The Colorado Water Trust (CWT), in collaboration with other organizations, is implementing a water exchange project to restore flows to Fraser River tributaries. This innovative trade involves leasing water from Meadow Creek Reservoir and exchanging it with Denver Water for a reduced diversion from Fraser River tributaries. This coordinated effort restores critical habitat, improves water quality, and supports local water users and recreational economies in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The project aligns with the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement, balancing ecological restoration with water supply needs for Front Range communities.
State / Province: Colorado
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Arapaho Ranch Forest Resilience
In partnership with the Boulder Watershed Collective, and Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS), regional government agencies, and neighboring landowners, the project aims to manage 43 acres in Arapaho Forest, in the Colorado Rockies. The project will maintain an area that has a high potential for fire danger, in order to prevent a forest fire the area will thin out tree density. Thinning out tree density and overgrown underbrush will create a healthier and more diverse ecosystem. This work protects critical drinking water sources and is in an area particularly vulnerable to drought, wildfires, and land development.
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Arkansas Mountain Fire Fuels Reduction
The Arkansas Mountain Fuels Reduction Project is a 92-acre forest restoration and wildfire mitigation initiative located in a dense mountain neighborhood west of Boulder, CO. Situated about two miles from the City of Boulder water treatment plant at Betasso Preserve, the project spans over 10 private properties and connects to a 300-acre fuels reduction effort completed by Boulder County in 2017 on Parks and Open Space lands.