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

Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation

MWSI Results

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particularly interested in addressing water quality problems associated with municipal
diversions located downstream of most of the urbanized metro Denver area.

3.1.6.5. Northwest Metro Sub-Region

The long-term future water demands for this sub-region are projected to be about 100,000
acre-feet per year. Most ofthe sub-region's projected increase iIi water demand is
associated with anticipated growth in Arvada and Broomfield. Providers in this sub~
region have plans in place to meet about 90,000 acre-feet of this need. Cooperative
planning efforts for meeting the remaining 10,000 acre-feet of need in this sub-region are
focused upon coordinated use and sharing of existing or new storage and conveyance
facilities and expanded reuse.

3.2. WATER SUPPLY OPPORTUNITIES

As discussed in Basin-Wide Overview, the MWSI focused on five areas of investigation:
conjunctive use, effluent management, interruptible supply arrangements with
agricultural water users, other systems integration concepts and Chatfield Reservoir. The
results of each of these investigations are presented and discussed below.

3.2.1. Conjunctive Use

3.2.1.1. Background

Conjunctive use is defined as the coordinated use of surface water and groundwater
resources and systems to produce a larger and more reliable combined supply than could
be generated from either source alone.

Conjunctive use was probably first used as a deliberate water management strategy in
Colorado in the 1950's along the lower South Platte and Arkansas Rivers where fanners
began using alluvial wells to supplement their surface diversions. Well pumping took
advantage of water stored in the alluvial aquifers of the stream, and the alluvial aquifers
would refill during subsequent high flow periods.

In the 1970's and 1980's Arapahoe and Douglas County providers became interested in
conjunctive use for individual wells. The Willows Water DistrictlDenver Water and the
Centennial Water & Sanitation Districts initiated pilot studies which involved injecting
potable surface water into deep aquifers via conventional water supply wells during
periods when pumping from those wells was not needed. These studies evaluated the
feasibility of water recharge, storage and retrieval for the purpose of reducing long-term
declines in groundwater levels.

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