Print
E-mail
Comment
Good water solution needed in DC
Over the last months, there has been alarmist reporting on imminent water shortages facing Douglas County. Much of what has been reported has been exaggerated to sensationalize the issue. Douglas County now faces questions about its economic base, and the long-term viability of the county's economy.
By By: Tom Wiens
Over the last months, there has been alarmist reporting on imminent water shortages facing Douglas County. Much of what has been reported has been exaggerated to sensationalize the issue. Douglas County now faces questions about its economic base, and the long-term viability of the county's economy.
Businesses wishing to locate high-quality long-term jobs in our county have already begun to question what we are going to do about the "crisis." Without concrete answers, we might lose the economic momentum that has made Douglas County one of the most successful counties in the United States.
Except in certain limited areas of our county, we do not have an immediate water crisis. Yes, there are areas where shallow wells are failing. And, yes, we must find solutions to providing our county with a long-term source of renewable water.
For four generations, my family has been involved in Colorado agriculture and business. I have served as a board member of Club 20, a coalition of Western Slope business and political leaders. I maintain our family ranch in Douglas County, and spent many years in Summit County. In all of these areas, reliable and permanent water supplies have been vital.
Because of my varied experiences, I understand the western slope fear of substantial new water diversions. I have also witnessed the ability of extremists, operating under the veil of environmental protection, to block for decades the planning and construction of water collection and storage projects. And as a state representative from Douglas County, I understand that there are no simple solutions to solve our State's water problems.
What makes a good water solution? Just like the solution to any complex problem, the solution must recognize and accommodate competing needs.
Our water system should first develop substantial storage for the long-term, which will allow us to capture and store our limited water supplies in wet years, for use in dry periods. Where possible, the storage should be in shallow underground alluvial deposits, so that our stored water is not lost annually to evaporation.
Our system will need to recognize the very real fear of the Western Slope community leaders regarding significant additional water diversions.
We will need to coordinate with agricultural interests, so that the work done on behalf of our county water needs can also benefit farmers and ranchers who provide a significant portion of our state's economic base.
Our system should be planned to provide renewable water to our county within the next three to five years, not the 20, 30 or more years required for large trans-basin projects.
A successful system will allow us to recapture and reuse the water we have already developed, to minimize the impact on our Denver basin aquifers, and to reduce the need for expensive diversions from the Western Slope.
The water system must be able to pay for itself. It must be scalable, so that development can pay its way. It must recognize that various areas of the county have differing needs and not try to fit the entire county into a "one size fits all" solution.
The system must be independent, so that Douglas County can define its own future without being held hostage by other water providers that have an agenda to limit our future opportunities.
And a successful water solution must be flexible so our county can take advantage of any new opportunities that might become available, including cooperative agreements with other communities that are mutually beneficial.
As a county, we have taken meaningful steps in defining our destiny by forming the Douglas County Water Resource Authority, which has spent 12 years and approximately $850,000 developing a solution for Douglas County's long-term water needs.
In recent years, the authority joined with the South Metro Study Board and that Board has spent approximately $1,250,000 toward this effort.
Unless we define our destiny, and define it soon, Douglas County will be used as a political football by candidates around the state who wish to use "water solutions" to advance their personal political ambitions. The likely Democratic candidate for governor in 2006 has already offered us a "solution" to our needs - one that might embroil us in Denver water politics and Western Slope battles.
We have recently been offered an additional solution, one that does not foreclose our options, but provides water within three to five years. The Farmers' Reservoir and Irrigation Company in Brighton has spent 20 years developing and obtaining approvals for a plan that would allow Barr Lake, near Brighton, and Milton Lake, about 15 miles north of Brighton, together with the underground aquifers between the two lakes, known as Bebe Draw, to be used as subsurface storage facilities.
In conjunction with the United Water and Sanitation District, more than 3,000 acre feet annually of renewable water was recently sold from the irrigation company/United system for delivery to the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District in Douglas County with a commitment to annually deliver an additional 2,500 acre feet of renewable water. This is enough renewable water to meet the needs of more 40,000 residents of the district.
The district negotiated this purchase in less than 18 months. Agricultural users support the irrigation company/United system. At the most recent meeting of the irrigation company shareholders - most of whom are farmers - the deal was unanimously approved by all shareholders. Why? Because the system will result in much needed capital for agricultural system improvements, which will allow the farmers to enjoy more reliable and more valuable water rights.
The farmers irrigation company and United have also developed both surface water storage and shallow underground storage facilities. The shallow underground storage facilities are 50-100 feet underground. Our underground storage in Douglas County has often been from 1,000 to 1,800 feet deep. Shallow pumping is more efficient and far less costly than pumping from deep aquifers.
To deliver the water to the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District, a pipeline and treatment system are being designed to run from Barr Lake in Brighton to the district's water storage facilities at Smoky Hill Road and E-470. From there, a large pipeline leading west to University and E-470 has already been constructed.
What should we do now?
1. We need to pay for the enlargement of the pipeline from Barr Lake so additional water resources can be made available to Douglas County. The East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District already is planning the location and size of the water line to deliver drinking water to its residents by May 2006. If we want to "oversize" to provide for the needs of other Douglas County residents, we must make the decision soon.
The immediate investment in oversizing is modest by water infrastructure standards. But it can provide Douglas County with access to tens of thousands of acre-feet of renewable water. This water will not run out in 10, 20 or 100 years. It is the permanent, renewable water we have been seeking for decades.
2. The Douglas County commissioners need to take the lead on paying for the $20 million to $35 million cost of over sizing the lines, the cost can be recovered by those water districts in the county and adjoining counties, which wish to use the line for delivery of water; or it can come from development impact fees. If the political leaders of the various Douglas County water districts choose to pay the over sizing, they can recover the costs of the oversizing from development fees or use charges in their districts.
3. The Douglas County Water Resource Authority needs to begin immediate negotiations to acquire and expand underground storage in the Beebe Draw, which is an underground alluvial storage bed made up of the ancient, original beds of the South Platte River s east of the river's existing location and north of Brighton. The farmers/United system already connects with the limited storage in Beebe Draw, and we should work to create a permanent underground water-storage facility in the Beebe Draw.
The Beebe Draw has a potential storage capacity, which might prove to be equivalent to the proposed annual yield of the ill-fated Two Forks Dam without the environmental issues associated with placing a dam on a live river. This plan could result in up to approximately 100,000 acre feet of water storage for the Front Range. This is clearly the most environmentally sound solution for the Front Range water storage problems.
Additionally, substantial storage exists beneath the 70 range east of Greeley. The 70 Ranch might have storage in excess of 50,000 acre feet. This storage might be used to capture water on the lower south Platte River for exchange back to Barr Lake.
We need to recycle the water we already have. Some of the water districts in Douglas County have, or will have, thousands of acre-feet of "return" water from lawn watering and wastewater treatment that can be captured and brought back for our use.
The value of the water flowing downstream from our county has a market value today in excess of the cost of oversizing. And much of this "return" water is ours ... already paid for and available for reuse.
This plan can allow for additional water resources to be added to our County supply, as the demand requires. The plan is scalable, and can grow as we need it to. But we must act soon. The planning by East Cherry Creek to deliver water from the farmers/United project is underway, and pipe-sizing decisions will be made in the coming months. If we delay, we will need to finance a parallel pipe, at several times the cost of simple oversizing.
I would challenge my fellow elected officials to come together now and provide direction to staff to ensure that we do not miss out on this opportunity for supplying a substantial part of our long-term renewable water needs in a specific, environmentally sound and, finally, feasible plan not paid for at tax payer expense.
Tom Wiens is the representative for Colorado House District 45.
Businesses wishing to locate high-quality long-term jobs in our county have already begun to question what we are going to do about the "crisis." Without concrete answers, we might lose the economic momentum that has made Douglas County one of the most successful counties in the United States.
Except in certain limited areas of our county, we do not have an immediate water crisis. Yes, there are areas where shallow wells are failing. And, yes, we must find solutions to providing our county with a long-term source of renewable water.
For four generations, my family has been involved in Colorado agriculture and business. I have served as a board member of Club 20, a coalition of Western Slope business and political leaders. I maintain our family ranch in Douglas County, and spent many years in Summit County. In all of these areas, reliable and permanent water supplies have been vital.
Because of my varied experiences, I understand the western slope fear of substantial new water diversions. I have also witnessed the ability of extremists, operating under the veil of environmental protection, to block for decades the planning and construction of water collection and storage projects. And as a state representative from Douglas County, I understand that there are no simple solutions to solve our State's water problems.
What makes a good water solution? Just like the solution to any complex problem, the solution must recognize and accommodate competing needs.
Our water system should first develop substantial storage for the long-term, which will allow us to capture and store our limited water supplies in wet years, for use in dry periods. Where possible, the storage should be in shallow underground alluvial deposits, so that our stored water is not lost annually to evaporation.
Our system will need to recognize the very real fear of the Western Slope community leaders regarding significant additional water diversions.
We will need to coordinate with agricultural interests, so that the work done on behalf of our county water needs can also benefit farmers and ranchers who provide a significant portion of our state's economic base.
Our system should be planned to provide renewable water to our county within the next three to five years, not the 20, 30 or more years required for large trans-basin projects.
A successful system will allow us to recapture and reuse the water we have already developed, to minimize the impact on our Denver basin aquifers, and to reduce the need for expensive diversions from the Western Slope.
The water system must be able to pay for itself. It must be scalable, so that development can pay its way. It must recognize that various areas of the county have differing needs and not try to fit the entire county into a "one size fits all" solution.
The system must be independent, so that Douglas County can define its own future without being held hostage by other water providers that have an agenda to limit our future opportunities.
And a successful water solution must be flexible so our county can take advantage of any new opportunities that might become available, including cooperative agreements with other communities that are mutually beneficial.
As a county, we have taken meaningful steps in defining our destiny by forming the Douglas County Water Resource Authority, which has spent 12 years and approximately $850,000 developing a solution for Douglas County's long-term water needs.
In recent years, the authority joined with the South Metro Study Board and that Board has spent approximately $1,250,000 toward this effort.
Unless we define our destiny, and define it soon, Douglas County will be used as a political football by candidates around the state who wish to use "water solutions" to advance their personal political ambitions. The likely Democratic candidate for governor in 2006 has already offered us a "solution" to our needs - one that might embroil us in Denver water politics and Western Slope battles.
We have recently been offered an additional solution, one that does not foreclose our options, but provides water within three to five years. The Farmers' Reservoir and Irrigation Company in Brighton has spent 20 years developing and obtaining approvals for a plan that would allow Barr Lake, near Brighton, and Milton Lake, about 15 miles north of Brighton, together with the underground aquifers between the two lakes, known as Bebe Draw, to be used as subsurface storage facilities.
In conjunction with the United Water and Sanitation District, more than 3,000 acre feet annually of renewable water was recently sold from the irrigation company/United system for delivery to the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District in Douglas County with a commitment to annually deliver an additional 2,500 acre feet of renewable water. This is enough renewable water to meet the needs of more 40,000 residents of the district.
The district negotiated this purchase in less than 18 months. Agricultural users support the irrigation company/United system. At the most recent meeting of the irrigation company shareholders - most of whom are farmers - the deal was unanimously approved by all shareholders. Why? Because the system will result in much needed capital for agricultural system improvements, which will allow the farmers to enjoy more reliable and more valuable water rights.
The farmers irrigation company and United have also developed both surface water storage and shallow underground storage facilities. The shallow underground storage facilities are 50-100 feet underground. Our underground storage in Douglas County has often been from 1,000 to 1,800 feet deep. Shallow pumping is more efficient and far less costly than pumping from deep aquifers.
To deliver the water to the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District, a pipeline and treatment system are being designed to run from Barr Lake in Brighton to the district's water storage facilities at Smoky Hill Road and E-470. From there, a large pipeline leading west to University and E-470 has already been constructed.
What should we do now?
1. We need to pay for the enlargement of the pipeline from Barr Lake so additional water resources can be made available to Douglas County. The East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District already is planning the location and size of the water line to deliver drinking water to its residents by May 2006. If we want to "oversize" to provide for the needs of other Douglas County residents, we must make the decision soon.
The immediate investment in oversizing is modest by water infrastructure standards. But it can provide Douglas County with access to tens of thousands of acre-feet of renewable water. This water will not run out in 10, 20 or 100 years. It is the permanent, renewable water we have been seeking for decades.
2. The Douglas County commissioners need to take the lead on paying for the $20 million to $35 million cost of over sizing the lines, the cost can be recovered by those water districts in the county and adjoining counties, which wish to use the line for delivery of water; or it can come from development impact fees. If the political leaders of the various Douglas County water districts choose to pay the over sizing, they can recover the costs of the oversizing from development fees or use charges in their districts.
3. The Douglas County Water Resource Authority needs to begin immediate negotiations to acquire and expand underground storage in the Beebe Draw, which is an underground alluvial storage bed made up of the ancient, original beds of the South Platte River s east of the river's existing location and north of Brighton. The farmers/United system already connects with the limited storage in Beebe Draw, and we should work to create a permanent underground water-storage facility in the Beebe Draw.
The Beebe Draw has a potential storage capacity, which might prove to be equivalent to the proposed annual yield of the ill-fated Two Forks Dam without the environmental issues associated with placing a dam on a live river. This plan could result in up to approximately 100,000 acre feet of water storage for the Front Range. This is clearly the most environmentally sound solution for the Front Range water storage problems.
Additionally, substantial storage exists beneath the 70 range east of Greeley. The 70 Ranch might have storage in excess of 50,000 acre feet. This storage might be used to capture water on the lower south Platte River for exchange back to Barr Lake.
We need to recycle the water we already have. Some of the water districts in Douglas County have, or will have, thousands of acre-feet of "return" water from lawn watering and wastewater treatment that can be captured and brought back for our use.
The value of the water flowing downstream from our county has a market value today in excess of the cost of oversizing. And much of this "return" water is ours ... already paid for and available for reuse.
This plan can allow for additional water resources to be added to our County supply, as the demand requires. The plan is scalable, and can grow as we need it to. But we must act soon. The planning by East Cherry Creek to deliver water from the farmers/United project is underway, and pipe-sizing decisions will be made in the coming months. If we delay, we will need to finance a parallel pipe, at several times the cost of simple oversizing.
I would challenge my fellow elected officials to come together now and provide direction to staff to ensure that we do not miss out on this opportunity for supplying a substantial part of our long-term renewable water needs in a specific, environmentally sound and, finally, feasible plan not paid for at tax payer expense.
Tom Wiens is the representative for Colorado House District 45.
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. |
