Updated September 30, 2026
Growing Water Smart: Integrated Water and Land Use Planning Workshop
We are pleased to announce that the Sonoran Institute will hold a Growing Water Smart workshop in partnership with Denver Water from March 1-3, 2027. The Growing Water Smart workshop brings together community decision-makers in water and land use planning to collaborate on sustainable water use through planning, public engagement, and policy implementation, culminating in a 12-18 month water resilience action plan for each participating team.
This workshop is targeted to serve municipalities, counties, and water district members in the Denver Water service area. In this round, we will select a maximum of seven community teams to participate in the program. To learn more and apply, please download the application at the link below, complete the form beginning on page 4, and email your submission to growingwatersmart@sonoraninstitute.org. Applications are due on Friday, December 4, 2026 by EOD.
We are here to help! If you are interested in applying or have questions about the program, please contact Growing Water Smart Program Manager Eliza Stokes at estokes@sonoraninstitute.org.
What Makes This Workshop Unique?
- Time: A rare opportunity for local leaders to focus – away from competing priorities – on the connection between water and land use with a cross-departmental and cross-sector team.
- Structure: A majority of the workshop is spent in team work sessions. Each team gets nearly twelve hours of professionally-facilitated discussion to help teams develop a concrete plan of action.
- Access: Staff from some of the state’s leading organizations working to integrate water and land use and address drought, including the Sonoran Institute, Denver Water, the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Department of Local Affairs, CSU Colorado Water Center, and many additional leading water experts.
- Action: The work sessions allow teams to create action plans developed by consensus. After the workshop, teams can apply for follow-up technical assistance grant funds to implement key components of the action plan.
- Network: Spend time learning from your peers, and upon completion, teams join a Peer Network of communities across the Colorado River Basin who have participated in the Growing Water Smart workshop.