C150069 Benefits & Potential Roles Report

• Contract/PO #: C150069
• Contractor Name: Colorado State University
• Contract Type: MOU
• Water District: 0
• Loan Projects - Doc Type: Report

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This study- is cmK...rned with importanl innovations in pr...ssuri/...d sl'condary (non-polabl...) wat...r
manag...m...nt S...condary waler rnanagl'm...nl is on... sid... uf"dualu wat...r syst...ms. th... oth...r sitl... th:-ing
con.......ntional putahl... \\at...r supply, Th...r... ar... four k...y policy is~;u...s underlying lh... study (Figure 1), The
lirst involves finding way's to heller address wal\'r supply n......ds 10 rc!'idential IN'r.; in both incorporat...d
and unincorporated parts of rapidly urhani/ing ar...as in Colorado. Th... sel'ond key issue. by way of
modcrni7ing traditional mutual ditch and irrigation companies and irrigalion districts. conc...rns improving
wat\'r right use in irrigated agriculture. The third issue concerns the impact of grmvth un mutual ditch and
irrigation companies and irrigation districts. and possib]... adaptive adjustments these traditioll<ll
agricultural water supplit:rs might make in localities whl.'re urbani/ati(ln is sprl.'ading quickly onlO
irrigat...d cropland. Thl.' fourth key issu... has to do with drought mitigation. and 110\\ nl.'w innovative w.es
ofnati....e wat...r rights can improve waler IIse cffkienci...s. The- central innovation in w;lter managellll'nt
that brings al] of Iht:sC' ke) issues tog...th...r is th... concept of dual sy!>t\'lllS.

Figur... I - Four Key Issues Addressed by Ih\' Slud)

Regarding the tirst issue. in
Coloradllth...r\' is reason to h...li...\'l:
that w... ar... tr...ating more \\ah:r tn a
potabl... I...vel than w... n......d 10 lr...;ll.
The us... of pUlable water for outdoor
landscape us... may well ha...'''' major
\'collolllic in...nici...nci...s associat...d
\\ ith it for the n:gion. I(Jr th... watc-r
supplier. and to thl' ...nd us...r, Many
small communitic-s ar... looking to
...nsur... futur... waler treallllenlthrough
r...vers... osmosis, an on...1l e\pcnsi......
and bigh maintenance option for rural
communiti...s. For many of thes...
communiti...... ther... appear to lx'
ample \\ays ({l sub!oltitllt"'llnlr\'ated,
non-potable water for Irealed potahle
water currenlly bC'ing appli...d to resid\'ntia]. puhlic and comm...rciallandscap...s. -, his may h...
accomplished in such a way as to h...lp r...duc... th... cosl of waler to both urban and rural resid...ntial wal...r
users. while at the same lime bcneliling agricultural water dclive-ry S)'Sll'IllS and r\'ducing drought risk I()r
both agriculturl' and cilies in the process, This ]alt\'r is accmnplished hy way of traditional agril'ultural
water suppliers lx'wllling more- invo]wd in providing pr...ssuri/...d non-potahl... water 10 r...sidelltial ar...as.

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Regarding th\' second issu.... that of imprm ing agricultural wal...r d...liveries Ihroughout Ihe state.
the e\p.lI1sion of pressuriled raw water supplies for landscllpe us... appears to play inlo th... improved
capabilities of canal companies and irrigation districts in a vl'ry positive way, Potential r"'Wllll\' accruing
10 Ihese traditional agricuhural \\atl'r suppliers by way of providing pr\'ssuriz...d irrigation wat...r to
re-sidential properti...s inth...ir s...n.'ic\' ar...as could he us...d 10 partially tinance (Jr ...ncouragl.' pr...ssuri/;ltion
and other impro\...m\'nts to agricultural .....ater dcliwri...s allhl.' saflll.' lim.... A potential redm'tioll in anllual