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<br />Project Summary <br /> <br />Water conservation is a term that nearly every resident of Colorado understands in some manner. Howcver, <br />at the water utility or district level, whcre concept, art and science need to become pipe and policy, water <br />conservation can be a difTicult to plan and implemcnt. Setting goals, integrating supply and demand side <br />analyses and programs, and inclusion of the public in the overall process arc difficult to do, especially without <br />the right tools in the tool box. <br /> <br />Grcat Western Institute (G'vVI), working with othcr non-profit and public organizations statewidc, looks to <br />partner with the Colorado Water Conservation Board ("Board") and the Office of Water Conservation and <br />Drought Planning ("OfTice") to hclp the State take the logical ncxt stcp in thc multi-year process of moving <br />toward more meaningful water conscrvation statewide, as articulated by the CWCB Board as a goal for the <br />Office in July 2003. <br /> <br />Our proposal secks funding to plan, organizc, implemcnt, and gather cluestionnaires from four tcchnical <br />workshops and a like number of educational forums conducted at locations in Greeley, La Junta, Pagosa <br />Springs and Grand Junction. Through this educational and outreach effort, coordinated closcly with the <br />Board and Office, wc hope to clarifY the definition and role of conservation in water planning, provide basic <br />technical rcsources to water managers, and provide the Board and Office with cssential data on the technical <br />necds of water utilities, municipalitics, special districts, and othcr watcr providers for future conservation <br />planning and implementation efforts. Noteworthy is that this project represents the third phase of <br />a statewide project, including proposed workshops and forums at locations not previously <br />served as a means to continue the successes of the first two phases of the workshop. <br /> <br />Project Background <br /> <br />The State, through the OlTice, the CWCB, and thc Department of Natural Resourccs began the process of <br />finding out the nceds of water utilities, municipalitics, special districts, and other water prc)\"iders a few years <br />ago. In 2000 and 2001, the CWCB conducted multiple meetings in each river basin to discuss the necds of <br />local watcr users and the role of the State in addressing those necds. This effort was clualitative in nature, <br />allowing the dialogue between the CWCB and its constitucncy to re-dcvelop after the change of <br />administration. <br /> <br />The Office followed this effort with the quantitative Drought & Watcr Supply Asscssmcnt that identified the <br />level of water supply, watcr conservation and drought planning by water users and water purveyors within <br />each major basin. More quantitative analysis and issues discussions followed with the planning and <br />implementation of the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) and, to some extent, the HB 05-1177 Basin <br />Roundtables. Bcyond thc important data collection and analysis tasks conducted during SWSI that brought <br />light to the overall watcr supply and demand needs of the State by river basin, SWSI also initiated key <br />discussions regarding water supply planning and the use of water conservation as a component of future water <br />supply and dcmand managcmcnt. The SWSI dialogue continues with its tcchnical committces on watcr <br />conservation and efficiency, as well as with its roundtables. <br /> <br />Although thc HB 05-1177 Basin Roundtablc discussions arc just starting up, the rolc and rclative importance <br />of watcr consen"ation in future water supply and demand planning in Colorado is a topic that is intcgral to <br />many, if not all, of the upcoming inter-basin negotiations. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />,.., <br />.) <br />