PUB00053

• Year: 1999
• Title: Metropolitian Water Supply Investigation Final Report
• Author: Hydrosphere Resource Consultants
• Description: Metropolitian Water Supply Investigation Final Report
• Publications - Doc Type: Water Resource Studies

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Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation

Executive Summary

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The Denver Central Sub-rel!ion is comprised ofthe Denver Water Combined Service
Area, including the City and County of Denver, 75 fully dependent contract providers,
and over 20 partial supply contracts; the City of Englewood; and other small providers in
the Bear Creek basin. The main sources of supply available to the this sub-region consist
of native South Platte River water, transmountain diversions from the Blue, Fraser and
Williams Fork Basins and water reuse. Non-tributary groundwater is available but not
used to any significant degree. Water conservation measures also are in place and serve
to reduce demand.

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Denver's Near Term resource strategy, as developed in its Integrated Resource Planning
process, is projected to yield 401,000 acre-feet compared to a raw water demand at build-
out of 445,000 acre-feet, including a 30,000 acre-foot safety factor. Assuming that
Denver is successful in implementing its Near Term strategies, Denver has a remaining
need of 14,000 acre-feet to 44,000 acre-feet, depending on its safety factor. Denver
anticipates meeting this remaining need through additional water conservation, potable
reuse and development of additional supplies through the use of its water rights, which
could be achieved by Denver alone or through cooperative actions with others. Denver
has sufficient potential yield from its own water rights to meet its build-out needs and
obligations. Denver has not yet chosen a specific long-term water supply strategy, and
remains interested in additional water conservation, effluent management, conjunctive
use, and additional surface storage to meet its long-term needs.

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The City of Englewood, included in this sub-region, does not anticipate significant
growth in its water demands and has sufficient existing water supplies to meet its ultimate
future water needs, projected to be about 8,500 acre-feet per year.

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The South Metro Sub-rel!ion includes the water provider members of the Douglas

County Water Resource Authority' and other small providers in Douglas and Arapahoe
Counties. Throughout this sub-region, Denver Basin groundwater is the primary source
of supply.

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The build-out water demands for this sub-region are projected to total about 127,000
acre-feet per year (exclusive of those providers supplied by Denver and Aurora). Water
providers in this sub-region have sufficient decreed groundwater rights, surface supplies,
reuse/augmentation plans and contract deliveries to meet their projected build-out needs.
There is no significant unmet need projected for this sub-region, assuming that Denver
Basin groundwater will continue to be used as a major water supply source.

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However, the sub-region is actively working to increase the renewable portion of its
water supplies by employing effluent management approaches that would maximize the
reuse of its groundwater return flows, and by acquiring additional surface supplies. The

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The water provider members of the Douglas County Water Resource Authority include Arapahoe County Water &
Wastewater Authority, Centennial Water & Sanitation District, Parker Water & Sanitation District, East Cherry Creek
Valley Water & Sanitation District, Town of Castle Rock, Roxborough Park Water & Sanitation District, Stonegate
Village Metro District, Inverness Water & Sanitation District, Meridian Metro District, Castle Pines Metro District,
Castle Pines North Metro District, Cottonwood Water & Sanitation District, North Douglas County Water &
Sanitation District, Pinery Water & Sanitation District, Donata Water District and Willows Water District

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Prepared for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, Colorado Department of Natural Resources by
Hydrosphere Resource Consultants, 1002 Walnut Street, Suite 200, Boulder, CO 80302