MCWC receives funding to continue monitoring Grizzly Creek Fire post fire impacts
The Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) has granted three more years of funds to the Middle Colorado Watershed Council (MCWC) to continue the United States Geological Survey (USGS) water quality and rain gauge monitoring set up in 2021, adding new mid-stream water quality monitoring stations between South Canyon and Cameo, soil moisture monitoring, and a dashboard notification system for downstream municipalities.
The Colorado River District has agreed to serve as fiscal agent for the USGS in a three-year cooperative agreement with MCWC. The $583,396 CWCB grant will be matched with in-kind labor and cash from the USGS, Garfield County, the Glenwood Canyon Restoration Alliance, and coordinated project funding from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Education (CDPHE) for a total project cost of $1.3 million over the next three years.
Funding secured from CDPHE, $206,600, will be used to purchase the additional equipment needed for the new mid-stream water quality station, soil moisture monitors, and the user-friendly dashboard for downstream users to monitor changes in water quality and rainfall information. The CDPHE funding will also support pre-fire mitigation planning and allow the Silt Water Conservancy District to complete repair work from damage due to the continual impact of high amounts of sediment in the Colorado River in 2021.
Since early 2021, the Middle Colorado Watershed Council has coordinated post Grizzly Creek Fire water quality and rain gauge monitoring to set up a regional notification system and lessen the impact on downstream water users. MCWC received the first year of funding from CWCB, CDPHE and the Colorado River District's Community Partnership Funds.
Using services from the USGS Colorado Water Science Center, the USGS Next Generation Water Observing System (NGWOS), and SGM, an engineering firm acting as MCWC's technical advisor, water quality and precipitation information networks were set up in canyon drainages and on the Middle Colorado river corridor. Seven rain gauges were deployed throughout the Grizzly Creek burn area and a 6-parameter data sonde water quality monitoring station was set up at No Name.
During the summer of 2021, summer monsoons caused flooding, debris flows and highway infrastructure damage in Glenwood Canyon as a result of the 2020 Grizzly Creek fire burn scar and a 500-year-rain event. MCWC and other stakeholders expect continued problems with flooding and debris flows from these canyon drainages over the next few years and sought the additional funding to continue and expand monitoring in 2022 through 2024.
MCWC needs Citizen Scientist volunteers for River Watch
River Watch’s mission is to work with voluntary stewards to monitor water quality and other indicators of watershed health. This high quality data educates citizens and informs decision makers about the condition of Colorado’s waters. MCWC volunteers assist our River Watch coordinator in sampling water quality in designated streams in the watershed.
All volunteers are trained by MCWC to understand what, why, and how to collect data that is useful and meaningful. During a sampling event, volunteers visit a designated site to collect water samples and record information. Basic laboratory tests using equipment provided by River Watch and MCWC are performed at their home, school or MCWC office in Rifle. All of the collected information helps MCWC maintain a broad baseline dataset of river health. Results are also compiled in the state-wide River Watch database.
Volunteers will have the option to assist with working with students at the Glenwood Springs Middle School during the school year or work with the River Watch Coordinator one-on-one over the summer months. Once fully trained and comfortable with water quality sampling and lab procedures, River Watch Assistants can take on additional priority-approved sampling sites.
To sign up for training for River Watch and be a part of our volunteer network, contact MCWC's Watershed Specialist Jennifer Brown: 970-625-1829 or jbrown@midcowatershed.org
MCWC joins the Colorado River District for May 3 State of the River for the Middle Colorado
Join the Colorado River District and the Middle Colorado Watershed Council for the Middle Colorado State of the River event on Tuesday, May 3 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. in Glenwood Springs at the Morgridge Commons above the library.
Presentations and discussions will cover the hydrology and water supply forecasts for the Colorado River basin, local water management strategies, Big River issues and reservoir operations affecting your community, and opportunities for funding local, multi-benefit and multi-use projects.
The Middle Colorado State of the River Meeting is free, open to the public, and a dinner by a local caterer will kick off the program – space is limited.
MCWC welcomes Watershed Specialist to their team
Jennifer Brown recently joined MCWC as its new watershed specialist. Jennifer brings a wealth of experience working for non-profit organizations and local government in the interdisciplinary fields of land management, applied ecology, place-based education, and volunteer program coordination. A fourth-generation Coloradan with Australian citizenship, Jennifer recently returned to the Centennial State. She relocated in the Colorado River Valley to pursue career ambitions and lifestyle dreams of supporting community-based conservation work.
Jennifer completed her undergraduate work in natural resource management from Colorado State University and went on to graduate studies in river restoration and management at Charles Sturt University in Australia. She is passionate about connecting people with the ecology of their local watershed and finding common-ground through the stewardship of our precious natural resources.
In her work with the Middle Colorado Watershed Council (MCWC), Jennifer will be helping to advance projects identified in MCWC’s Integrated Watershed Management plan and providing education and outreach services to address some of the most pressing challenges to watershed health.
Jennifer enjoys exploring the outdoors with her family and listening to music while cooking, composting, and growing food and native plants at the family home on Silt Mesa.
Save The Date: June 4
MCWC Grizzly Creek Hike and Fire Impacts Tour
A walking tour of the Grizzly Creek Fire Scar (roughly a two to three-mile round trip with multiple stops) . Multiple experts will join us to talk about the impacts of the fire and debris flow on the watershed, water quality, riparian health, and wildlife. Sign up details to come! (Photo by Mike Sawyer)
MCWC Project Wish List
The Middle Colorado Watershed Council is enhancing and expanding two of their core projects under the direction of Watershed Specialist Jennifer Brown: River Watch Citizen Science Monitoring and the RiverStop, our Colorado River interpretive center. Community contributions will help fund equipment. If you'd like to help, please email info@midcowatershed.org.
Stream Table, estimated cost $6,500
Children's pull-on rubber boots for water sampling, $35 each
Adult's pull-on rubber boots for water sampling, $40 each
General field supplies
Amazon Smile ... a different way to support MCWC
Shop at smile.amazon.com and donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to MCWC —at no extra cost to you.
Sign in with the same account you use for Amazon.com
Select Middle Colorado Watershed Council.
Start shopping! Remember to checkout at smile.amazon.com to generate donations for MCWC.
Tip: Add a bookmark to make it easier to shop at smile.amazon.com.
A small donation goes a long way. Sponsor a student to test water quality, spearhead the removal of an invasive tamarisk, or support the replanting of willows and cottonwoods in our waterways. We need your support.
