The 2021 budget includes almost $3.1 million in new revenues and CCBWQA is mandated to spend at least 60% of the annual revenues on Pollution Abatement Projects. As expenditures and revenues are often not matched each calendar year (because implementation and timing of project costs can vary significantly from year to year) the CCBWQA Board has determined that "Pollution Abatement Projects" include:

• Any physical structure or facility that is planned, designed, and intended to directly reduce nutrients or other pollution in the Cherry Creek Reservoir or the Cherry Creek Watershed (colloquially referred to as a Pollution Reduction Facility or PRF);
• The acquisition and/or interest in property, including easements for the purpose of controlling or reducing nutrient loading or pollution in the Watershed; and
• The development of any new approach, analytical tool, educational approach, or other innovative method for treating or controlling nutrient loading or pollution in the Watershed.

CCBWQA interprets the 60/40 split referenced above as a multi-year mandate and does not account for this in any one year. This interpretation allows CCBWQA to fund larger projects – a crucial element to CCBWQA’s success. Specific to 2020 CCBWQA spent 79.2% of its annual revenues on Pollutant Abatement Projects. The 2021 budget plans on spending 112% of current year revenues. The Board’s goal is to meet the 60% mandate over a five-year rolling average and CCBWQA expects to be fully compliant with this requirement in 2021. As the Summary of recommended PRFs shows, $12.4 Million is planned on structures and facilities over the next ten years.

The remaining 40% is allocated towards monitoring, special studies, planning documents, technical reports or memoranda, and administrative costs.

More information on the CIP program can be found here.