Parker Chronicle > News
Water supply future brighter
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| Parker Water and Sanitation District Manager Frank Jaeger is flanked by longtime associates U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., left, and Parker water board president Sheppard Root as he holds up a plaque announcing that the 196-foot dam at Rueter-Hess Reservoir will be named in his honor. Photo by Chris Michlewicz |
Chris Michlewicz
A dream 25 years in the making is now a reality, and Douglas County’s once-tenuous future for water storage today looks a little brighter.
Public officials, water suppliers and residents gathered at the Rueter-Hess Reservoir construction site Sept. 5 to celebrate the formation of a partnership that will have major implications on the future of the local economy, housing prices and population.
The Parker Water and Sanitation District, which began planning the construction of Rueter-Hess Reservoir in 1983, joined forces with Castle Rock, Castle Pines North and Stonegate to store water for use in dry years and periods of high demand.
Parker water broke ground on a 16,000-acre-foot reservoir in 2004, but quickly sought to expand the project to 72,000-acre feet after officials realized the entire county could benefit from the capabilities of a larger reservoir, said Sheppard Root, president of the Parker water board of directors.
Construction was delayed while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviewed expansion designs, environmental impact studies and engineering concepts, but Parker received federal approval on a 404 permit in April and will recommence construction early next month.
“I’ve been so close to this project for so long, that it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept of just how big a deal this really is,” said Frank Jaeger, district manager for the Parker Water and Sanitation District since 1981.
Parker water borrowed $105 million from the Colorado Water Resource and Power Development Authority for the initial phase of construction, which included building gate structures to regulate the flow of water from the reservoir. The money is being paid back through existing water rates and tap fees from new residential and commercial developments that hook into the system. A 135-foot dam was also constructed, and will be raised another 61 feet during the second phase of the enlargement. The partners will cover the cost of the $56 million expansion.
Castle Rock purchased storage space for 8,000-acre feet of water at a price tag of $44 million, the Castle Pines North Metro District agreed to buy 1,500-acre feet in storage for $8.25 million, and the Stonegate Metro District bought 1,200-acre feet of space for $6.6 million.
“We put together a long-term renewable water plan, and storage is a big part of that,” said Mike Sjobakken, president of the Stonegate Metro District. “We have a plan going forward to move away from groundwater.”
All four entities now have the task of purchasing water from outside sources within Colorado and finding a way to pump it to Rueter-Hess Reservoir.
The Parker Water and Sanitation District built a diversion structure on Cherry Creek and is capturing water flows from Newlin Gulch where the reservoir is under construction, but has explored the eastern plains in search of additional water.
The district has been in talks with farmers in the Sterling area to purchase unused water from the South Platte River and is researching ways to get the water to Parker. There have been discussions about building a major pipeline, but nothing has been finalized.
The Stonegate Metro District, an entity that supplies 4,000 customers in Stonegate, Lincoln Park and the Compark business center, now uses water from the Denver Basin Aquifer, which experts say is quickly being depleted. Many water suppliers rely on nonreplenishable surface water and are searching for renewable sources.
A water shortage could spell disaster for the local economy, and it is encouraging that so many officials in Douglas County see the urgent need to plan for the future, Jaeger said.
“I really want people to understand just how important a project this is. Water storage on the Front Range of Colorado is going to be the key to economic development of all kinds,” he said. “It will mean holding on to our property values in an age and time when things are not looking all that good today, but they will in the long term.”
Rueter-Hess Reservoir, the first federally approved off-stream reservoir to be built in Colorado in more than two decades, could serve as many as 400,000 people in 50 years.
Castle Rock Mayor Randy Reed said during the Sept. 5 ceremony that Douglas County residents are part of a win-win situation made possible by the partnership. He cautioned that everyone is responsible for reducing water consumption.
“It’s not a matter of just getting water, it’s what we do with that water when we have it,” Reed said.
Bill Santos, chairman of the Castle Pines North Metro District Board of Directors, said he hopes the collaborative effort serves as a model for other water entities that are seeking to solve problems collectively.
Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, the keynote speaker at the ceremony, first learned about the Rueter-Hess project in 1990 when he was the head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.
He said Jaeger came in with maps and schematics, and had a clear vision for the impact of the reservoir. Jaeger repeatedly was commended for his tireless work on the project, and received two standing ovations during the celebration to break ground on the second phase of the reservoir. Salazar applauded the entities’ willingness to work together toward a common goal.
“What you’ve done here by bringing everybody together in this collaboration is something to be celebrated, it’s to be supported, it should be emulated,” Salazar said, adding that water is the “lifeblood of the west,” local municipalities and agriculture.
At the end of the ceremony, the Parker water district board announced it passed a resolution to name the dam at Rueter-Hess the Frank Jaeger Dam. Jaeger, a man known for his tough demeanor and matter-of-fact manner of speaking, became emotional upon hearing the news.
“Nobody would expect me to be speechless,” Jaeger said. “This has been a long uphill — I don’t want to call it a battle — effort. You get one thing done and then you move on to the next.”
Rueter-Hess Reservoir is expected to be complete in spring 2011. It will offer limited water recreation, open space and hiking trails on about 2,000 acres of land surrounding the body of water.
A dream 25 years in the making is now a reality, and Douglas County’s once-tenuous future for water storage today looks a little brighter.
Public officials, water suppliers and residents gathered at the Rueter-Hess Reservoir construction site Sept. 5 to celebrate the formation of a partnership that will have major implications on the future of the local economy, housing prices and population.
The Parker Water and Sanitation District, which began planning the construction of Rueter-Hess Reservoir in 1983, joined forces with Castle Rock, Castle Pines North and Stonegate to store water for use in dry years and periods of high demand.
Parker water broke ground on a 16,000-acre-foot reservoir in 2004, but quickly sought to expand the project to 72,000-acre feet after officials realized the entire county could benefit from the capabilities of a larger reservoir, said Sheppard Root, president of the Parker water board of directors.
Construction was delayed while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviewed expansion designs, environmental impact studies and engineering concepts, but Parker received federal approval on a 404 permit in April and will recommence construction early next month.
“I’ve been so close to this project for so long, that it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept of just how big a deal this really is,” said Frank Jaeger, district manager for the Parker Water and Sanitation District since 1981.
Parker water borrowed $105 million from the Colorado Water Resource and Power Development Authority for the initial phase of construction, which included building gate structures to regulate the flow of water from the reservoir. The money is being paid back through existing water rates and tap fees from new residential and commercial developments that hook into the system. A 135-foot dam was also constructed, and will be raised another 61 feet during the second phase of the enlargement. The partners will cover the cost of the $56 million expansion.
Castle Rock purchased storage space for 8,000-acre feet of water at a price tag of $44 million, the Castle Pines North Metro District agreed to buy 1,500-acre feet in storage for $8.25 million, and the Stonegate Metro District bought 1,200-acre feet of space for $6.6 million.
“We put together a long-term renewable water plan, and storage is a big part of that,” said Mike Sjobakken, president of the Stonegate Metro District. “We have a plan going forward to move away from groundwater.”
All four entities now have the task of purchasing water from outside sources within Colorado and finding a way to pump it to Rueter-Hess Reservoir.
The Parker Water and Sanitation District built a diversion structure on Cherry Creek and is capturing water flows from Newlin Gulch where the reservoir is under construction, but has explored the eastern plains in search of additional water.
The district has been in talks with farmers in the Sterling area to purchase unused water from the South Platte River and is researching ways to get the water to Parker. There have been discussions about building a major pipeline, but nothing has been finalized.
The Stonegate Metro District, an entity that supplies 4,000 customers in Stonegate, Lincoln Park and the Compark business center, now uses water from the Denver Basin Aquifer, which experts say is quickly being depleted. Many water suppliers rely on nonreplenishable surface water and are searching for renewable sources.
A water shortage could spell disaster for the local economy, and it is encouraging that so many officials in Douglas County see the urgent need to plan for the future, Jaeger said.
“I really want people to understand just how important a project this is. Water storage on the Front Range of Colorado is going to be the key to economic development of all kinds,” he said. “It will mean holding on to our property values in an age and time when things are not looking all that good today, but they will in the long term.”
Rueter-Hess Reservoir, the first federally approved off-stream reservoir to be built in Colorado in more than two decades, could serve as many as 400,000 people in 50 years.
Castle Rock Mayor Randy Reed said during the Sept. 5 ceremony that Douglas County residents are part of a win-win situation made possible by the partnership. He cautioned that everyone is responsible for reducing water consumption.
“It’s not a matter of just getting water, it’s what we do with that water when we have it,” Reed said.
Bill Santos, chairman of the Castle Pines North Metro District Board of Directors, said he hopes the collaborative effort serves as a model for other water entities that are seeking to solve problems collectively.
Colorado’s U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, the keynote speaker at the ceremony, first learned about the Rueter-Hess project in 1990 when he was the head of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.
He said Jaeger came in with maps and schematics, and had a clear vision for the impact of the reservoir. Jaeger repeatedly was commended for his tireless work on the project, and received two standing ovations during the celebration to break ground on the second phase of the reservoir. Salazar applauded the entities’ willingness to work together toward a common goal.
“What you’ve done here by bringing everybody together in this collaboration is something to be celebrated, it’s to be supported, it should be emulated,” Salazar said, adding that water is the “lifeblood of the west,” local municipalities and agriculture.
At the end of the ceremony, the Parker water district board announced it passed a resolution to name the dam at Rueter-Hess the Frank Jaeger Dam. Jaeger, a man known for his tough demeanor and matter-of-fact manner of speaking, became emotional upon hearing the news.
“Nobody would expect me to be speechless,” Jaeger said. “This has been a long uphill — I don’t want to call it a battle — effort. You get one thing done and then you move on to the next.”
Rueter-Hess Reservoir is expected to be complete in spring 2011. It will offer limited water recreation, open space and hiking trails on about 2,000 acres of land surrounding the body of water.
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