Mission, Goals and Workgroups of South Platte Watershed

Mission:

The South Platte Watershed Urban Waters Partnership collaborates across jurisdictions and disciplines to engage communities, and to protect and restore the South Platte Watershed from the Headwaters to the Denver Metropolitan Area (Colorado) and Watershed.

Goals:

• Collaborate, educate and engage
• Connect people with water
• Protect and restore through leveraging resources
• Communicate achievements and share technical information

Workgroups:

• Geomapping
• Systems mapping
• Funding
• Headwaters/urban connection
• Water quality
  • Science and Data Committee

    The Science and Data Committee was formed to work together to develop projects devoted to improving and expanding access to data and scientific findings related to water quality and restoration. Active partners in the Committee include:

    • USGS
    • Denver Water
    • USFS
    • Metro Wastewater Reclamation District
    • Trout Unlimited
    • Denver Department of Public Health and Environment
    • University of Colorado Denver
    • Denver Urban Field Station
    • US EPA

    During 2019-2020, the group has worked together to begin a critical update to the Partnership’s Water Quality Assessment Tool (http://www.exploremetrodenverwaterquality.org/), shifting data from a static platform to one that will continually update. The tool was first created by partners in 2015 and provides a snapshot of conditions for the metro area for a variety of water quality parameters including E. coli, contaminants of emerging concern, total dissolved solids, total suspended solids, and nutrients. The intent of the tool is to make water quality data and information easily accessible to the general public, and the update will provide improved functionality and increased accuracy. The committee has been working with an engineering firm to determine the best route for updates and has secured funding for most of the priority updates to the tool.

• Education and outreach
  • Education and Outreach Committee

    The Education and Outreach Committee was formed to provide opportunities for educators to collaborate on projects and share best practices related to expanding awareness and education of urban water issues and developing future water stewards and practitioners. Active partners in the Committee include:

    • Denver Water
    • Denver Public Works
    • Bluff Lake Nature Center
    • Water Education Colorado
    • Lincoln Hills Cares
    • Red Rocks Community College
    • Metropolitan State University of Denver
    • USFS
    • US EPA

    During 2019-2020, the group has been working together to develop a professional development unit (PDU) focused on water education. PDUs are action learning courses designed for Denver Public School teachers for topics of student need, and this would package together a choice of tours, trainings, etc., that could improve teachers’ practice when it comes to teaching students about water and engaging students on locally relevant water issues. Implementation of this course will empower students to take on critical water challenges and contribute to community discourse and decision-making regarding solutions to water issues.