C150032 El Paso Water Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . I' Platte River Basin, (e) the Big Straw Project, which envisions a pump back ~ystem from the Colorado/Utah State Line, and (t) development of additional water supplies hi the designated I basins of Colorado. ! 1 Optimally, the best situation for County water providers would be to dereloP sufficient renewable water supplies to serve all of its customers and maintain the non-renewable water supplies of the Denver Basin as emergency water supplies in time of drought, slince the Denver I Basin aquifers' water supply availability is not subject to short-term variabilities in the hydrologic cycle. However, given the difficulty of developing new, renewable tater resources, this is an unlikely scenario to develop at any time in the near future.. I , I I I Current County Water Supply Standards i The County currently has water supply standards that seek to provide a "suffi~ient quantity to meet the average annual demand of the proposed subdivision for a period of three hundred (300) years." Purportedly, it was the intent of these regulations to allow mimJal development of Denver Basin aquifer water to generate sufficient revenue to allow devel6pments to then pursue the purchase of renewable water supplies as the ultimate water ~upply for that subdivision and/or to encourage annexation of developments that would 6therwise be in unincorporated areas. Therefore, the 300-Year Rule, as adopted, has two bas!ic premises, (a) that Denver Basin aquifer water can provide an interim water supply (for up! to 300 years if I I necessary), and that (b) revenues generated from the development of land bflsed on Denver Basin ground water would fund the ultimate purchase of renewable: water sup~lies as the long- term water supply solution. I I I It is difficult to assure that Denver Basin aquifer water can provide a 300-yeir water supply, I since ground water is continually moving into, and out of, any spedfic piece of property based I on hydraulic gradients within the aquifer. Most areas within the Denver Basin are susceptible I to greater outflow than inflow in the underlying aquifers, therefore, the volume of water in I storage can be reduced regardless of the use of Denver Basin water on the !property. It has been estimated that approximately 3 percent of the water supply beneath thei County will be lost over the 300-year period just by virtue of water moving out of storage from beneath the 1 County. : 1 I I I The concept that developments could be initiated with Denver Basin aquifer w*er and generate sufficient revenues to purchase renewable water as a long-term water supply s:olution does not I acknowledge the complex political, environmental, and water availability issues associated with I E-7