The Land and Water Challenge in the San Luis Valley
The Rio Grande Basin faces significant water challenges, including diminishing water supplies, overuse of groundwater, and the threat of water exportation. While much of the water is used for agriculture, to achieve a balance between overall supply and demand, all sectors—municipal, commercial, and industrial—will need to work together to manage water carefully and minimize competition.
Water resource managers and local governments can be part of the solution by reducing water demand and growing in ways that also protect the health and function of rivers, streams, and wetlands. The region’s communities, economy, and environment depend on it.
The Growing Water Smart Workshop
The Growing Water Smart workshop brings key decisionmakers on water and land use planning in your community and region together to collaborate on approaches to sustainable water use. The workshop utilizes a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools to help the San Luis Valley realize its water efficiency, watershed health, and water resilience goals.
The Sonoran Institute and Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, and partner the Salazar Rio Grande del Norte Center at Adams State University, are seeking teams to participate in the San Luis Valley Growing Water Smart training and assistance program.
Location: Adams State University, Alamosa, Colorado
Date: June 8-10, 2022
Costs: No cost to participants
Eligibility: Participate in a team representing an area in the San Luis Valley
RESOURCES
- Workshop Description
This 4-page PDF describes the Growing Water Smart workshop and includes details about the San Luis Valley-specific Alamosa workshop on June 8-10, 2022. - Recording of San Luis Valley Water/Land Use Policy Briefing
We invited all interested elected officials and government, district, and NGO staff to attend a virtual policy briefing on the current conditions and opportunities to integrate water challenges into land use plans, policies, and approaches. This briefing was held on April 11 and April 15. A recording of the briefing is available. - Growing Water Smart workshop – SLV Team Form
If you have been identified as a team lead, please fill out this workshop form by Friday, April 22 and email it to growingwatersmart@sonoraninstitute.org. - High-level agenda for the Growing Water Smart workshop.
- Growing Water Smart Opportunities Report for Water and Land Use Integration
This report is the companion to the 2022 San Luis Valley Policy Scan, and includes 14 recommendations for water and land use integration in the San Luis Valley.
Please contact growingwatersmart@sonoraninstitute.org with any questions.