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0 <br />0 <br />water from this spring foryears, relates Greer, either due to poor water quality or because wells came up dry. Although for legal reasons Marvel Springs water is <br />labeled "non- potable," residents can use the water as they wish. According to Greer, demands on the well increased dramatically during the drought of 2002. <br />also reduced the amount of irrigation <br />water applied by local farmers and ranch- <br />ers. Farmers converting to sprinkler irri- <br />gation systems also sharply decrease their <br />returns flows to ground water, a mixed <br />water efficiency blessing. In addition, <br />county records show the number of wells <br />in the area has doubled between 1980 <br />and 2000, indicating the extent of the <br />growth - related strain on the aquifers. <br />Over time, local residents also began <br />to notice their well capacities were chang- <br />ing. Soon, many families could not run <br />their dishwashers and clothes washers on <br />the same day. Lawn sprinklers would slow <br />to a trickle after a few hours. Then the <br />drought year of 2002 really helped drive <br />the message home —their ground water <br />supplies were pumped unsustainably. <br />In the spring of 2003, a group of con- <br />cerned citizens came together to form the <br />La Plata- Archuleta Water Task Force. Not <br />long after, they proposed the creation of <br />a new La Plata- Archuleta Water District, <br />charged with providing a reliable source <br />of adequate quantity and good quality <br />water to the area. <br />"We can't afford to do business as <br />usual," says Dick Lunceford, president <br />of the Task Force. "We're at the point of <br />diminishing returns as more and more <br />residents tap into declining resources." <br />Their plan is to construct about 370 <br />miles of pipeline along every county road, <br />state and federal highway, as well as <br />one or more water treatment facilities. <br />Primarily funded by property taxes, the <br />proposed system would cost an estimated <br />$65 million. Potential sources of water to <br />supply the system include water stored in <br />Vallecito Reservoir and owned by the Pine <br />River Irrigation District. Pine River would <br />then lease this water to the new district. <br />It is anticipated that the Task Force <br />will be putting their proposal before local <br />voters in upcoming elections. Hopes are <br />high for the district's success. "Many peo- <br />ple have been working on this [district <br />proposal and pipeline system] for a long <br />time," says Lunceford. "They're 110 per- <br />HEADWATERS - FALL 2004 <br />cent committed to success. We have to do <br />it. If we don't build this system, it could <br />easily have long -term economic impacts <br />in the region." <br />... <br />Many people consider adequate good <br />quality drinking water a basic human <br />right. How much more precious it seems <br />when the well goes dry and you suddenly <br />have to haul all your water from miles <br />away. It may surprise some to find out <br />that these sorts of concerns are very real <br />to many people right here in southwestern <br />Colorado. But the domestic water supply <br />problems of La Plata County are not <br />unique. Other areas of the state, and the <br />and West, have similar concerns brewing. <br />Solutions will vary, but in the end, these <br />challenges will no doubt influence our <br />definitions of sustainability, and how we <br />interpret "adequate supplies." ❑ <br />M <br />