La Junta 1996 WCPlan - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I I 1 I I I , farming and ranching. Wise use of municipal water and participation in water planning with agricultural interests is key to the City's continued economic well-being. More directly, operating a water system at the lowest possible cost to City residents is important. More efficient use of water equates to a reduction in pumping energy, a decrease in wear and tear on equipment, lower chemical costs for treatment, and lower cost demand to meet new regulations. Additionally, reduction of in-home water use means lower wastewater treatment costs. La Junta also actively pursues industrial and commercial growth that is not accounted for in the above growth projections. The availability of sufficient amounts of good quality water is essential to the success of attracting new business to La Junta and creating new and better jobs for the City's citizens. Dean Foods, in La Junta, is a prime example of an industry that requires much water; Dean Foods' production water demand is in the neighborhood of 100 million gallons per year. A sufficient quantity of a good water is needed to expect either expansion of that industry or acquisition of a similar industry. Industrial users like DeBourgh Manufacturing and Lewis Bolt & Nut use only modest quantities of water, but water is required for production activities in addition to sanitary uses. Other major water consumers in La Junta include Otero Junior College, Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center, and the La Junta Municipal Golf Course. Climate plays a particularly important role to the use of water in La Junta. The average precipitation is 11.3 inches per year, with less than 6.8 inches in 2 out of 10 years. The area's dryness is intensified by low humidity and extreme summer temperatures reaching 108 degrees. Furthermore, most of the area precipitation occurs during the I summer months when evaporation rates are the highest. This climatic condition results in high irrigation use of water; municipal parks and facilities alone account for about 70 million gallons of irrigation water use (7% of all water pumped). I La Junta has made some water conservation efforts for the last 50 years, mostly through system planning and regulatory measures. In the last 18 years, more serious I attempts have proved successful in reducing water consumption, including installation of water meters in 1978. Conservation awareness by leading companies and ~ - - ~ - ~ - -- - - - - organizations has -aEio controlled the use of water. The planned conservation measures- I for the next five years are expected to reduce water use by about 7.5% or 200 acre-feet per year based on current use practices. I I I I I INVENTORY Water Suooly SourceslStorage La Junta's water system consists of an ample and reliable source of supply in the Arkansas River Valley alluvium, from which water is pumped by high-capacity wells through two transmission lines crossing the Arkansas River directly into the City's distribution system. This aquifer consists of alluvial sands and gravels in a well-confined 2