Colorado Watershed Restoration Grants

The Colorado Watershed Restoration Program, administered by the Colorado Water Conservation Board, offered competitive grants to help communities address the heightened flood, debris-flow, and erosion risks that arise after wildfires. Funding was available to governmental units such as cities, counties, special districts, and state agencies; Colorado’s tribal governments; and private entities including nonprofit corporations, mutual ditch companies, and partnerships. Federal agencies could participate only by partnering with eligible local sponsors. Local governments that have not joined the National Flood Insurance Program were explicitly deemed ineligible. Grants could support capacity-building and planning efforts, such as developing a Wildfire Ready Watersheds framework or comparable flood-after-fire mitigation plan. Applicants could also request support for technical and engineering tasks, including hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, fluvial hazard-zone mapping, sediment yield and transport studies, risk assessments, project identification and prioritization, detailed design, permitting, and construction oversight. Implementation funding covered a broad suite of on-the-ground measures designed to safeguard people, property, and ecological values from post-fire hazards. Eligible work included stream and floodplain restoration, reconnection of floodplains, gully stabilization, construction of sediment catchments, revegetation, upgrades to low-water road crossings and culverts, debris-catchment structures, protection of agricultural diversions, and development of early-warning systems, together with associated project monitoring. The program’s current notice states that funds are no longer available and applications are not being accepted. No opening or closing dates are provided for a future cycle, and the program does not indicate whether additional appropriations are anticipated. No information is given regarding maximum or minimum award sizes, total program funding, number of awards, or cost-share requirements. Prospective applicants who wish to track future opportunities should monitor the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s announcements or contact the program manager. The designated point of contact is Chris Sturm, who can be reached by telephone at 303-866-3441 x3236. An email address is not supplied in the notice.