We need your help to protect clean water throughout Southwest Colorado. In June the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission will be making a decision on whether or not 26 headwater streams with exceptionally clean water in the Animas, Dolores, Gunnison, San Juan and San Miguel basins deserve critical Outstanding Waters (OW) protections. Please add your name to the petition below in support of clean water in Colorado.
Dear Water Quality Control Commission:
As a Colorado resident who cares about the health of our rivers for people and the environment, I request that the Water Quality Control Commission designate the 26 proposed stream segments as Outstanding Waters (OW).
These stream segments have been shown to meet all the requirements for designation as OWs including meeting or exceeding the 12 water quality standards, having outstanding natural resource values such as aquatic life habitat or recreational use, and are threatened by outside impacts requiring additional protections. Significant community outreach has been conducted to inform stakeholders and gain support for this proposal.
These OW candidates provide critical aquatic habitat for native trout species, macroinvertebrates, birds, and other wildlife; provide significant contributions to ecosystem services like high-quality drinking and irrigation water; and provide exceptional recreational opportunities like fishing, swimming, and paddling. They are sources of vital, high-quality water for people, agriculture, and wildlife. This clean water is not only important to the overall health and resilience of the rivers in the region but by extension the health of the communities, ecosystems, and economies connected to it.
It is more important than ever to protect sources of clean water for both people and the environment. Outstanding Waters protections for these high quality streams respects the role of clean water as the lifeblood of our communities and ensures that the clean waters of Colorado are conserved for future generations.
We call on the Water Quality Control Commission to designate these 26 exceptional streams as Outstanding Waters.