WSP13021 ‎(2)‎

• File Number: 8430.500
• Description: Denver Water
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 1/16/2004
• Author: USDOI?BOR
• Title: City of Denver's Water Use of Colorado River Water - Water Year 2003
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Data

Ms.. Maryanne C. Bach
December 30, 2003
Page 4

Water's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The IRP process calls for updates of the plan
every five years. The IRP was revised and updated in 2002.

Water Recycling Project. In 2003, Denver spent approximately $50 million on construction
of its Water Recycling Plant and its water distribution system. The plant is slated to begin
operation in February 2004. The plant will divert effluent from the Metro Wastewater
Reclamation District wastewater treatment plant and further treat the effluent so it can be
delivered for irrigation and industrial uses. Plans call for construction in multiple phases.
Upon completion the plant will serve over 17,000 acre-feet per year at a maximum rate of
45 million gallons per day making it the largest reuse plant in the Rocky Mountain region.
Recycling water for non-potable uses will enhance Denver's successive use of Colorado
River water. Denver has contracted to deliver over 9,000 acre-feet of water from the
recycling plant. Xcel Energy has committed to 5,200 acre-feet for process and cooling
water at the Cherokee Power Plant. Also, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal has committed to
use about 1,200 acre-feet of recycled water and Denver International Airport will use
about 900 acre-feet per year. The remaining commitments are from irrigation and various
other municipal users.

Work continued in 2003 to secure decrees for Water Court applications that were filed in
Water Division No.1 in 2001 for water rights associated with the Water Recycling Project.
The water rights applied for include exchange and substitution rights, direct flow rights
and storage rights. The storage rights are for former gravel pits that are being converted
to storage facilities. Water released from these storage facilities will be used to replace
stream depletions when the quantity of Denver's reusable effluent is inadequate to meet
the Recycling Project's demands. Denver expects to obtain decrees for the requested.
water rights within five years. In the meantime, Denver Water can operate the Recycling
Plant under the State Engineer's exchange authority. Denver has met with representatives
from the State Engineer's Office about operating under their authority and plans to obtain
formal permission prior to operating the plant.

System Refinements
Lawn Irrigation Return Flow. In 2003, Denver completed its fourth year of a study to
quantify the amount of reusable return flows from irrigation of lawns within its service
area. Most of the necessary hydro-geologic data has now been collected and is being
incorporated into GIS mapping of Denver's service area. The irrigated areas of 3,000
randomly selected homes and over 1,100 parks and schools have been measured, a
necessary step in determining deep percolation of irrigation water. Over $1.1 million has
been expended of the $2 million budgeted for the completed analysis, due at the end of
2004. Denver Water expects to file an application with the Water Court in early 2004 and
that a number of years beyond 2004 will be needed to negotiate a water court decree with
other water users permitting the legal use of these return flows. Once quantified and
decreed, the return flows will be an additional amount of reusable water available for
successive use such as exchange or delivery to its raw water facilities or for delivery to
other non-potable uses in the metro area.