From Passion To Action
A Guide to Water Wise Actions in the Roaring Fork Valley:
For many in the Roaring Fork Valley, water is our backdrop but not our focus. We hear the river in the spring, see snow under our skis, and watch sprinklers irrigating hayfields by the road. For native Basaltine Austin Corona, water was central to his upbringing. Growing up with a father who was both a raft guide and a water lawyer, Austin understood early on that water was currency in the West, inspiring him to become a climate journalist. “Water is like money in the West,” he says, “it’s fought over and politicized”.
Austin became aware of the effect of climate change on water availability when he began following NOAA’s runoff forecasts for his reporting. He saw how forecasts could plunge municipalities into crisis over shortages and how thin water years can affect industries like skiing and ranching, and limit the success of communities in the West.
Moved to educate the public about water, Austin learned something important about an individual’s impact on municipal or conservation water systems: If you conserve water in your home, it doesn’t necessarily put water back in the river. Often, you need politics for that.
AUSTIN’S STORY
“Many people have a simplistic idea of conserving water: using less is good, and using more is bad. The problem is that many of our rivers are already overallocated, meaning any water you conserve could just get used by someone else and the river could remain under the same stress. Effective conservation is often targeted, ensuring that conserved water actually benefits the people or places you support. It's really important to communicate with an expert or work with an organization that is aware of how water works in your region. They can help you support the ecosystems or communities you love.”
Lina’s decision to compost keeps our landfills from producing methane, which traps 28x more heat than CO2.
Photos by Lina Sutro, Roaring Fork Mill, Seed Peace, and EverGreen ZeroWaste
Water Action You Can Take
As Austin learned, our water system is governed by complex laws and policies. To be water- and climate-conscious, it is vitally important to:
Educate yourself on where your water comes from and where it goes before taking action.
Focus your efforts where you want the water to flow, ie. protecting the environment or helping your community adapt to water stress
According to research from organizations like Water Education Colorado and the American Southwest movie, the following actions are the most impactful:
Move Beyond the "Conserve vs. Use" Binary: Simply using less water does not always translate into benefits for the environment. In a state of shortage, water saved by one person is often simply used by someone else or allows an entity to continue growing.
Support Natural Infrastructure (Beavers and Wetlands): Restoring beavers and their wetlands is a cost-effective way to slow water during floods, fill alluvial aquifers, and create resilient watersheds.
Advocate for "Instream Flows" and Legal Innovation: We can support legal changes that designate water rights for rivers or natural areas. Using these legally enforceable tools ensures that water actually reaches the ecosystems that need it most.
Invest in Water-Saving Technology: To relieve stress on the water system, we should support investments in replacing leaky pipes and installing water-efficient agricultural and sprinkler systems.
Optimize Reservoir Operations for the Environment: Support operations that allow for releases to mimic natural river flows. This supports river health, better fishing, and local economies.
Use Water’s Political Capital When Advocating for Climate Change: Water flows across the aisle - use water as a compelling reason to fight climate change when you’re talking with community members and peers.
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Where to Start in the Roaring Fork Valley
The Roaring Fork Valley has specific relationships with its water sources. Connecting with local experts is the best way to determine which actions will meet your specific goals.
MTN Bio: Join our community events, like the upcoming screening of The American Southwest, to learn more about collective advocacy.
Water Education Colorado (website): Non-profit news and information source focusing on water in Colorado.
Municipal Water Stress
Local Governments: City governments offer programs to reduce water use because they know exactly how those savings might help the community and the river.
Aspen –
Carbondale –
Glenwood Springs
Ecosystem Support
Roaring Fork Conservancy: An excellent resource for understanding local water issues and situational knowledge of the valley.
Colorado Water Trust: An organization that leverages legal structures to restore flows to Colorado’s rivers.
Individual Call to Action
Austin’s perspective shifted when he realized that the consequences of an overallocated water system aren't about a sudden apocalypse, but about the slow, underlying changes to our communities and ecosystems, like more expensive housing or desertification. He emphasizes that because water works at a collective level, individual action is most effective when guided by those who know the regional context.
Your Next Step:
Decide what you want to protect, whether it is your municipal supply or the environment, and reach out to a local organization to find a program that fits that goal. Acting as part of an organized group is the most effective way to ensure water is directed toward the natural places that need help.
Resources to Explore
If you are inspired to learn more about the overlap of food and climate within our valley and more broadly, there are plenty of resources to explore.
MUST Watch Movie!
American Southwest
Podcasts and Talks by our favorite Climate Heroes!
InkStain (John Fleck’s Blog): Accessible, expert commentary on Colorado River Basin news from a public-interest perspective.
Websites and Online Tools
Water Year Forecasts: Follow the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center to see the climate-water connection in real-time..
Books and Articles
The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko (book): Explains a great deal about the river system through a compelling narrative.
Beyond the 100th Meridian by Wallace Stegner (book): A foundational text for understanding the arid West.
Precious as Blood: A specific look at the history and future of Colorado water
We encourage you to continue learning.
Come to Mtn Bio’s events to connect with local experts, learn about new initiatives, and discover more ways you can be a part of the climate solution, one action at a time!