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Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation Executive Summary <br /> Effluent Management involves cooperative and coordinated approaches for utilizing <br /> metro Denver area providers' reusable return flows. The metro Denver area currently <br /> generates reusable return flows in excess of its current reuse needs of approximately <br /> 80,000 acre-feet per year. These undeveloped reusable return flows are projected to <br /> increase to more than 120,000 acre-feet per year under providers' current plans as the <br /> metro Denver area grows. <br /> Significant cooperative effluent management opportunities exist in all of the metro <br /> Denver area sub-regions. However, full use of reusable return flows would eventually <br /> require development of additional storage below the Metro wastewater plant and <br /> extensive implementation of potable reuse. Relatively high costs,public acceptance, <br /> intergovernmental coordination, and effects on water quality and instream flows also are <br /> issues of concern. <br /> Interruptible Supply would involve cooperative arrangements with agricultural water <br /> users along the Front Range that would give cities the right to use agricultural water <br /> during times of drought in exchange for financial compensation to fanners. This report <br /> provides an overview of possible types of interruptible supply arrangements, estimates of <br /> gross supply potential, and.discussion of perceived barriers to implementation. The total <br /> amount of dry year, high quality water supply potentially available for interruptible <br /> supply arrangements is approximately 190,000 acre-feet. This supply estimate does not <br /> reflect the potential competing needs of long-term(beyond 2020) future growth in the <br /> Northern Front Range. Example projects involving this source and specific project yields <br /> were not investigated. <br /> During the course of analysis, awareness of major legal, institutional,political, <br /> geographical, and infrastructure barriers to using this supply in the metro Denver area <br /> emerged. These barriers exist for each of the cooperative water supply categories <br /> evaluated in the MWSI, but are especially pronounced and evident with respect to the <br /> Interruptible Supply category. Without additional work and dialogue between the metro <br /> Denver area and northern Front Range farmers and communities over the next three to <br /> five years, interruptible supply arrangements do not appear to be promising water supply <br /> options for the metro Denver area at this time. <br /> Other Systems Integration Opportunities identified in the process of conducting the <br /> MWSI are the focus of ongoing studies involving the Northeast and Northwest sub- <br /> regions and Chatfield Reservoir. Other cooperative approaches identified but not <br /> investigated include possible development of joint storage for regulation of supply from <br /> the Windy Gap and Moffat systems, and creation of a market for water saved through <br /> conservation initiatives. These ideas will likely be the subjects of future investigations by <br /> interested par?; S. <br /> ix <br /> Prepared for the Colorado Water Conservation Board,Colorado Department of Natural Resources by <br /> Hydrosphere Resource Consultants,1002 Walnut Street,Suite 200,Boulder,CO 80302 <br />