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The overall Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) Water Section goal is to optimize water use for wildlife utilizing the following water management programs.

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To keep pace with Colorado's growing population and projected future water demand, Denver Water and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District are developing new, annual firm yield from existing West Slope water rights that will be delivered to the Front Range. Under state law , the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission was asked to review plans developed by proponents of new water projects that would mitigate impacts to fish and wildlife resources.
The Commission, following a 60-day review, unanimously voted June 9, 2011, to approve the two utilities' mitigation and enhancement plans. Commissioner's also authorized the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with Denver and Northern to implement these plans once they obtain final federal permits.

For more information and to read the plans, see the Mitigation Projects page.

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The State of Colorado’s In-stream Flow Program is one of the most successful in the United States. To date, Colorado has protected over 8,500 miles of streams and 486 natural lakes. The CPW works closely with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to appropriate, acquire and protect in-stream flow and natural lake-level water rights to preserve the natural environment. 

For more information on the CPW’s involvement regarding the In-stream Flow Program please contact Mark Uppendahl by e-mail or phone at 303-291-7267. 

For data, check out the In-stream Flow and Natural Lake-Level Database.   

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The CPW has, over the course of the agency’s history, acquired vast land and water holdings that we use to protect and manage the state’s wildlife resources. Some of the water rights that the CPW owns are overtly apparent to the public; for example, there are water rights associated with CPW properties with recreational reservoirs and there are water rights associated with all of the CPW’s fish hatcheries. Other water rights holdings are not as easily recognized by casual observation; for example, the CPW owns many State Wildlife Areas where the management focus might be waterfowl production, upland bird management, or big game hunting opportunities.  Many of these State Wildlife Areas also have water rights associated with them. The CPW uses these water rights to enhance wildlife habitat by irrigating food plots, maintaining wetlands, winter range, or wildlife watering features.

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Since water rights are a property right in Colorado, the staff of the Water Resources Unit has a fiduciary responsibility to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission and to the citizenry to protect, develop and maintain the value of the CPW’s water right portfolio.  Protection of these assets occurs in many arenas, the most common of which is in the state’s water courts.  Development and value maintenance are actions that cross into several sections and units within the CPW. These actions include water use record keeping, measurement, maintaining historic practices and adapting historic practices to changing wildlife management priorities.

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Water quality protection and management is an essential component in the preservation, protection, and management of aquatic wildlife. The CPW has been a consistent and long-standing participant in matters before the state’s Water Quality Control Commission where we seek to give the state’s aquatic ecosystems a voice in water quality decisions. CPW enters these processes with data and expertise to ensure that biology and science are afforded equal weight in water quality management and protection.