Correspondences Concerning City of Denver's Use of Colorado River Water (2002)

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Ms. Maryanne C. Bach 12/30/99 Page 4 mgd nonpotable reuse plant that would receive effluent from the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District plant and further treat the effluent so it can be delivered for irrigation and industrial uses. 'Denver plans to construct the project in two phases, with the second phase bringing the total amount of water served to about 15,300 acre -feet per year. A pre - design study to define the plant size and processes, distribution system layout, customer demands, and quality requirements will be completed in January 2000. Final design will begin in March 2000. Construction is slated to begin in mid -2001. The first phase of operations is scheduled to begin in 2003. Denver has already made agreements for delivery of over 8,000 acre -feet of nonpotable reuse water with future users. Public Service Company of Colorado has committed to 5,200 acre -feet of this total for use at their Cherokee Power Plant. Also, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal plans to use about 1,200 acre -feet of reuse water and DIA's Central Plant will use about 260 acre -feet. The remaining commitments are from irrigation users. System Refinements Park Conversions. Within the system refinement category of the Denver Water's near term supply strategy is the conversion of parks and open spaces currently irrigated with treated water to raw water supplies. Reusable return flow, which would be mainly those from the Colorado River, can be used to replace existing demands at those areas that are feasible conversion candidates. In 1999, Denver Water chose to convert the City and County of Denver's Willis Case Golf Course to a raw water source for irrigation. This project will largely be implemented with money available to Denver Water from the City and County of Denver as a result of Denver Water's purchase of the Moffat Tunnel in 1997. The project is slated for completion by the end of 2003. Anticipated annual use of reusable return flow is about 280 acre -feet. A second project involving a pump station within the metro reach of the South Platte to deliver irrigation water to several parks is being investigated for feasibility. This project could make use of about 2000 acre -feet per year of reusable return flow: In 1997, Denver Water entered into an agreement with the Denver Parks and Recreation Department (Parks) for the purpose of providing incentive payments to Parks for converting irrigated areas from treated water to raw water sources. Under the agreement, Denver Water pays Parks $1000 for every acre -foot of treated water saved and replaced with a raw water supply paid for by Parks. To the extent Denver Water's reusable return flows are used as a source of replacement water for these projects, successive use of Colorado River water is increased. As part of previously completed raw water irrigation projects, Denver continues to pursue water rights on Cherry Creek within the City and County of Denver to irrigate three areas along the creek with raw water provided by alluvial wells. These water rights are being sought in Case Nos. 89CW198, 93CW033, and 93CW110, Water Division 1. Reusable return flows will be the replacement water for these wells.