Growing Water Smart
Communities across the Colorado River Basin and beyond are making critical decisions about how and where to grow amid changing water conditions. Since 2017, Growing Water Smart has provided training and technical assistance to more than 130 communities across the West, helping local leaders better align land use decisions with water availability and plan for a more resilient future.
Through immersive workshops, peer exchange, practical resources, and ongoing implementation support, Growing Water Smart builds the capacity of communities to integrate land use and water planning. The program brings together interdisciplinary teams of planners, water providers, elected officials, and community leaders to strengthen partnerships, address local water and growth challenges, and develop actionable strategies that communities can carry forward.
Explore the Growing Water Smart StoryMap
Nearly a decade of workshops and partnerships have generated a wealth of community experiences, lessons, and accomplishments. The Growing Water Smart StoryMap highlights how participating communities are translating workshop learning into action through planning, policy changes, and new approaches to collaboration.
Explore community stories, participant perspectives, and examples of how Growing Water Smart is helping communities build more water-resilient futures.
View the StoryMapA Growing Regional Partnership
Growing Water Smart was cofounded in 2017 by the Sonoran Institute and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy to strengthen the connection between land use planning and water management. The program was launched in Colorado, where the founding partners worked with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) to help communities translate the goals of Colorado’s Water Plan into local planning and action. Building on this foundation, Growing Water Smart has since expanded to Arizona, Utah, California, and communities along the US-Mexico border.
The program’s expansion reflects a growing network of regional partnerships that include Utah State University, the Utah Division of Water Resources, Western Resource Advocates, and Water Education for Latino Leaders (WELL). While each workshop is tailored to local needs and priorities, Growing Water Smart maintains a shared approach grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration, peer learning, and practical expertise. Beyond the workshops, the program supports communities in translating their action plans into meaningful policy and planning changes, strengthening local capacity, and sustaining partnerships that advance integrated land and water management over time.
Tools, Guidebooks, and Resources
Explore Growing Water Smart’s state-specific guidebooks and resources to support integrated land and water planning.
For additional program information, news, and resources, visit resilientwest.org/growing-water-smart.
Bring Growing Water Smart to Your Community
Communities interested in participating in a future Growing Water Smart workshop are encouraged to reach out to learn more about upcoming opportunities. Workshops are tailored to local priorities, water challenges, and planning contexts, and are often delivered in partnership with regional organizations, water providers, conservancy districts, and other partners representing multiple communities.
growingwatersmart@sonoraninstitute.org (AZ, CO, CA, US-MX Border)