Welcome to the Ruedi Water and Power Authority (RWAPA) Website. This site will provide you with information on RWAPA activities and policies and will provide information on water issues of interest to the Roaring Fork Valley. We will also provide resources, links and information regarding local water matters, other water agencies, and regional and national water issues. We invite you to browse our site and to contact us if you have any questions or comments about the information provided.
Since 1981 RWAPA has provided a voice that speaks on behalf of the entire valley on a broad range of water issues. RWAPA is recognized regionally, statewide and nationally as representing the water-related interests of the Roaring Fork, Crystal and Fryingpan valleys.
Regional Water Efficiency Plan Moves Forward
The Ruedi Water and Power Authority is sponsoring the development of a Regional Water Efficiency Plan aimed at coordinating and strengthening water conservation efforts throughout the watershed. This Plan will build on the individual water efficiency plans being developed and adopted by the five major water providers in the valley. Those are the Cities of Aspen and Glenwood Springs and the Towns of Carbondale, Basalt, and Snowmass Village. The Plan will also provide a template for water efficiency actions and programs that may be implemented in the future by other local water providers including water districts, private systems and even individual well owners. The Regional Plan is currently in the drafting process and will be released for general public review and comment around the first of February, 2015. After that, the Plan, along with programs aimed at implementation, will be presented to local water providers and other interested parties for endorsement and support. Please check back with us for further information.
State Water Plan Goes to the Governor
The State of Colorado has been working on a comprehensive State Water Plan for a number of years under an initiative known as the “1177 Process” named after House Bill #1177, which authorized the planning process back in 2005. HB 1177 set up seven sub-basins to coincide with the State’s major river drainage areas (Arkansas, South Platte, Yampa/White Rivers, Colorado, Gunnison, San Juan/Dolores, Rio Grande) plus the Denver Metro area and a Inter-Basin Compact Committee (IBCC) made up of representatives from the sub-basins. The sub-basin groups were charged with developing basin implementation plans aimed at quantifying their water needs and resources and planning for future water management within their areas of interest while the IBCC was made responsible for fostering basin-to-basin communications and coordination and integration of the basin plans into a coherent whole. In addition, numerous studies, including the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) and the Colorado River Water Availability Study, were undertaken to provide raw data to inform the policy recommendations being generated by the Plan. This long and painstaking process reached a significant milestone in December, 2014, when the draft of the Plan was presented to Governor Hickenlooper. 2015 will be dedicated to review and comment on the draft plan with final adoption to follow. Once the plan is accepted by the administration, it will be up to the Colorado Water Conservation Board and the State Legislature to implement the plan through policies, regulations and legislation based on the Plan’s recommendations. The various basin implementation plans, the full Draft Plan, plus opportunities to comment, are available at the following website: http://coloradowaterplan.com/.
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