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<br />conservation through reuse of discharge water and the installation of new technology and <br /> <br />infrastructure enhancements. <br /> <br />P ART II - Project Description <br /> <br />The Upper Black Squirrel designated groundwater basin is experiencing a significant <br /> <br />increase in water demand. The Ripetouch Greenhouse Inc. is constructing a 20-acre growing <br /> <br />facility which will produce eleven million pounds of tomatoes annually. The State Engineer <br /> <br />issued the necessary water permits and the State Department of Health and the Environment <br /> <br />granted an air quality permit contingent upon start-up testing results. The El Paso County <br /> <br />Commissioners unanimously approved the initial phases of project construction. <br /> <br />The heat and electricity for the greenhouse will be produced by an on-site co-generation <br /> <br />plant. The co-generation process will utilize waste tires as the fuel source. There are presently <br /> <br />700,000 tires stored on the construction site. Although there are environmental benefits derived <br /> <br />from waste tire consumption, there are concerns about the quantity of water used by the facility. <br /> <br />Ripetouch Greenhouses, Inc. has received a permit allocation of 200,000 gallons per day from <br /> <br />the Upper Black Squirrel groundwater basin. The greenhouse will use water in both the <br /> <br />co-generation combustion process and irrigation of crops. This project will likely be the largest <br /> <br />water extraction source in the basin, since the Town of Calhan has a smaller permit allocation. <br /> <br />. <br />In an effort to mitigate the impact of increased demand on the groundwater basin, the <br /> <br />Town ofCalhan is proposing to provide an alternative water source for the greenhouse facility. <br /> <br />The Calhan wastewater facility discharges approximately 63,000 gallons of chemically and <br /> <br />organically treated water each day. The water is of sufficient quality to be reused for irrigation. <br /> <br />The water is presently discharged into an open field and lost through evaporation and absorption. <br /> <br />The Town proposes to provide this water to the Ripetouch Greenhouse to reduce the quantity of <br />