Agricultural Emergency Drought Response Program

The Agricultural Emergency Drought Response Program is administered by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), a division of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. The CWCB is responsible for conserving, developing, protecting, and managing Colorado’s water resources for current and future generations. This specific program offers financial relief to agricultural water users facing the impacts of officially declared drought conditions in Colorado, with an emphasis on securing emergency augmentation water for irrigation and production continuity. The program allocates up to $1,000,000 per fiscal year, contingent upon a federal or state-declared drought emergency. It supports the cost of securing emergency augmentation water through temporary leases or groundwater pumping. Additional allowable expenses include engineering, attorney fees, and administrative costs related to water acquisition, capped at 5% of the total grant award. If the source of augmentation water is supplemental groundwater pumping, increased operational costs for pumping may also be covered. However, the program does not support anticipated costs, general operational expenses, maintenance, facility rehabilitation, or research activities. Importantly, funding is strictly limited to verified costs incurred during the prior irrigation season. Eligible applicants include agricultural entities such as augmentation companies, ditch and reservoir companies, conservancy districts, and conservation districts operating within Colorado counties under a federally or state-proclaimed drought or disaster designation. Eligibility is determined using current-year maps of Secretarial Disaster Designations published by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Entities located in primary or contiguous counties identified as drought-impacted are eligible to apply by April 15 of the year following the declared drought. Applications must include a signed cover letter, a primary contact, detailed project description, proof of official drought declaration, line-item budget, annual organizational budget, financial reports, organizational profile, tax-exempt documentation, and a written review by the Division Engineer from the applicant's water division. While not mandatory, submission of a drought contingency plan is strongly encouraged as it demonstrates long-term resilience planning. All documentation should be emailed to CWCBAgDrought@state.co.us with the subject line "Agricultural Emergency Drought Response Grant Application Request." Once received, CWCB staff will assess applications for completeness and eligibility. Recommendations are then forwarded to a Program Management Committee comprising the CWCB Director, the State Engineer, the Executive Director of the Department of Natural Resources, and the Commissioner of Agriculture or their designees. This committee issues the final funding decisions. For applicants without historical augmentation water cost data, the full amount of documented eligible expenses may be reimbursed. Otherwise, grant awards are calculated by subtracting an established historical average lease or pumping cost from the total actual costs. For further information or questions, applicants may contact Nora Flynn at 303-866-3441 x3215 or via email at nora.flynn@state.co.us. The application deadline for costs incurred during the 2024 irrigation season is April 15, 2025. This grant is recurring and offered annually following applicable drought declarations, with the next expected cycle beginning in April 2026.

Applicants are encouraged to submit a drought contingency plan to strengthen their case.