Aurora Water urges committee to oppose bill that would shift wildfire mitigation dollars to homeowner grants

Aurora Water staff recommended the committee oppose a draft state bill requiring increasing set-asides from the wildfire mitigation capacity development fund to the wildfire resilient homes grant program. The staff briefing emphasized the bill reallocates existing state funds rather than creating new money and warned the change could undermine landscape-scale mitigation projects that protect watersheds and drinking-water infrastructure.

"The bill shifts funding away from landscape scale mitigation such as forest health and watershed protection," Shaunie said. She highlighted long-term water-quality impacts from large fires, citing the Hayman fire as an example of multi‑decade water impacts: staff said Aurora is still seeing water quality effects from past large fires.

Aurora Water’s concern is that diverting state mitigation funds to individual homeowner grants will reduce flexibility for investments that protect reservoirs, reduce erosion and preserve long-term drinking-water reliability. The committee accepted the staff recommendation to oppose the draft and asked staff to track the bill and any sponsor amendments.