As Colorado communities confront new challenges in water availability and ecosystem health, robust and reliable environmental data can provide a foundation for building community resilience. In the face of changing hydrology in the western United States, communities are looking for improved and expanded soil moisture monitoring data along with help understanding when and how that data can inform water supply planning and decision-making. To address both needs, AGCI and partners have developed A Guidebook to Soil Moisture in the Roaring Fork Watershed, which utilizes data from the 12-year-old Roaring Fork Observation Network (also known as iRON), a long-term research and outreach program managed by AGCI.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a new, no-cost technical assistance effort focused on reducing exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities. This initiative is part of EPA’s Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) program.The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help eligible public drinking-water systems evaluate emerging contaminant issues, conduct initial water quality testing, and identify next steps in 200 small or disadvantaged communities over the next three years. EPA will also share best practices and amplify successes through case studies, fact sheets, webinars, and other resources regarding addressing emerging contaminants, including PFAS.

The Watershed Research and Training Center and Coalitions & Collaboratives, along with several other national and regional nonprofit organizations, are working in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service on a Community Navigator initiative (CNI),supporting communities in accessing federal funding opportunities, creating partnerships, and building capacity for wildfire risk mitigation and climate resilience.