Sign here to protect water quality in Colorado’s exceptional rivers and creeks! American Whitewater and our partners are working to protect water quality in 26 creeks and rivers in Colorado. The designation of Outstanding Waters provides the highest level of water quality protections in Colorado. The federal Clean Water Act gives individual states the authority to designate and oversee Outstanding Waters and Colorado reviews different river basins on a rotating 3-year schedule. In order to qualify for Outstanding Waters designation, rivers must have existing high water quality, have exceptional ecological or recreational significance, and constitute a need for additional protection. 

The Gunnison, San Juan, Dolores River Basins are currently up for review and we are working to protect key tributaries to these important watersheds, including numerous rivers with exceptional paddling values. These rivers include the Upper Taylor River, Escalante Creek, Lime Creek, Wolf Creek, and Roubideau Creek. 

We have done the work to prove the exceptional water quality in these rivers and now we need YOUR help to tell the Commission that paddlers and river lovers care about these rivers and want to see them protected! Please take less than a minute to add your name to this petition! We will present our proposal, including this petition, to the Water Quality Control Commission at the June 13 hearing, where a final decision will be made. 

We are also looking for members of the paddling community to provide written or oral testimony to the Water Quality Control Commission at the June 13 and 14 hearing. Please email Kestrel directly at kestrel@americanwhitewater.org to sign up to give testimony.