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