(1) The department of revenue shall determine annually the total amount designated pursuant to section 39-22-2402 and shall report such amount to the state treasurer and to the general assembly. The state treasurer shall credit such amount to the Colorado healthy rivers fund, which fund is hereby created in the state treasury. All interest derived from the deposit and investment of moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
(2) (a) The general assembly shall appropriate annually from the Colorado healthy rivers fund to the department of revenue its costs of administering money designated as contributions to the fund.
(b) All money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year, after subtracting the appropriation to the department, shall be transferred to the Colorado water conservation board in the department of natural resources. Two designees of the board, in cooperation with two designees of the water quality control commission in the department of public health and environment and upon consultation with the Colorado watershed assembly, shall administer the money in accordance with subsection (3) of this section. Money in the fund may be used to cover all reasonable costs incurred in administering the fund. The money transferred to the Colorado water conservation board pursuant to this subsection (2)(b) is continuously appropriated to the board for the purposes specified in subsection (3) of this section.
The water quality control commission and the Colorado water conservation boardshall use the moneys transferred pursuant to subsection (2) of this section to award grants, on a competitive basis and in a manner to be determined jointly by such commission and board, to any qualified resident of Colorado to work toward the restoration and protection of land and natural resources within watersheds in Colorado. Qualifications for such grants shall be determined jointly by the commission and the board in cooperation with the Colorado watershed assembly.
Moneys granted pursuant to subsection (3) of this section shall not be used for lobbying or for any other political purpose, the costs of litigation, or to remove any diversion or improvement structure.
Source: L. 2002: Entire part added, p. 1097, § 1, effective August 7. L. 2008: (1) and (2) amended, p. 1548, § 2, effective August 5. L. 2018: (2) amended, (SB 18-218), ch. 336, p. 2019, § 27, effective May 30.