About
Photo credit: Steve Adams
Caring
Caring for Colorado's Lakes and Reservoirs
CLRMA and its members work to manage, study, restore, and protect lakes and reservoirs across the state. CLRMA also donates annually to organizations that promote environmental and water education.
A Forum
A Forum for Water Education & Information Sharing
CLRMA provides a forum for sharing information and experience on water quality, aquatic ecosystem health, watershed protection and resilience, and legal and financial aspects of lake management.
Events
CLRMA Events
CLRMA hosts two annual luncheons, lake outings, and group events. Come out for networking, information sharing, and advertising water-related job opportunities!
2024 Board Members
View all historic CLRMA Presidents and Board Members here.
Caleb Owen (Past-President) is the Water Quality Administrator for the City of Thornton working on regulatory affairs as well as monitoring, managing, and protecting Thornton’s source water supply. Caleb previously worked in the lab as a Water Quality Analyst for Thornton. Prior to joining the city in 2015, he worked in the pharmaceutical, mining, and specialty chemical industries. He has a B.S. in Chemistry with an Area of Special Interest in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, rock-climbing, camping, and hiking with his family.
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Suresh Niraula, PhD, CLM (President) is a Water Quality Scientist for the City of Arvada. He grew up in the foothills of Nepal and came to the U.S. in 2006. He received his PhD in Environmental and Conservation Science from North Dakota State University in 2018, where he researched greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural fertilizer applications. Prior to joining the City of Arvada, Suresh worked for a park district in Minnesota, and several watershed groups and other entities where he monitored water quality and performed lake management. Suresh and his family enjoy playing outdoors and visiting new places – mostly places where there are lakes and mountains. LinkedIn
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Meghan Chantler (Secretary) received her M.S. in Environmental Science from CU Denver in 2022, focusing on environmental education and human/environment interactions. Meghan works for the City of Boulder on Water Quality Compliance within the distribution system and loves being involved in multiple projects at the city. Meghan enjoys spending time with anything related to our environment and the delicate balance of water in this state. On the weekends, she can be found in the mountains, skiing, running, or backpacking.
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Erin Stewart (President Elect) is an Aquatic Biologist for LRE Water. She has a degree in Biological Oceanography from the U.W. in Seattle. After moving back home to the midwest and a decade working in molecular biology research, she got back to her passion - water - and has been monitoring and managing freshwater lakes and reservoirs in Colorado since 2008. When she isn't on a boat or in a stream collecting water samples, she can be found on a paddle board, raft, or drift boat floating down or fishing one of Colorado's beautiful rivers with her family and dog, Greta.
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James Eklund (West Slope Director) is a Western water lawyer, helps manage his family's centennial ranch on the Western Slope, and teaches at CU Denver and DU. He directs the water and climate change practice at Sherman & Howard. James served as Colorado's principal representative on the Colorado River where he negotiated and executed the first contingency plans to acknowledge and respond to climate change. He also directed the Colorado Water Conservation Board where he was the architect of Colorado's Water Plan, the largest civic engagement exercise in state history.
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Christopher Mikolajczyk, CLM, (Director) is a senior manager of aquatics and NALMS Certified Lake Manager for Princeton Hydro and conducts the management, oversight, and coordination of aquatic ecology and water resource projects in three main areas: aquatic resource restoration and management, aquatic ecosystem sampling and investigations, and watershed modeling and management. Chris is also a past-president of NALMS.
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Cindy Brady (Treasurer) has worked in the Raw Water Operations Section at Denver Water for the past fifteen years. She is involved in the day to day water management of the raw water system of Denver Water, focusing on its West Slope storage reservoirs. She was previously on the CLRMA board between 2007 and 2017 and holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Colorado State University. In her free time she enjoys skiing, hiking and gardening.
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Steve Lundt (Director at Large) graduated from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, in 1999. His first job was as an intern on Oswego Lake (Portland, Oregon), which allowed him to get hands-on experience with alum, hypolimnetic aeration, fish screens, and herbicide treatment for Brazilian Elodea. After 3 years he moved to Denver to work for Metro Wastewater Reclamation District. This career move allowed him to focus on more than one reservoir and to become more familiar with water quality regulations that affect lakes and reservoirs. He monitors and helps manage Barr Lake and Milton Reservoir. Over the years, he has been involved with the Indiana Lake Management Society, Oregon Lake Association, CLRMA, and NALMS.
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Claire Farmer (Director) received both her B.S. (2019) and M.S. (2021) in Environmental Engineering from CU Boulder. During her master’s, Claire investigated the impact of wildfire burned soils on drinking water treatability. Since graduating, Claire has worked as an Assistant Engineer at Hazen and Sawyer, helping with source water quality and reservoir management projects around the country. Claire loves to be outside whenever possible and enjoys all the activities Colorado has to offer including paddleboarding, backpacking, slacklining, and snowboarding.
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Nathan Jahns (Director) received his Master’s in Ecology from St. Cloud State University, where he focused on endocrine disruption in wild fish. He has worked for 15 years in Environmental Consulting as a Fisheries Biologist and Aquatic Ecologist on projects across the country and is currently enrolled in a coding, data science, and artificial intelligence bootcamp. He is interested in leveraging his dual expertise in aquatic ecology and data science to drive informed decisions for effective lake management strategies. Outside of work, Nathan enjoys remodeling his house, being a foster parent, backpacking, traveling, and spending time with his wife and dogs.
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Get involved.
CLRMA board member elections occur during the annual fall conference. Board members generally meet monthly to organize the spring and fall one-day conferences, and one or two summer events such as a workshop, lake appreciation event, or family-oriented social event.
Contact CLRMA to learn how you can join the Board or participate in other ways!