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PRID plans to utilize up to 2,000 acre-feet of the existing irrigation supply, approximately 1% to <br /> 2% of the average annual supply of the reservoir, for domestic water. The irrigators have agreed <br /> to provide the 2,000 acre-feet before receiving their supply, making the water 100% firm in all <br /> years. The funds from providing water the domestic water will provide a revenue stream for <br /> operation of Vallecito Reservoir and improvement of the ditch systems to maintain the efficient <br /> use of the irrigation water supplies. <br /> Public Health Concerns <br /> Many of the wells in the proposed service area yield water with substances such as selenium, <br /> arsenic, methane, and hydrogen sulfide at levels hazardous to human health. Others suffer from <br /> poor quality resulting from high dissolved solids. <br /> Studies of the ground water resources in this area have found selenium occurring at levels as <br /> much as 1,300 times the U.S.E.P.A. recommended limit. Selenium can be highly toxic with <br /> symptoms of poisoning that include nervousness, vomiting, loss of hair and fingernails, and <br /> hypertension. High selenium concentrations in water on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation <br /> have reportedly caused poisoning of humans. Parts of this reservation are included in the <br /> proposed service area. <br /> Studies have also found locally occurring levels of arsenic as much as 6 times the recommended <br /> limit. Arsenic is poisonous, does not break down, and can be fatal if ingested at high enough <br /> levels. It is carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic and can affect the central nervous system. <br /> Nitrate and nitrite-plus-nitrate as nitrogen in excess of health standards has also been found <br /> locally in parts of the proposed service area. Newborn infants can be affected by high nitrate or <br /> nitrite-plus-nitrate as nitrogen concentrations in drinking water, resulting in a condition known as <br /> methylglobanemia(blue baby syndrome). <br /> Another concern relative to the quality of ground water supplies in the proposed service area is <br /> the ongoing controversy over the impact of the substantial oil and gas development in this <br /> region. Hazardous levels of methane and hydrogen sulfide have been locally reported and there <br /> have been lawsuits concerning the oil and gas industry's impacts on area wells. Anecdotal <br /> information suggests that the potential for problems from these substances exists throughout the <br /> proposed service area. <br /> Any trace of hydrogen sulfide exceeds the recommended limits. Hydrogen sulfide is potentially <br /> toxic and lethal. Methane is non-toxic when ingested by humans but presents other safety risks <br /> when found in drinking water. Methane gas in water ex-solves when met by the atmosphere. In <br /> confined places such as well housings or pits, methane can displace oxygen in the air. These <br /> conditions can create a high potential for explosion hazards or asphyxiation. <br /> 6 <br />