Coal Creek Watershed Coalition

A nonprofit organization

This giving season, please consider making a gift to support the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition, as we move into the next year and continue our work towards securing a healthier future for aquatic life, wildlife, and human life in this incredible place we call home.

Headwater streams, like those found near Crested Butte, face mounting challenges from decreasing precipitation, elevated temperatures, and increased water use. Our community, water supplies, and ecosystems depend on the health of our watersheds and the quality of the water in our streams.

With help from people like you, CCWC accomplished the following in 2024:

Contributed to the completion of the Mt. Emmons Mineral Withdrawal and Land Exchange to prohibit mining or new development and allow for continued recreational use on Red Lady in perpetuity.

Collected 64 water quality samples in the Coal Creek watershed.*

Collected 59 water quality samples from the Standard Mine and Elk Creek.* 

Redesigned our Coal Creek monitoring program to optimize the effectiveness of our data collection.

Educated over 100 residents and visitors about how they can protect our local watersheds while in the outdoors.

*Water quality sample data is analyzed to improve our understanding of the condition of our rivers over time. This information is used to inform decision makers and drive management actions.

With your support, we will continue our work protecting Crested Butte's watersheds and accomplish the following goals in 2025:

Continue water quality monitoring: data collected from Coal Creek will be used to assess whether recent reclamation projects at the Keystone and Standard mines on Red Lady have improved water quality and confirm that Coal Creek continues to support aquatic life. 

This includes continuing to monitor water quality to ensure compliance of water quality standards and permits after the Red Lady land exchange!

Source water protection: CCWC will provide technical expertise and assistance to the Town of Crested Butte and Gunnison County in their efforts to protect the water quality in Coal Creek and the Town’s water supply infrastructure in the face of events like wildfire. 

Continue working with partners to restore and reclaim areas affected by historic mining: CCWC will continue partnering with the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety and the EPA to help reduce the impacts of historic mining on water quality and health of the watersheds in and around Crested Butte.

Visit coalcreek.org to see what the Coal Creek family has accomplished over the years.

 

Testimonials

"The Colorado Water Quality Control Division's Measurable Results Program worked with the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition to conduct environmental assessments of abandoned mines impacting water quality. They provided extensive local area knowledge and experienced volunteers to support sample collection and restoration efforts. Additionally, the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition provides water quality data to support the development of Colorado's 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. These efforts help protect and restore Colorado's waterways."

- Skip Feeney, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Mission

The mission of the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition is to maintain, restore and enhance the environmental integrity of Crested Butte's local watersheds to ensure those local watersheds and habitats are of the highest possible quality necessary to support wildlife, aquatic life, and human life.

Background Statement

In 2003, the High Country Citizens' Alliance (HCCA) initiated an investigation of water quality impairment in Coal Creek. Once the extent of the impairment was understood, HCCA engaged community at large and found considerable interest in the issues in Coal Creek. This public interest eventually led to the founding of the Coal Creek Watershed Coalition (CCWC), which held its first meeting in 2004.

Since it's inception, the CCWC has acted as the leader in watershed protection and restoration serving the Crested Butte community and surrounding watersheds and environment. The CCWC provides high quality data from Coal Creek to identify environmental concerns in the watershed. With this information CCWC enhances the Coal Creek Watershed by reducing or eliminating the existing and potential environmental problems, as well as restoring degraded habitats to achieve high water quality. CCWC also communicates water quality and watershed related information to increase public awareness of watershed issues, as Coal Creek provides the drinking water for the town of Crested Butte.

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Coal Creek Watershed Coalition

other names

CCWC

Year Established

2003

Tax id (EIN)

26-0894694

Category

Environment

Organization Size

Small Organization

Address

PO Box 962
Crested Butte, CO 81224

Service areas

Gunnison County, CO, US

Phone

970-349-5338

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