Denver Board of Water Commissioners endorses wildfire risk reduction and conservation ballot initiative

Editor's note: In August 2026, state election officials approved signatures submitted in support of Proposition 137, previously called Proposition 308, for consideration by voters on the November 2026 ballot.

The Denver Board of Water Commissioners in July 2026 threw its support behind Proposition 137 (previously called Proposition 308), a proposed measure voters will consider in November that would direct tax revenue from sporting goods sales to protect Colorado’s lands and water, including forestry work to reduce risk of catastrophic wildfire threatening drinking water supplies.

Proposition 137 would raise an estimated $175 million annually, helping to significantly close the gap in state funding needed for the work. Just under half, or about $83 million annually, would be allocated to wildfire mitigation and protection of clean water supplies. State election officials in August approved signatures submitted by supporters of the measure and placed the initiative on the November 2026 ballot. 

At its July 8 meeting, Denver Water’s five-member board outlined in a resolution the critical nature of wildfire risk reduction to protection of both water supply and quality.

“Four of the top five largest wildfires have occurred in the last six years,” the resolution stated. “High severity wildfires have degraded source water quality, increased water treatment costs, and damaged critical water infrastructure in Denver Water’s collection system and across Colorado.”

Denver Water is well acquainted with the impact of wildfire as the utility continues to address damage associated with fires that occurred as long ago as 1996. Fires on lands that drain into the South Platte River resulted in torrential sediment flows that affect reservoir operations to this day.

“Denver Water supports state programs that increase our resilience to the ever-rising risk of wildfire,” said Denver Water CEO/Manager Alan Salazar, who has worked closely with lawmakers and partners across the state on developing the initiative.

“This initiative would help water providers and communities across the state by funding work that reduces the chances that small wildfires grow into catastrophic ones,” Salazar said. “Well-executed forest management results in landscapes less susceptible to high-intensity burning. The work protects communities, the environment and rivers, streams and reservoirs we depend on for a safe, secure water supply.”

State grant dollars raised through this initiative, should it pass, would help fund existing state forest management and conservations programs. Denver Water currently utilizes these state programs to match investments it makes through the From Forests to Faucets program.

Denver Water’s From Forests to Faucets program, which includes the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado State Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Colorado Forest Restoration Institute as primary partners, has reduced wildfire risk across more than 120,000 acres over the last 16 years, the bulk of that within the South Platte Basin.

The forestry work is labor-intensive, and a significant investment. The From Forests to Faucets partnership has spent $96 million to date, with half that coming from Denver Water and the other half from partners.

Experts tracking the From Forests to Faucets work have clocked at least seven instances where the forest management efforts have slowed or halted fires, preventing blazes from growing to sizes that could have enormous consequences on lands, communities and water supplies, including examples cited in this 2025 TAP story.

Just this spring, Denver Water worked closely with the Jefferson Conservation District to reduce sediment flows above Strontia Springs Reservoir. That project also tapped into state dollars, in this case funds generated through sports betting and allocated by the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

“There is far more work than there is funding, so this initiative, should it come before voters and be approved, would be a key source of dollars to reduce wildfire risk,” said Madelene McDonald, who leads Denver Water’s From Forests to Faucets work. “Every project we can complete helps ensure a clean water supply and reduces property damage — saving enormous amounts of money and resources down the line.”