In CVEN 5404 Water Chemistry, students gain an understanding the basic concepts of aquatic chemistry and apply these concepts to assess water quality risks to public health and the environment. Adding a community-based component to the course will help students master skills of basic water quality analysis and use these concepts and skills to address water quality problems affecting Colorado communities. Students will (1) collaborate with community and stakeholder groups addressing Colorado water quality problems, (2) create sampling and analysis plans to address the problems, (3) carry out the sampling and analysis tasks, and (4) communicate the results to the community/stakeholder groups. For the first year, the problem will be abandoned mines in the Lefthand Creek in northwestern Boulder County, and the community/stakeholder group will be the Lefthand Watershed Oversight Group based in Niwot, Colorado (https://lwog.org/). The group’s stakeholders include the towns of Jamestown and Ward, the Left Hand Water District, and Boulder County Parks and Open Space.