PEPO WorkgroupCreated through the Colorado Water for the 21st Century Act, the Public Education, Participation and Outreach (PEPO) Workgroup is responsible for:
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Our Goal
"Our Goal is to inform, engage and educate the citizens of the Arkansas River Basin about local water resources" |
Our PurposeOur purpose is to provide Arkansas River Basin specific education and outreach to our citizens. We hope to engage the public on water resource topics and issues and provide a platform for water related dialogue. We strive to provide education and outreach on behalf of all water use categories including municipal supply, irrigated agriculture, recreation, and the environment.
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Our PartnersThere are nine roundtables in the state of Colorado and each roundtable has a PEPO workgroup. The PEPO Workgroup in the Arkansas Basin is unique in structure and vision. The PEPO Workgroup works in partnership and provides a line of communication between the Interbasin Compact Committee (IBCC), Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), Arkansas Basin Roundtable (ABRT), Arkansas River Basin Water Forum (ARBWF), and the Public that they serve.
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Programs and ProjectsOver time, the Arkansas Basin PEPO Workgroup has been awarded several grants from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to provide education and outreach to the citizens in the Arkansas River Basin. PEPO Workgroup projects have included:
Education Partnerships
Arkansas River Basin Water Forum
To provide the best possible outreach to citizens of the Arkansas Basin, the PEPO Workgroup has partnered with the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum (ARBWF). The ARBWF has been serving the educational needs of the Arkansas Basin for 25 years through an annual water forum that is held in a different Arkansas Basin location each year. To learn more about the ARBWF and to sign up for their newsletter, please use this link.
Storage
Colorado’s Water Plan has set an objective of attaining 400,000 acre-feet of storage by 2050 and the Arkansas Basin Implementation Plan has set an objective of attaining 70,000 acre-feet of storage in the Basin by 2020. Colorado’s Water Plan has also set an objective to achieve 400,000 acre-feet of water conservation by 2050. For conservation to be effective the saved water must be stored for use during drier periods. In the same respect capturing water from a wet year to have available for a dry year also requires storage. Re-timing of the use of the water saved, newly imported or captured is essential since the availability of the appropriation does not coincide with the time of need. Thus storage is essential for the saved supply to meet demands. Storage and the management of storage is essential for the success of all water activities and the protection of water for future use. The need for improved storage techniques has become more acute than ever. Storing water underground is one of these new techniques and has the ability to be more efficient than storing water in surface reservoirs. This is because storing water underground minimizes evaporation, which is a major cause of water loss in surface reservoirs in arid climates such as ours. The Arkansas River Basin is working diligently to address our storage needs and find new innovative storage and management techniques to provide storage in the Arkansas River Basin while also protecting our cultural and environmental values. Other ResourcesMore Coming Soon!
Educational Activities Watershed Defenders Activity Book - printable St. Vrain Water Education Activities - link Other Basin Partners Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District Greater Arkansas River Nature Association Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative Purgatoire Watershed Partnership Southeast Water Conservancy District Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance CO Rural Water Association Inland Ocean Coalition Other State Partners Water Education Colorado Colorado Water Conservation Board |
Educational Video SeriesDocumentary Film:
"The Arkansas River: From Leadville to Lamar" This comprehensive documentary was produced in partnership with Ebersole Media, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, and PEPO. This hour-long documentary focuses on the economic and social value of the Arkansas River from Leadville to Lamar, and explores the many uses, benefits, needs, and issues associated with this precious resource. Short webisodes on specific topics have also been created to highlight various water use issues. Please view this film and see below for webisodes that supplement the documentary. Webisodes
The webisodes below are supplemental videos that dive deeper into topics touched on in the documentary, The Arkansas River: From Leadville to Lamar and were done in partnership with EbersoleMedia, the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservncy District, and PEPO. Thank you to our partners, participants, and sponsors! |
