C150032 El Paso Water Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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. 'I . . In addition to the historic irrigation rights which have been developed (mostly on Fountain and Monument Creeks), there is a major trans-basin diversion projeclt, the Frying Pan-Arkansas . I Project (Fry/Ark), which provides water for Southern EI Paso County Water Pt;oviders. I 1 I I The use of alluvial water can be enhanced with surface storage capability. fhere are some existing surface water storage structures currently available to EPCW A m~mbers, such as I Bristlecone Reservoir, Pinon Reservoir, W oodmoor Reservoir, and Monument Lake, which I could be used to regulate direct flow rights with surplus storage capacity. II). addition, CSU 1 operates several reservoirs with significant storage capacity. I I I , I The ability to develop additional surface water resources within the County IS mostly tied to the development of historic water rights for municipal use, with the regulatioh of these water , supplies through surface storage projects. ' Water Supply Shortfalls and/or Limitations There are two distinct types of water suppliers in the County, the Northern Water Providers, I which rely on the non-renewable resources of the Denver Basin aquifers, and the Southern Water Providers, which rely on renewable water resources associated ~ith trans-basin diversions and water associated with Fountain Creek and the Widefield aquifer.l I I I It is estimated that there is approximately 66,000,000 ac-ft of recoverable i water from the Denver Basin aquifers beneath the County, which would indicate a surplus of Water. However, there are potentially significant water supply availability limitations. In the nea~ term, this may I be associated with providing peak day demands while, in the longer term, the fssue may be the ability just to meet average annual demands. Ways to address this issue include water re-use, I water conservation, development of satellite well fields, regionalization Of water supply I systems, and/or development of new, renewable water supplies. : 1 1 I I The Southern Water Providers currently rely entirely on renewable water resources, either I I local water supplies from the Fountain Creek system or trans-basin supplies from the Fry/Ark Project. Both water supplies are renewable in nature, with the Fry/Ark wate~ also having the additional benefit of being fully consumable, since it is trans-basin water. W~en the estimated annual water demands at year 2020 are compared to the available water suppli~s, there appears I to be adequate water to meet year 2020 demands for the Southern 'Vater Providers. E-3