Public Engagement
Formed from representatives across the basin, the Roundtable is a community group that seeks to represent major water users across the region. Our meetings are public, and interested community members are encouraged to attend. These monthly meetings are a great way to stay updated on water issues facing the Rio Grande basin.
Outreach Efforts
The Roundtable seeks to educate the community on water issues through a variety of outreach efforts. The Education Committee works to put together video vignettes, maintain the website, and plan tours, while our Public Education, Participation, and Outreach (PEPO) liaison, Judy Lopez, coordinates with other basin representatives statewide to improve water education in Colorado as a whole.
Currently, the PEPO workgroup is developing a statewide water education plan, in conjunction with the Colorado Water Plan, to bring a cohesive education effort to the state. If you would like to give input to this plan, please contact Judy via [email protected]
The Roundtable also puts out occasional articles and regular, quarterly newsletters, which can be accessed on our Articles page.
Recent outreach efforts
Denver Water Reuse Tour
A group of Roundtable attendees headed to Denver at the end of September 2018 to learn about municipal water efforts in the Metro area. The tour included a walkthrough of the Binney Water Treatment Plant in Aurora, CO, as well as presentations on the Water, Infrastructure, and Supply Efficiency (WISE) partnership and water conservation efforts, stops at WISE infrastructure, and a presentation on the Chatfield Storage Reallocation Project.
Rio Grande Basin Tour
In August 2018, instead of a regular meeting, the Roundtable set out across the basin to view water projects, mostly on the Conejos River. The tour included stops at the ConConCo diversion and Platoro Reservoir, as well as presentations on the Stream Management Plans and the Winter Instream Flows Project.
Other recent tours include a trip to the Arkansas basin and a tour of San Luis Valley municipal water treatment facilities.
The Roundtable has also sponsored a variety of video vignettes, ranging from pieces covering the Rio Grande Compact to the historical acequia communities of the valley. View these and more on our media page.