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Water-sharing plan gets support
DENVER - Efforts to develop a water-sharing plan among Denver Water and south metro area providers received support Sept. 13 from Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar.
By By: Matthew Vuletich
DENVER - Efforts to develop a water-sharing plan among Denver Water and south metro area providers received support Sept. 13 from Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar.
A little more than a week after helping defeat a statewide water referendum, Salazar said a "conjunctive-use" plan will help Douglas and Arapahoe counties solve potential water-supply problems and also bring an end to years of water wars.
"During the last several decades, some of the most litigious and expensive Colorado water wars have been fought over speculative schemes to satisfy the unmet water demands for Douglas and Arapahoe counties," Salazar said in a letter to lawmakers he distributed at a press conference. "These speculative efforts have impacted the San Luis Valley and Arkansas and Colorado River basins in water battles that have wasted tens of millions of dollars."
Salazar made two other recommendations concerning water. He urged state lawmakers to establish a south metro area water authority that would have the legal and financial ability to implement a conjunctive-use plan, and also said "basin of origin protections" should be developed for the Western Slope areas from which the water likely would come.
Conjunctive-use plans have been under review for more than three years by the South Metro Water Supply Study Board, a group of 18 entities, including some Douglas County water suppliers.
Douglas County Commissioner Jim Sullivan, who is a representative on the South Metro Water Supply Study Board, said that although water-sharing plans are not new to the group, any help making those plans a reality is appreciated.
"We welcome any support from any legislative avenue or any other avenue we can get," Sullivan said.
Salazar offered ideas for two potential conjunctive-use plans. One would allow south metro area suppliers to borrow water from Denver Water's Cheesman and Dillon reservoirs during winter. Spring runoff then would replenish the reservoirs.
If spring runoff failed to fill the "hole" in Denver Water's reservoirs, the south metro suppliers would pump water from the Denver Basin Aquifer to make up for the deficit.
The Denver Basin is the source of nearly all Douglas County water. It is a series of underground aquifers that stretches roughly from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
Another plan would have a newly created south metro water authority purchase junior surface water rights from the South Platte and Colorado rivers. That water would be transported to Douglas and Arapahoe counties using both existing Denver Water infrastructure and infrastructure built specifically to transport the water to south metro communities.
Officials from the south metro area water suppliers would comprise the new authority, Salazar said.
The plan could provide 50,000-acre feet of water a year to the thirsty counties, Salazar said.
An acre-foot of water is the amount of water it takes to cover an acre to a depth of 1 foot.
Whether the Legislature will support the idea is unknown, Sullivan said. However, if Denver Water and the Colorado River District support the plan, it is more likely to become a reality.
Both entities are participants in the $1.2 million conjunctive-use study, which is expected to be completed soon.
The study is not without its critics. The Parker Water and Sanitation District withdrew from the study because it was too costly and taking too long to finish, district manager Frank Jaeger said in August.
There also is no guarantee that Denver Water will be a partner in the plan, Jaeger said.
The Parker Water and Sanitation District is developing a 16,500-acre-foot reservoir about 3 miles southwest of Parker.
No water plans should proceed without mitigating potential economic and environmental impacts on Western Slope communities, Salazar said. Sullivan concurred.
"We don't want to steal [their] water," Sullivan said.
The lack of protection for Western Slope interests is one of the reasons Salazar helped defeat Referendum A in the Nov. 4 election. The referendum asked voters to allow state bonding for water projects.
A little more than a week after helping defeat a statewide water referendum, Salazar said a "conjunctive-use" plan will help Douglas and Arapahoe counties solve potential water-supply problems and also bring an end to years of water wars.
"During the last several decades, some of the most litigious and expensive Colorado water wars have been fought over speculative schemes to satisfy the unmet water demands for Douglas and Arapahoe counties," Salazar said in a letter to lawmakers he distributed at a press conference. "These speculative efforts have impacted the San Luis Valley and Arkansas and Colorado River basins in water battles that have wasted tens of millions of dollars."
Salazar made two other recommendations concerning water. He urged state lawmakers to establish a south metro area water authority that would have the legal and financial ability to implement a conjunctive-use plan, and also said "basin of origin protections" should be developed for the Western Slope areas from which the water likely would come.
Conjunctive-use plans have been under review for more than three years by the South Metro Water Supply Study Board, a group of 18 entities, including some Douglas County water suppliers.
Douglas County Commissioner Jim Sullivan, who is a representative on the South Metro Water Supply Study Board, said that although water-sharing plans are not new to the group, any help making those plans a reality is appreciated.
"We welcome any support from any legislative avenue or any other avenue we can get," Sullivan said.
Salazar offered ideas for two potential conjunctive-use plans. One would allow south metro area suppliers to borrow water from Denver Water's Cheesman and Dillon reservoirs during winter. Spring runoff then would replenish the reservoirs.
If spring runoff failed to fill the "hole" in Denver Water's reservoirs, the south metro suppliers would pump water from the Denver Basin Aquifer to make up for the deficit.
The Denver Basin is the source of nearly all Douglas County water. It is a series of underground aquifers that stretches roughly from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
Another plan would have a newly created south metro water authority purchase junior surface water rights from the South Platte and Colorado rivers. That water would be transported to Douglas and Arapahoe counties using both existing Denver Water infrastructure and infrastructure built specifically to transport the water to south metro communities.
Officials from the south metro area water suppliers would comprise the new authority, Salazar said.
The plan could provide 50,000-acre feet of water a year to the thirsty counties, Salazar said.
An acre-foot of water is the amount of water it takes to cover an acre to a depth of 1 foot.
Whether the Legislature will support the idea is unknown, Sullivan said. However, if Denver Water and the Colorado River District support the plan, it is more likely to become a reality.
Both entities are participants in the $1.2 million conjunctive-use study, which is expected to be completed soon.
The study is not without its critics. The Parker Water and Sanitation District withdrew from the study because it was too costly and taking too long to finish, district manager Frank Jaeger said in August.
There also is no guarantee that Denver Water will be a partner in the plan, Jaeger said.
The Parker Water and Sanitation District is developing a 16,500-acre-foot reservoir about 3 miles southwest of Parker.
No water plans should proceed without mitigating potential economic and environmental impacts on Western Slope communities, Salazar said. Sullivan concurred.
"We don't want to steal [their] water," Sullivan said.
The lack of protection for Western Slope interests is one of the reasons Salazar helped defeat Referendum A in the Nov. 4 election. The referendum asked voters to allow state bonding for water projects.
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