Things are flowing at Hydro

Hydro is Greek for water. Water is the source of all life, and as a headwaters state, Colorado’s water footprint impacts millions of people in multiple states and Mexico. Water flows much like culture — blurring physical barriers, creating life wherever it reaches, reaching far beyond its origins.

What you’ll do at Hydro

  • explore preK-12 educational programs and exhibits
  • watch food and water professionals and entrepreneurs in their labs, including Denver Water’s new water quality lab
  • host a meeting or come to an event at the Confluence Theater, a flexible theater with a capacity of up to 230 for public and community use
  • hang out in the Backyard (coming Summer 2023) with physical connectivity to the restored South Platte River
  • learn about grey water catchment that is used to flush toilets within Hydro and other sustainability features
  • grab a bite to eat at Western Daughters Kitchen, a cafe featuring items with produce grown on-site
  • see artists at work in the renovated McConnell building (“The Shop“) along with leasable office spaces for water-focused NGOs and educational outlets
  • continue your education through programs and events like the CSU Masters of Agribusiness and Food Innovation Management, the CSU Spur annual Water in the West Symposium, and CSU Spur BioBlitzes
  • check out four art installations, including works by Jason Bruges, Eric Tillinghast, Nikki Pike, and Anthony Garcia, Sr. of Globeville’s Birdseed Collective

CSU Spur partners on site at Hydro

Denver Water houses its water quality lab at Hydro. Currently, Denver Water performs more than 70,000 tests annually to monitor water quality in its watershed as well as its treatment and distribution systems. The new laboratory has the capacity to conduct more than 200,000 tests each year to keep up with increasing regulatory requirements and allows for more state-of-the-art equipment and more efficient workspace for technicians. Its location at CSU Spur provides more opportunity for Denver Water to collaborate with researchers on areas of innovation, policy, and education related to water challenges in urban, rural, and watershed environments.

The CSU Salazar Center for North American Conservation has its permanent home at Hydro. The Center supports and advances the health and connectivity of the natural systems and landscapes of North America — be they urban or rural, working or wildlands, public or private — and benefits from the active engagement and leadership of former U.S. Secretary of Interior, U.S. Senator, and Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar.

Water Education Colorado (WEco) is the leading organization for informing and engaging Coloradans on water. Founded as an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit in 2002, as the state was steeped in a historic drought, WEco’s mission is to ensure Coloradans are knowledgeable about key water issues and equipped to make smart decisions for a sustainable water future. WEco works statewide to provide policy-neutral news and informational resources, engaging learning experiences, and empowering leadership programs. WEco’s vision is a vibrant, sustainable and water-aware Colorado, in which people of all backgrounds and perspectives, in all localities, are learning, listening, engaging, and working together on collaborative water solutions.

Hydro is designed by Hord Coplan Macht and SmithGroup.