Northern Water Receives Risk Management Award

Recognizing Northern Water’s commitment to accountability, stewardship and proactive risk management, the Colorado Special Districts Property and Liability Pool presented the organization with its inaugural Risk Management Excellence Award.  

With more than 4,000 special districts throughout Colorado, this recognition highlights Northern Water’s organization-wide commitment to identifying, managing and reducing risk. These efforts extend across the organization and encompass a wide range of operational, financial, technological, safety and administrative risks. From cybersecurity and workplace safety to contracts, facilities and day-to-day operations, risk management is a shared responsibility that helps protect Northern Water’s employees, assets and ability to serve our water users. 

“Northern Water employees demonstrate an exceptional commitment to safety, which is the foundation of our strong safety culture,” said Todd Klimkowsky, Safety Officer. “That commitment helps drive our consistently low injury rate and reinforces our belief that every accident and injury is preventable. When employees take ownership of safety and look out for one another, we can achieve our goal of providing a safe workplace for everyone.” 

Several factors contributed to Northern Water receiving the award, including its commitment to employee safety, ongoing training and education, routine risk assessments, ergonomic evaluations, fire mitigation planning and proactive management of operational risks. Northern Water was also recognized for its strong safety culture, employee-led Safety Committee, innovative training initiatives, and extensive community outreach and education efforts. Together, these programs reflect an organization-wide approach to identifying, managing and reducing risk while protecting employees, infrastructure, public resources and the trust placed in Northern Water by the communities it serves. 

“This award reflects the commitment of employees across Northern Water to identify risks early, make thoughtful decisions and continually improve how we operate,” said Sander Blackburn, Director of Finance and Administration. “Effective risk management is ultimately about stewardship, protecting our employees, public resources and critical water infrastructure so we can continue fulfilling our mission and serving Northern Colorado for generations to come. We're honored by the recognition, but even more proud of the culture behind it.” 

The award was presented at the Special District Association Conference in Keystone on Sept. 15, 2026. Accepting the award on behalf of Northern Water was Blackburn, Safety Officer Todd Klimkowsky and Risk Manager James Graham.