For Colorado's rivers, communities, and local economies . . .
Just Add Water.
Our Impact
Since 2001, Colorado Water Trust has restored...
26.7
Billion Gallons of Water
82,086
Acre-feet
814
Miles of Colorado's Rivers
Help us ensure Colorado has enough water for our rivers and our people
The mission of Colorado Water Trust is to restore water to Colorado's rivers.
We are a home-grown, statewide 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Since 2001, we’ve restored 26.7 billion gallons of water to 600 miles of rivers and streams across the state. We work collaboratively with our partners so that our projects benefit both the people we work with and our rivers.
Featured Projects
Upper Yampa River – Stagecoach Reservoir
Reservoir releases near Steamboat Springs, Colorado benefit multiple water users and the environment during periods of low flow in the Yampa River.
Little Cimarron River – McKinley Ditch
A groundbreaking split-season water sharing agreement between agriculture and the environment.
Colorado River – 15-Mile Reach
This project restores water to nearly 100 miles of the Colorado River, including the important 15-Mile Reach, home to threatened and endangered fish species, near Grand Junction.
Latest News & Stories
What's Happening
Another @cowatertrust RiverBank in the books! 🎉 Thank you to all of our event sponsors, volunteers, and vendors, and to everyone who attended, for helping make it such a wonderful and fun evening - all in support of Colorado’s rivers. 🥂 #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
Thank you silver RiverBank sponsors for helping us put together such a great event! 🎉 Get your tickets today, and we’ll see you next Tuesday! #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
See you next week for RiverBank? 🎉 We’ve got an awesome lineup for the evening including a delicious dinner, open bar featuring craft cocktails from @drylanddistillers and beer from @oskarblues, a great live and silent auction, presentation on our work over the past year, and so much more! Get your tickets today at the link in our bio. #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
Thank you to our Platinum and Gold RiverBank sponsors for helping make our annual event such a success! We hope to see you all next week at the Denver Botanic Gardens! Tickets on sale now from the link in our bio. 🎉 #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
RiverBank is next Tuesday September 30th! Have you gotten your tickets yet?🥂There will be a delicious dinner, craft drinks, a little friendly auction competition, wine bottle toss, and more. 🎉 We’ll also present the David Getches Flowing Waters Award—a special moment you won’t want to miss. Get your tickets today (link in bio)! #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
JUST PUBLISHED: The Water Report features Jasper Lake donation as a model for the West.
The Water Report, one of the premier publications on water policy in the West, has just published an article by Kate Ryan and Matt Moseley called “Just Add Water: The Jasper Lake Donation and a New Model for Water Conservation in the West.”
The authors write: “Over the past 25 years, the Colorado Water Trust has restored 27 billion gallons of water to 814 miles of rivers and streams throughout Colorado... In an era dominated by competing interests and escalating scarcity, the Jasper Lake donation offers a replicable path forward for other Western states grounded in cooperative frameworks, legal adaptability, and the kind of selfless generosity that serves the public interest.” Read the full story on our blog. #justaddwater #coloradowatertrust
Announcing our newest team member! We’re excited to welcome Karlyn Armstrong to the team as a Water Resources Specialist. Read our latest blog post to learn more about her and how she made her way to Colorado Water Trust. #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
On July 25, the Colorado River District, in partnership with Colorado Water Trust and the Yampa River Fund, began releasing water from Elkhead Reservoir to help mitigate the impacts of low streamflow in the Yampa River Valley. These releases are part of the Yampa River Reservoir Release Program that began in 2021 with funding from the Colorado River District’s Community Funding Partnership.
“This has been a particularly dry year in the Yampa Basin, and the Elkhead Reservoir Release Program has done exactly what we hoped it would,” said Blake Mamich, Programs Director for the Colorado Water Trust. “Together with the River District, and by closely coordinating with water users and stakeholders, we’ve been able to support river habitat and consumptive users by delaying a call on the river by over a month.”
Read the full press release on our website - link in bio. #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
We are proud to be supported by the Reiter Family Foundation, a colorado-based foundation that supports non-profit efforts focused on the environment and conservation. Read our most recent blog post (link in bio) written by the Reiter Family Foundation’s Executive Director about why they choose to support Colorado Water Trust. #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater 📸: Sara DeGroot
Shout out to our Creek Flowing Waters Members! We couldn’t do all that we do without our corporate sponsors - they help make it all possible. Learn more at coloradowatertrust.org/flowingwaters 💦 #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
Our team had an awesome week in Steamboat at @coloradowatercongress - plus we got to visit with one of our board members at Rocking C Bar Ranch! 💦🐄🐶 #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
Big thank you to everyone who came out last night to learn about our in-stream flow project that helps keep the Yampa River flowing during hot and dry summer and fall months. ☀️💦 And many thanks to all our partners for coming to share about their involvement in helping make this project possible! #coloradowatertrust #justaddwater
