November 7, 2018
What's Inside
  • Feature: 2018 Subsurface Water Storage Symposium at CSU
  • Nominations Now Being Accepted for the 2019 Poudre Pioneer Award!
  • CSU Water Center's FY 18 Annual Report Now Available!
  • New funding available for climate adaptation research at CSU
  • Student Spotlight: Summertime Standouts: Erica Tardiff, Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA
  • Faculty Spotlight: CSU and Rocky Mountain PBS partner to broadcast bite-size science
Feature
In 2016, CSU convened stakeholders from across Colorado to share emerging knowledge, collaboratively debate critical issues, and prioritize future work to address key water management challenges. The 2018 Subsurface Water Storage Symposium will build on these topics and move the conversation forward around our state's emerging and increasingly urgent water needs. We hope you can join us for this integral next step! 

To learn how to support the symposium or to get involved, please contact Tom Sale

To learn more about the symposium and to register, click here.
Highlights

The Poudre Runs Through It Study/Action Work Group (PRTI) is seeking nominations for its annual award to recognize achievements toward its goal of making the Cache la Poudre River a premier example of a healthy working river. They wish to recognize individuals or organizations, including businesses and public agencies, who have contributed substantially to furthering their goal. Nominations are due by December 12, 2018. Click here to learn more.
The CSU Water Center has recently released their FY 18 Annual Report for viewing! "In the report, you will learn about some of the ways our water faculty and students are addressing water challenges through applied research projects, read about water events that bring forward topics for debate and discussion, see how CSU's educational programs are preparing the next generations of water stewards and leaders, and learn how to become informed and involved in water matters."

-- Reagan Waskom, Director
Be sure not to miss the Upper Colorado River Basin Water Forum November 7-8, 2018, on the main campus of Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, CO! This year's theme is: Bridging Science, Policy & Practice. The first day's keynote speaker is Brad Udall of the Colorado Water Institute. The second day's keynote speaker is Jennifer Pitt of Audubon.

Colorado State University has joined the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, based at the University of Arizona. CSU will receive $300,000 in initial funding to support research on climate science and adaption through the partnership. Full funding for the five-year, $4.5 million project comes from the United States Geological Survey. The center, one of eight hosted by universities across the nation, is a consortium of seven academic institutions from across the region.

Principal investigators at CSU include Erica Fleishman, director of the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) and professor in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, and Brad Udall, senior research scientist with the Colorado Water Institute.

Fleishman said that research at CSU’s center will focus on ecological studies of wildlife adaptations to direct and indirect impacts of climate change throughout the southwestern United States, including the Great Basin. Additionally, funds will support hydrologic analyses of the Colorado River system and analyses of water policy to support decision-making by water managers and communities.
Local & Around the State Events

November 7-8, 2018 | Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO

This year's theme is, "Bridging Science, Policy & Practice." The first day's keynote speaker is Brad Udall of the Colorado Water Institute, and the second day's keynote speaker is Jennifer Pitt of the National Audubon Society. Click here for more information and to register.

November 13-14, 2018 | Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

The premise of the symposium is to bring people together to identify challenges, share knowledge, and build collaborations that will enable the full potential of subsurface water storage. It will involve short presentations, brief discussions, and time for side conversations including a post-meeting reception.

November 16, 2018 | Glenwood Springs, CO

SGM is excited to host the 9th annual Water and Wastewater Operations and Practices Fall Forum. This year our speakers will address regulatory updates, funding strategies, alternative project delivery, and new technology to keep you in the know. OCPO Training Units will be available for the Forum. 

December 12, 2018 | Boulder, CO

Join us for the third annual Soil Revolution Conference. This full-day event will shed light on the past, present, and future issues surrounding soil health, including the history of global agricultural production, agronomic and financial benefits for today's producers, and the importance of creating resilient landscapes.
Regional, National & International Events

November 15-16, 2018 | Santa Fe, NM

The oil and gas industry in New Mexico is currently facing two major water management challenges that threaten to limit future development in the state: management of produced water and acquisition of fresh water for drilling and development. This conference seeks to explore these issues, discuss potential solutions and a path forwards for industry and government.

December 11-13, 2018 | Indianapolis, IN

The forum will bring together researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy-makers to advance more connected and cohesive approaches to water and watershed management in the North Central Region. Together, we will deepen the one water conversation, localize lessons learned by delegates and attendees of the National 2018 One Water Summit, and take steps to put one water to action in the Midwest.

December 12-14, 2018 | Las Vegas, NV

The Colorado River Water Users Association conference provides a forum for exchanging ideas and perspectives on Colorado River use and management with the intent of developing and advocating common objectives, initiatives and solutions. This is the only conference where attendees have the opportunity to network with folks up and down the Colorado River, Mexico, and the Ten Tribes Partnership!
Scholarships

$500-$6,000 award | Applications must be postmarked by November 12, 2018 | Awards given in January 2019

Anchor QEA has established a scholarship fund to assist graduate students in fields related to water resources, surface and groundwater quality, coastal development, habitat restoration, and contaminated sediment management. Individual scholarship awards will range in value from $500 to $6,000 and be provided to the recipient’s institution of higher learning to be disbursed to the student for graduate school tuition and supplies.

Up to $10,000 for tuition and living expenses to students accepted in a
Master of Science Environmental Engineering program | Applications accepted until Selection Committee deems a sufficient number have been received

This purpose of this award is to provide a funding program that will encourage qualified students, who have a broad interest in various environmental engineering fields, to enroll in environmental engineering Masters of Science programs and immediately practice environmental engineering within the U.S. after graduation. 
Grants & Fellowships

Proposals accepted anytime 

The Hydrologic Sciences Program focuses on the fluxes of water in the environment that constitute the water cycle as well as the mass and energy transport function of the water cycle. The program supports the study of processes from rainfall to runoff to infiltration and streamflow, evaporation and transpiration, the flow of water in soils and aquifers, and the transport of suspended, dissolved, and colloidal components.

The Colorado Watershed Assembly maintains a list of governmental and non-government funding sources for restoration projects and organizational capacity building.
Employment Opportunities

Full-time | Applications due by December 7, 2018

The Water Transactions Coordinator will evaluate, develop, and implement flow restoration projects throughout Colorado using collaborative, voluntary, market-based approaches. S/he will work in a team environment under the direction of the Director of Programs. The ideal candidate will share their passion for Western water and healthy rivers, is adept at thinking outside the box to advance the Water Trust’s goals, has excellent communication and interpersonal skills in addition to technical skills, and is persistent despite occasionally skeptical audiences or difficult, long-term projects.

Full-time | Applications due by December 13, 2018

Denver Water’s Operations and Maintenance/ Water Quality Lab is currently seeking a qualified candidate to assist us as a Water Quality Technician. Under direct supervision, this individual will perform wet chemistry, instrumentation and microbiological analyses on aqueous environmental samples and may assist the sampling efforts of watershed, treatment plants, potable distribution system, recycling water system, and domestic wells. This position requires a high level of attention to detail to meet accuracy and precision.

Full-time | Applications due by November 25, 2018

Denver Water is currently seeking a qualified candidate to assist in climate adaptation and water resources planning. The candidate will help advance and support the adoption of climate adaptation and long-range planning throughout organizational practices. Assignments are broad in scope and require an understanding of the practical implication of climate change in water utility planning and operations.

Full-time | Applications due by November 25, 2018

Denver Water is currently seeking a qualified candidate to assist in climate adaptation and water resources planning. A strong candidate will have knowledge and experience in applied climate science modeling and research of Colorado water resources. They will also have experience coordinating, synthesizing and applying new information from technical investigations, as well as the ability to represent the organization effectively in a variety of settings regarding climate adaptation and water resources issues. 

Full-time | Open until filled

The Project engineer/specialist responsible for working closely with junior and senior staff on a broad array of water resources engineering and planning activities including: data collection, management, and interpretation; streamflow monitoring, consumptive use evaluations; river basin planning and modeling; water supply and demand forecasting; augmentation programs, and hydrologic and water rights analyses. Candidate should possess a proficient understanding of Colorado water rights and experience with GIS and database management.

Full-time | Open until filled

Eagle River Water & Sanitation is currently seeking a Water Demand Management Coordinator to oversee efforts that empower their customers to use water more efficiently, in order to stretch the existing supply to serve an expanding population, all while protecting water rights and the natural water resource. This role will implement and build on plans and projects laid out in the Eagle River Regional Water Efficiency Plan in order to accomplish these goals.

Full-time, salaried | Open until filled

Water Education Colorado is now hiring for an Education and Outreach Coordinator role to lead their Water Educator Network, as well as plan and implement various tours and outreach activities. They are seeking a dynamic individual who desires to grow the impact of water education for both youth and adult audiences. This position offers opportunities to engage within all major river basins in the state and to network with a wide variety of educators, top resource managers, and decision makers.

Full-time | Open until filled

Resource Central is looking for a proven leader to help expand their conservation programs throughout the region. The Water Programs Manager will be responsible for providing leadership, staff supervision, and day-to-day management for all Water Audit & Retrofit Programs, including but not limited to Slow the Flow, Flush for the Future, the Landscape Consultation program. The incumbent will also contribute to other water conservation programs as needed. 

Temporary/Seasonal | Not to exceed 12-months (part-time) or 9 months (full-time) | $12-14/hour | Open until filled

Ducks Unlimited is seeking a dynamic self-starter to fill a temporary intern/technician position interested in working with wetlands to address water quality issues in Northern Colorado. Working with several partners, DU is engaged in developing wetland designs to reduce nutrients, metals, and pathogens in several streams with the goal of helping meet permit goals or remove stream segments from impaired waters lists while delivering healthy habitats for waterfowl.

Full-time | Open until filled

The Environmental Compliance Specialist will assist wind, solar and biomass facilities across North America and Chile with developing and implementing robust environmental programs. This position will also lead sustainability efforts in their assigned geographical region and serve as point person for communicating progress of environmental activities to executive leadership teams.

Paid hourly intern(s) | Open until filled

OWF is looking for one or more paid student hourly interns to contribute to software for water resources data analysis and visualization, including: Evaluate web software technologies for data analysis and visualization; Write and test web application software including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React/Angular/View, D3.js, Socrata/CKAN, Tableau, dashboards; Esri ArcGIS, QGIS, web mapping; Develop software tools using Java, Python, Git/GitHub, databases, and other tools; Contribute to water resources projects involving complex issues such as drought, climate change, water supply, and water efficiency analysis.

Full-time, part-time & paid student intern(s) | Open until filled

TriLynx is hiring one or more Systems/ Software/Support engineers to install and configure new systems, provide support for existing systems, and develop new software
solutions. The number of people hired, and roles filled, will depend on the skills of applicants and ability to serve one or more roles on the TriLynx team. The software system consists of web-based interfaces and server-side programs. 

The CSU Water Center maintains a job board of student positions located in Colorado. Many subject areas are featured through this service including: ecology, economics, engineering, fish and wildlife, natural resources, and the social and natural sciences.

Colorado WaterWise, a 501c(3) non-profit organization, maintains a job board for water conservation-related employment opportunities.
Education

Spring 2019 | Tuesdays 10-11:50 am; Recitation Thursdays 10:00-10:50 am | Instructors: LeRoy Poff (Biology) & Yoichiro Kanno (FWCB)

Apply the concepts and principles of freshwater ecosystem structure and function to develop a multidisciplinary and integrated understanding of the approaches and methods for restoring and sustainably managing these systems in the face of increasing human demands and rapid climate change. The course aims to bring together life scientists, resource scientists, engineers, hydrologists and social scientists to study and discuss the interdisciplinary challenges of freshwater ecosystem sustainability.

Fall 2018 | Mondays 4-5PM | Rm 132, Wagner Building, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

This year's GRAD 592 seminar's theme is "Topics in Colorado Water Law," which will cover the history and evolution, administration, water court, inter/intrastate compacts, key cases and statutes, water quality, environmental law, and groundwater. Students may sign up for course credit, but all interested faculty, students and off-campus guests are welcome to attend the weekly seminar classes. The instructor will be Jennifer Gimbel, Colorado Water Institute's Senior Water Policy Scholar.

Fall 2018 | Tuesdays & Thursdays 11AM-12:15PM | CSU, Fort Collins, CO

The CSU Water Center and the School of Global and Environmental Sustainability are pleased to offer a new introductory water course for the Fall 2018 semester. This three-credit course offers a multi-disciplinary overview of the issues surrounding the biggest challenges to the sustainability of life in the western U.S. The instructor will be Howard Ramsdell, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences.

The purpose of the SWIM is to offer students an opportunity to gain a deeper knowledge of the many dimensions of water management. Students will take 21 credits in core and elective courses. This minor is open to all CSU undergraduates. 

This minor offers undergraduate students in every department at CSU a curriculum that enhances their major with the core knowledge to address real world sustainability challenges and the tools to bring sustainability into their careers.

Fall 2018 | Tuesdays & Thursdays 11AM - 12:15PM | Stadium Rm 1208, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

The CSU Department of Sociology is excited to offer a new Science and Technology in Society course for the Fall 2018 semester. The course will be an examination of how society shapes science and technology and how science and technologies interact with and change our social world. All majors are welcome, but you must have completed SOC 100 or SOC 105 as a prerequisite.

2nd Tuesday of each month @ 2pm MST | Next webinar begins September 11, 2018

Join Utah State University's Center for Water Efficient Landscaping (CWEL) in a monthly webinar series, "Water Well with CWEL" on the 2nd Tuesday of each month @ 2 p.m. (MST). Each month a new presenter will share their successes in the world of outdoor water conservation. Topics will include; outreach & education efforts, new technologies, program impacts, and more.

A list of all water-related Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), past and present, and links for more information about the courses.
Student Spotlight

Hiding under the surface of rivers throughout Midwestern and Southern states is one of the most formidable invasive species in the U.S.: the Asian carp. The strong appetites of the Asian carp have been devastating for native plant and fish species. Erica Tardiff, a student in the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise MBA program in the College of Business, has spent her summer with a team of fellow students, travelling over 8,000 miles around the U.S. and Canada in pursuit of a business solution to the biodiversity loss caused by the voracious vertebrates.

The team came up with an innovative way to address the problem: using invasive Asian carp for fish meal, which is a main ingredient in aqua feed. This solution would serve the dual purpose of reducing the number of Asian carp to protect native species, while also reducing the burden that other fish populations bear from commercial fishing. To test their business idea, the team brought Asian carp from Illinois back to Fort Collins and processed them into fish meal, which initial analysis shows as having a high protein and fat content, comparable to what’s used in traditional fish feed. The scientific viability of using Asian carp for fish meal has already been proven, but the economics behind it haven’t. “That’s the side we’re trying to develop here,” Tardiff said. “There are problems in aquaculture and people need to be more aware of resources and where their food comes from.”
Faculty Spotlight

Can bats lead us to clean water? Why do humans speak so many languages? These are just the beginning of the questions TV viewers across Colorado can ponder as part of a new series of short science stories from Colorado State University airing on Rocky Mountain PBS.

The one-minute video Conversation Starters feature faculty experts from CSU discussing topics they’ve researched and written about on The Conversation. The Conversation is a unique and influential international news website that distributes research-based reports written by academic experts, and edited by experienced journalists, to a global audience. Pictured above, Sybil Sharvelle, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, talks about her research on graywater use in a CSU-produced Conversation Starter, now airing on Rocky Mountain PBS.
Legislative Updates
Concerning the allowable uses of reclaimed domestic wastewater, and, in connection therewith, allowing reclaimed domestic wastewater to be used for industrial hemp cultivation. This bill was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Agriculture, Natural Resources, & Energy Committee January 10, passed the third Senate reading on April 12, and passed the third House reading on May 3. The bill was signed by the President of the Senate May 11, signed by the Speaker of the House on May 15, and signed into law by the Governor on June 6.

Concerning the funding of Colorado water conservation board projects, and, in connection therewith, making appropriations. This bill was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee on March 26, passed the third Senate reading on April 12, introduced into the House and assigned to the Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee on April 17, and passed the third House reading on May 3. The bill was signed by the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House on May 11, and the Governor signed the bill into law on May 30.

Concerning the allowable uses of reclaimed domestic wastewater, and, in connection therewith, allowing reclaimed domestic wastewater to be used for marijuana cultivation. This bill was introduced in the House and assigned to the Agriculture, Livestock, & Natural Resources Committee on January 10, passed the third House reading on April 25, was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Finance Committee on April 25, and the Senate Committee on Finance postponed the bill indefinitely May 2.

Concerning the allowable uses of reclaimed domestic wastewater, and, in connection therewith, allowing reclaimed domestic wastewater to be used for toilet flushing and making an appropriation. This bill was introduced in the House on January 10, passed the third House reading with no amendments on March 21, was introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Agriculture, Natural Resources, & Energy Committee on March 26, and passed the third Senate reading April 17. The bill was signed by the Speaker of the House, President of the Senate and the sent to the Governor on April 26. The Governor signed the bill into law April 30.
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