The 31st annual Arkansas River Basin Water Forum will welcome almost 300 attendees to the Salida SteamPlant Event Center today and tomorrow for presentations, discussions and field trips focusing on water resources and watershed resilience.
The Water Forum unofficially began Tuesday with the Local Leaders Dinner, which brings together water professionals from across the Arkansas Basin and local community leaders for networking and learning opportunities.
Rebecca Mitchell will deliver the keynote speech today. Mitchell is Colorado’s Commissioner to the Upper Colorado River Commission and plays the lead role in talks and negotiations to address water issues with representatives from other Colorado River Basin states – Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico in the Upper Colorado Basin; California, Arizona and Nevada in the Lower Basin.
Today’s plenary session will feature updates from the Colorado Climate Center touching on current water conditions, seasonal
precipitation outlook and monitoring activities.
Thursday’s keynote speaker will be Division of Water Resources State Engineer Jason Ullmann, and the plenary session will feature Dr. Lee MacDonald, senior research scientist and professor emeritus of Watershed Science at Colorado State University. He will discuss runoff and erosion in forests, and how they are affected by factors like fire, insect activity, forest thinning and unpaved road construction.
Additional sessions will cover topics like U.S. Forest Service vegetation management projects, the Voluntary Flow Management Program, the value of water augmentation, managing the Arkansas River, the Badger Creek Watershed Partnership, The Arkansas Valley Conduit, pending water legislation and the Arkansas River Headwaters Wildfire Ready Action Plan.
Field trips will include a short rafting trip, a tour of the South Arkansas River Restoration Project, the Salida Whitewater Park, a biochar demonstration, a tour of the Otero Pump Station and a distillery tour.
For additional information, click here to visit the Forum website.
Photo: Greg Felt speaks to attendees at the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum Local Leaders Dinner Tuesday in Salida. Felt is the General Manager of the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, which is headquartered in Salida.
