(1) There is created the
Colorado water institute for the following purposes:
(a) Developing, implementing, and coordinating water and water-related
research programs in collaboration with other state institutions of higher education
and transferring the results of research and new technologies to potential users;
(b) Creating and operating a water research information and education
center as a statewide clearinghouse and archive for water resources, water quality,
and water-related policy issues, including the training of future generations of
water scientists, managers, planners, and educators; and
(c) Conducting scientific research and policy analysis in areas including but
not limited to water development and storage and surface water and groundwater
hydrology, water resources management, water quality and aquatic habitat
management and protection, water history and paleohydrology, drought planning
and mitigation, and climate change and adaptation.
(2) The institute is a unit of the Colorado state university under the
supervision and control of the university's administration and the board of
governors of the Colorado state university system.
(3) The principal administrative officer of the institute is a director, who is
appointed by the president of Colorado state university with the approval of the
board of governors of the Colorado state university system and who is under the
direct supervision of the president of Colorado state university or a vice-president
designated by the president. To meet the purposes of the institute, the director,
with the advice of the advisory committee established pursuant to section 23-31-802, shall develop appropriate policies and procedures for identification of priority
research problems; collaborate with water managers and user associations,
drought and climate change planning organizations, other universities, federal,
state, and local government agencies, and the general assembly in the formulation
of its research program; select projects to be funded; and disseminate information
and transfer technology that is produced by the research.
(4) It is the duty of the institute to:
(a) Consult with state and local government agencies, water managers and
user associations, drought and climate change planning organizations, water
quality planning organizations, the general assembly, and other potential users of
research in identifying and prioritizing the state's scientific and policy-related
water research needs;
(b) Negotiate and administer contracts with other state institutions of higher
education for research projects;
(c) Disseminate new information and facilitate transfer and application of
new technologies as they are developed;
(d) Provide a liaison between Colorado and the federal research funding
agencies to act as an advocate for Colorado's water research needs;
(e) Facilitate and stimulate scientific research and policy analysis that:
(I) Deals with policy issues facing the general assembly;
(II) Supports state water, public health, and water quality protection
agencies' missions with water research on statewide water-related problems
encountered and expected, including but not limited to the effects of climate
change on water quality, water availability, run-off timing, drought planning, and
future compact compliance;
(III) Provides water planning and management organizations with tools to
increase efficiency and effectiveness of water planning and management;
(IV) Engages and trains future generations of the state's water professionals
and educators; and
(V) Examines the interconnections between climate change, water supply,
and water quality and provides tools water managers and policymakers need to
adapt to global climate change;
(f) Establish and maintain a clearinghouse and archive of water research,
water quality, and climate projection data; and
(g) Collaborate with the university of Colorado and Colorado state university
in studying the feasibility of new and improved water-related technologies in
accordance with section 23-20-141.
(5) The institute is authorized to employ professional, clerical, and other
personnel to implement the provisions of this part 8.
(6) The institute is authorized to expend state money appropriated by the
general assembly for cost sharing on projects funded with federal or private money.
(7) State money granted, appropriated, or otherwise made available for
water research conducted at the state's institutions of higher education may pass
through the administrative control of the institute if the grant, appropriation, or
other funding document specifies. If particular money is restricted, the institute
may serve as an administrative entity of the money for state agencies that seek to
utilize Colorado universities or colleges for water research. The institute has the
power to accept gifts, grants, donations, appropriations, and other funding from any
entity. The institute may provide oversight for the funding by ensuring research
projects commence and are completed within the scope of agreements, invoices,
contracts, purchase orders, intergovernmental agreements, or other fiscal devices
used to fund research. The institute is authorized to assess a fee to implement its
administrative authority. The fee may not exceed twenty percent of the total cost of
the project being administered by the institute. The advisory committee created in
section 23-31-802 shall annually review and establish the administration fee.