May 2011
The Forest-to-Faucet Partnership - Re-thinking Headwaters Protection

Greetings!

In recent years, climate change impacts on the high-elevation watersheds that supply the West's drinking water have become increasingly obvious - longer and more devastating wildfire seasons, reduced snowpack, earlier snowmelt, and large-scale bark beetle infestations - to name a few.

In response, we're seeing an interesting new round of partnerships between water utilities, city governments, land management agencies, and conservationists to restore and protect the resiliency of the headwaters that provide urban Westerners with clean, reliable supplies of water.

An innovative example - notable for its large footprint, solid funding, and science-based planning - is the Forest-to-Faucet Partnership between Denver Water and the U.S. Forest Service. As we learned in our interview with Under Secretary of Agriculture Harris Sherman in the December 2010 Confluence, that partnership is getting a lot of attention as a model of successful collaboration between the Forest Service and water utilities. This month, we delve more deeply into the story behind the creation of the Forest-to-Faucet Partnership, as told by four of the principals.

Regards,
Kimery

Kimery Wiltshire Director Carpe Diem West

 

The following interview is taken from the discussion of the Forest-to-Faucet Partnership at Carpe Diem West’s March 2011 Healthy Headwaters Project meeting in Denver. [For the meeting summary, click here]

Q: From your perspective, what factors led to the creation of the Forest-to-Faucet Partnership?

Rick Cables: For many years, I’ve been passionate about getting water to the top of our agenda at the U.S. Forest Service...

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