Thank you to IMPACT Promotional Products for the donation of our new logo!

The Annual Children’s Water Festival was started 17 years ago by Ute Water Conservancy District, to expose School District 51 fifth graders to all facets of water:  conservation, protection, pollution control, provision and treatment.

The festival is now produced by three of the Grand Valley ’s domestic water providers; Ute Water Conservancy District, the City of Grand Junction and Clifton Water District. Each year nearly 2,000 fifth grade students arrive at Mesa State College to learn about the importance of water in the world, the state, the community and their individual lives.  Public, private, and home schooled students are invited to attend one day of the two day festival. Our festival is the largest attended out of 20 communities who produce water festivals in the state of Colorado . The entire festival is run by volunteers from numerous agencies, businesses, service clubs and private parties throughout the state.

The original idea of a water festival came from the Nebraska Groundwater Foundation and was brought to Colorado by Tom Cech of the Central Colorado Water Conservancy District. The Groundwater Foundation produces a week-long festival in Grand Island and attracts more than 3,000 students. The entire festival is funded by donations from the business community.

Our festival costs approximately $15,000 to produce each year and is funded in part by private enterprise. Without the generous sponsorship and donations from the community this event would not be possible. A Water Festival Committee, comprised of a variety of local organization and business representatives, was developed to help organize, plan and promote the festival. Preparation for the event starts in early December and is concluded toward the middle of June each year.

There are several opportunities for people who are interested in participating, volunteering or being a sponsor at the Water Festival. For additional information on how you can get involved please contact Joe Burtard, Water Festival Coordinator.

For your convenience you can now register online or print off any of the registration forms. Click on the links below to register or print of your desired registration form.

School District 51 Fifth Grade Standards

2010 Presenter Registration

2010 Volunteer Registration

2010 Teacher Registration

2010 Sponsorship/Donation Form

2009 Water Festival Program

 Click Here To View Water Festival Pictures!

A local newspaper, Grand Junction Free Press, has also created a photo album of our Children's Water Festival for the public to view, post and make comments on.

The Water Festival Committee would like to recognize and thank the following individuals and organizations for their much appreciated participation in this year’s water festival.

Produced by: City of Grand Junction , Clifton Water District and Ute Water Conservancy District.

Presenters: 5-2-1 Drainage Authority, Applegate Group Inc., Bureau of Reclamation, City of Grand Junction, Clifton Water District, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado River District, Colorado State University Extension, Colorado Water Conservation Board, Corps of Engineers, Drought Response Information Project (DRIP), Fruita Public Works, Grand Junction Fire Department, Grand Valley Drainage District, Grand Valley Irrigation, Kleinfelder, Mesa County Cattle Women’s Association, Mesa County Health Department, National Weather Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, News Channel 5, Palisade Fire Department, Safety, Inc., Thunder Mountain Elementary, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S.G.S., Ute Water Conservancy District, Williams Production and Xcel Energy.

Sponsorship by: AECOM Water, Big Nugget Supply, Inc., Carollo Engineers, Culligan Water Technologies, Dufford, Waldeck, Milburn & Krohn, LLP., FCI Constructors, Inc., First Student, Fruita City Market, GEI Consultants, Inc., Grand Junction Pipe & Supply, Grand Junction Winwater, Grand Valley Water Users Association, The Hassler Law Firm, P.C., Hoskin, Farina & Kampf, P.C., Impact Promotional Pruducts, Mesa Conservation District, Omni Hospital Services, Palisades National Bank, Rocky Mountain Health Plans, Rocky Mountain Sanitation, LLC., Sun King Management Corporation, Westwater Engineering, Inc. and Williams, Turner & Holmes, P.C.

Underwritten by: Alpine Bank, Applegate Group, Inc., Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado Beef Council, Grand Valley Drainage District, Home Loan & Investment/Allied Insurance, Mesa County Cattle Women’s Association, Mesa County School District 51, Mesa State College, Orchard Mesa Irrigation District, Rhino Energy/McClane Canyon Mine, LLC., RJH Consultants, Inc., Toby’s Anchor Drilling, Williams Production and Xcel Energy.

The Children's Water Festival is made possible with the help of more than 260 volunteers, who present classes and exhibits, guide classes around the campus and work behind the scenes to make this annual festival a success.

Joe Burtard (Coordinator)-Ute Water

Berna Brown (Co-Coordinator)-Ute Water

Michelle Will (Co-Coordinator)-Ute Water

Toby's Anchor Drilling