Steamboat Springs, CO

Steamboat Springs Water Resiliency and Infrastructure Funding Strategy Our Approach Project Outcomes

Project Goal

This project will develop a framework that supports Steamboat Springs and other Colorado communities in navigating the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and financing opportunities to advance their water infrastructure and resiliency needs.

Our Approach

The recently passed federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) present an immense opportunity to address current and emerging needs around watershed health, infrastructure improvements, and conservation programming. WaterNow and Steamboat Springs, a community of approximately 13,000 people in Northern Colorado’s Yampa Valley, will be partnering to develop a strategic approach to maximize the use of IIJA and ARPA funds.

This project will research IIJA and ARPA opportunities and align them with high-priority City goals, such as: forest and watershed restoration to protect drinking water sources; improving the efficiency of park irrigation systems; establishing a stormwater utility to help fund the stormwater management program; addressing water quality and temperature regulations through nature-based approaches; implementing multi-objective river restoration projects; and developing new efficient water infrastructure for low-income and affordable housing communities. This project will result in a framework that supports Steamboat Springs and other Colorado communities in navigating the new IIJA funding opportunities to advance their water infrastructure and resiliency needs.