The Southwestern Water Conservation District was awarded a $25.6 million grant from the Bureau of Reclamation after more than 30 entities representing regional and local shareholders collaborated on the application in an unprecedented partnership.
The Upper Basin Environmental Drought Mitigation Program, known as “B2E,” is a funding initiative under the Inflation Reduction Act. It offers grants to public entities and tribes with the goal of tackling drought-related challenges through ecosystem and habitat restoration.
A news release from the SWCD said the funding will support 17 projects aimed at supporting aquatic ecosystems during periods of drought across the Dolores and San Juan River Basins in Southwest Colorado.
General Manager of SWCD, Steve Wolff, said the projects will address three broad categories: the removal of invasive plants, erosion control and habitat connectivity.
One example Wolff provided was the rebuilding of headgates – structures at the tops of stream diversions that regulate water flow – to allow fish to move upstream and downstream during periods of drought.
The projects were selected on their feasibility, readiness and level of local engagement, and had the support of 37 different federal, state, tribal and local entities representing regional and local stakeholders.
The large-scale partnership is an application framework that had not previously been implemented in Southwest Colorado.
In 2023, the SWCD board of directors organized a partnership of more than 30 regional groups in preparation for the B2E grant application after recognizing the need for rural stakeholders in Southwest Colorado to compete more effectively for federal funding.
Southwest Colorado has always needed a lot of funding; it has numerous small conservation districts, irrigation districts and conservation groups that individually lack the capacity to prepare applications for large federal grants, Wolff said.
“This partnership, it’s been tremendous,” he said.
SWCD had been anticipating the release of the B2E grant application for almost two years.
The final grant contract isn’t expected to be executed until late 2025 or early 2026. All funding must be spent by Sept. 30, 2031.
When the B2W funding opportunity – a component of the IRA funding package focused on “durable water conservation” – is released, SWCD plans to use the partnership model once again. Important projects in Southwest Colorado that were not funded through B2E may have the chance to receive support through B2W, Wolff said.
The Southwestern Water Conservation District was established in 1941 by the Colorado General Assembly. Its statutory mandate is to protect, conserve, use and develop the water resources of the Southwestern Basin for the welfare of the district, while safeguarding Colorado’s entitlement to all waters within the basin. The district encompasses nine counties: Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, San Miguel, and portions of Hinsdale, Mineral and Montrose.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
