on our Project Accelerator Library, providing valuable examples of sustainable water solutions from communities across the state. By sharing insights and best practices, we hope to pave the way for more communities to implement innovative, regional water strategies.
Looking Ahead
This was a highly competitive application cycle, with strong applications showing creative approaches to water management – including landscape ordinance updates, drought planning, and community engagement efforts. While we are launching these initial projects now, we’re excited to share that more selected projects from this application cycle will be announced later this year!
Congratulations to our newest partner communities and thank you to all of our applicants for their commitment to sustainable water solutions. We look forward to working together toward a resilient water future.