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Ditch water can also be used f or non-potable uses, which to date include seasonal
<br />outdoor watering in municipal parks and selected commercial properties. The City
<br />is preparing to increase the use of non-potable ditch water to reduce future
<br />augmentation requirements and operational needs of the groundwater treatment
<br />facilities described below.
<br />The two water treatment plants that the City of Brighton operates (the reverse
<br />osmosis (RO) plant and the green sand f filter plant) both have a component of water
<br />use related to the treatment process. At the reverse osmosis plant, the RO filters
<br />produce brine water that contains the concentrated salts and minerals that are
<br />removed f rom the raw source water. This brine water is accumulated and disposed
<br />via pipeline to the South Platte River. The green sand filter plant requires frequent
<br />filter backwashes that produce a wastewater that is discharged to the local
<br />wastewater treatment plant f or discharge back to the South Platte. These two water
<br />volumes combine to be about 10 % of total groundwater production. In other words,
<br />the water treatment plants must be operated at 95 % of capacity to meet 85 % of total
<br />peak demand. Using non-potable water for outdoor irrigation purposes will help
<br />reduce the demand on treated water, and therefore reduce the amount of treated
<br />water brine and backwash water pumped to waste.
<br />Another loss of water exists as unaccounted for water -that is water that is not sold
<br />but is processed through the two water treatment plants, but is lost due to
<br />transmission and/ or distribution leaks and inefficiencies, flushing flow water
<br />pumped to waste, etc. Area water providers in the Front Range have unaccounted
<br />for water that ranges from about 7 to 15 percent. The City has been able to keep it's
<br />unaccounted for water at about 7.45 % of annual water billings, or at about 130,000
<br />thousand gallons in 2006. Ongoing leak detection and meter replacement programs
<br />help to keep unaccounted for water minimized.
<br />Past water delivery to the City's different customer types is provided in the table
<br />below.
<br />Table 2 -Summary of Water Delivery by Customer Type 2002-2006 (in 1,000 gallons)
<br />Year Residential Commercial Irrigation Municipal Other Total Non- Other Total
<br />Treated Potable Non- Non-
<br />Water Municipal Potable Potable
<br />Deliveries Water
<br />Deliveries
<br />2002 811,707 286,573 45,816 257,954 300 1,402,350 9,200 455 9,655
<br />2003 698,380 314,891 31,945 181,222 296 1,226,734 11,937 1,193 13,130
<br />2004 775,811 376,252 57,413 189,002 540 1,399,018 119,516 1,206 120,722
<br />2005 842,382 422,103 73,843 95,202 740 1,434,270 106,021 1,607 107,628
<br />2006 963,456 470,666 104,001 115,669 384 1,654,176 105,647 2,304 107,951
<br /> * other water use includes small business development delivered outside of City limits
<br />City of Brighton Water Conservation Plan 4
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