Mission

The History and Mission of the
Colorado Water Institute

The Colorado Water Institute (CWI), an affiliate of Colorado State University, exists for the express purpose of focusing the water expertise of higher education on the evolving water concerns and problems being faced by Colorado citizens.

In 1964, Congress authorized the establishment of a water resources research institute in each state. The Colorado Institute was organized in 1965. In 1981, the Colorado Legislature defined CWI as we know it today - a statewide institute with the purpose of "developing, implementing, and coordinating water and water-related research programs in the state, and transferring the results of research to potential users."

Through FY1995, CWI operated a research program whereby seed grants were made available to faculty to initiate research on water concerns or problems. Recent research projects covered such topics as ground water/surface water interactions, drought management, revegetation after water transfers, non-point source pollution control, and water transfer issues.

Beginning in FY1996 and continuing through FY1998, Congress changed the allocation of funds to the state water institutes. Each institute now receives a base grant of $20,000 with remaining funds competitively awarded based on regional program priorities approved by the U.S. Geological Survey. Nationally, the program was divided into four regions for the competitive grants: The West, North Central, Northeast, and the Southeast and Islands. Each region receives approximately $800,000 for research grants. The states included with Colorado in the Western Region are Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington State and Wyoming. In FY1999, each institute received a base grant of $68,178, restoring a small research grant program.

Today, CWI develops partnerships between university water expertise and Colorado water managers to address emerging water problems.

CWI publishes research completion reports and conference proceedings in order to make current water knowledge readily available. Informational reports are also prepared to explain water issues to Colorado citizens.