Colorado'w Water Supply Future Handout

• Board Meeting Date: 7/20/2010
• Description: Colorado's Water Supply Future
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Presentation

Overview of New Supply Development and
Agricultural Transfer Concepts
The basic attributes of each of the concepts shown on
Figure 1 are presented in Table 1 below. For each concept,
the table describes the water source, conveyance and
storage, and water quality and treatment considerations.
For the Lower South and Lower Arkansas concepts, the
cost of water rights will likely decrease the further
downstream the diversion is from urban areas; however,
conveyance and treatment costs will increase accordingly.
For the Flaming Gorge and Blue Mesa concepts, water
supply would be acquired through the Bureau of
Reclamation marketable pool for each reservoir. For the
other new supply development concepts the water supply
would be a new acquisition. For both the Lower South
Platte and Lower Arkansas concepts, reverse osmosis or
advance water treatment would be required due to source
water quality. The new supply development concepts would
not require advanced water treatment.
TABLE 1. NEW SUPPLY DEVELOPMENT AND AGRICULTURAL TRANSFER CONCEPT ATTRIBUTES
Concept Water Source/ Water Rights Conveyance and Storage Water Quality and
Treatment Costs
Lower South Platte
• South Platte agricultural
• 36 to 84 mile pipeline with
• RO or advanced water treatment
rights
static pumping requirement of
will be required
700 to 1,300 feet
• Firming storage required
Lower Arkansas
• Arkansas agricultural rights
• 96 to 133 mile pipeline with
• RO or advanced water treatment
static pumping requirement of
will be required
3,100 to 3,600 feet
• Firming storage required
Green Mountain
• Blue River water in the
• 22 mile pipeline with static
• Conventional treatment
Colorado River basin as
pumping requirement of
technology
well as new South Platte
1,100 feet
water rights
• Firming storage required
Yampa
• New water rights
• 250 mile pipeline with static
• Conventional treatment
appropriation
pumping requirement of
technology
5,000 feet
• Firming storage required
Flaming Gorge
• Contract with BOR for
• 357 to 442 mile pipeline with
• Conventional treatment
water from the Flaming
static pumping requirements
technology
Gorge marketable pool
of 1,400 to 3,100 feet
• Firming storage required
Blue Mesa Reservoir
• Contract with BOR for
• 81 mile pipeline with static
• Conventional treatment
water from the Aspinall
pumping requirement of
technology
marketable pool
3,400 feet
• Firming storage required