Achievements

Funding and Grants

In 2007 the BRWG was officially awarded a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete a watershed plan for the Snake River watershed. The grant is administered through the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the BRWG began billing for services in February of 2008. The BRWG has currently done all of the field work to identify the pollution points of the Snake River, with the exception of Peru Creek, which has a separate watershed plan. The next step will include community meetings to educate the public and discuss options on how and who can clean up these silent polluters.

The BRWG was also awarded a 2-year partnership, non-financial grant for capacity building from Trees, Water, People (TWP). TWP received funding from the EPA to provide support vital for watershed groups to sustain their existence.

In 2007, a fundraising campaign was initiated to create a viable and sustainable organization capable of taking on more projects, including a Snake River clean-up.

Lastly, with a grant from The Summit Foundation we have developed this comprehensive website that provides the community and visitors with an extensive source of information for the Blue River and its tributaries.

Education

The BRWG’s primary focus over the years has been education. Through various speaker forums we have provided information on the Colorado River Compact, flood protection, water law, snow making, water quality, water and land trusts, the state of the river, and simply, where does your water come from.

In 2007, the BRWG held a “Got Water” forum with Our Future Summit, which brought together different experts in the community to talk about how the pine beetle problem could affect our watershed and what we can do to prevent any damage to our water supply. The BRWG also partnered with the Colorado River Water Conservation District on a Current Water Issues Class held at Colorado Mountain College and a State of the River Community Forum.