The largest of the grants awarded was $660,000 to the Kawuneeche Valley Ecosystem Restoration Collaborative. This multi-agency initiative is helping to restore the valley ecosystem, which depends on functioning wetlands along the headwaters of the Colorado River that flows from Rocky Mountain National Park into Shadow Mountain Reservoir. The goal of the collaborative is to restore and protect the characteristics of the region by bringing back ecological and hydrologic functions lost due to an imbalance between local wildlife and changes to the Earth’s surface. This grant is for the first phase of the project on the North Fork of the Colorado River Watershed.
Another recipient of $250,000 in grant funding is the Three Lakes Water and Sanitation District, which is conducting an investigation of septic systems in the Three Lakes area. The investigation will determine what the benefits and feasibility are of connecting residences to the sewer system in order to eliminate nutrient loading to the watersheds from their current septic systems.
The third grant recipient is the Town of Grand Lake. It was awarded $80,000 for development of a stormwater management plan to improve the quality of stormwater runoff that enters Shadow Mountain Reservoir from Columbine Creek.
The Chimney Hollow Reservoir Project is a collaboration between 12 Northeastern Colorado water providers to improve the reliability of, or make firm, water supplies from the Windy Gap Project. Chimney Hollow Reservoir will be located just west of Carter Lake in Larimer County to provide dedicated storage to supply a reliable 30,000 acre-feet of water each year for future generations.