Colorado Water Conservation Board Water Plan Grants

The Colorado Water Conservation Board’s mission is to conserve, develop, protect and manage Colorado’s water for present and future generations. To achieve this mission, the CWCB offers a variety of grants to local water providers and community groups, including its Water Plan Grants. 

CWCB Water Plan Grants are a particularly robust option for jumpstarting distributed infrastructure investments, particularly larger-scale turf replacement programs. The Colorado Water Plan establishes a measurable objective to achieve 400,000 acre-feet of municipal and industrial water conservation by 2050, and specifically calls out consumer turf buy-back programs as an element of a successful conservation strategy for the State. 

CWCB’s Water Plan Grants program is organized to fund projects that advance the Water Plan’s measurable objectives within five specific categories: 

  • Conservation & Land Use Planning for activities implementing long-term strategies for conservation, land use, water efficiency, and drought planning 
  • Engagement & Innovation for activities supporting water education, outreach, and innovation efforts 
  • Environmental & Recreation for projects that promote watershed health, environmental health, and recreation 
  • Water Storage & Supply for projects that, among other things, are identified in basin implementation plans to address the water supply and demand gap 
  • Agricultural Projects that provide technical assistance or improve agricultural efficiency 

Distributed water conservation projects fall well within the Conservation & Land Use Planning category and possibly within the Water Storage & Supply category, depending on whether and how the Basin Implementation Plans address this issue. Outreach and education efforts to implement conservation programs may fall within the Engagement & Innovation bucket. Distributed conservation projects meet CWCB’s various criteria in these categories by:  

  • Reducing overall future water needs through cost-effective water efficiency measures 
  • Promoting a water efficiency ethic throughout Colorado 
  • Preparing for the impacts of climate change 
  • Enhancing Colorado’s water communication, outreach, and education 

CWCB has already provided grants for a number of turf replacement projects.  

  • Fort Collins Utilities has received $140,000 in Water Plan Grant funds that helped replace over 600,000 square feet of turfgrass on HOA and commercial properties. 
  • Meadows Neighborhood Company, a large-scale planned community in Castle Rock received a $66,700 grant to convert turfgrass and make other efficiency improvements