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<br />Regulations and Policies Promoting Efficient Water Use
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<br />Conjunctive Use Helps
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<br />Highlands Ranch Weather Dry Years
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<br />Among the rapidly grO\\'ing suburban commumties In Arapahoe and o..1ugl:lS
<br />counties south of DcmTr. Highlands Ranch is In the unique pI."lSltion of ha\;nit
<br />dc\"e]oped two distinct watt"T supply sys[emS---J surfact" supply from the South
<br />Plaue River and a groundwater supply from the deep confined aqUifers of the
<br />Denver Basm, Surfa..:e water a,,:counts for ol.boUl three quarters of the diswn's 100al
<br />supply. and n(lnrent>wablc groundwater sources make lip the rest, accordmg 10 Rick
<br />\kloud. water re5>Ourccs lll..'tnager at the Centennial Waler and ~mlalion DIStrict,
<br />which ~rves HIghlands. Ranch.
<br />In 1992 tht, di...<;triCl embarked on Colllrado's first conjunctive use project involv-
<br />ing dCt'p.wdl injection. Adapung some of its wells ....ilh injection equipTllt'nt, tht"
<br />district beg.;:m replcmshing its gmundw:ucr supplies \\.ilh potable surfact' \\oilter In
<br />wet years
<br />"In ycars wuh ~l\'Crage stre-.am flows, we rely on surface water. Mcloud saId,
<br />t'xpJ.uning how conJunCli\'c use works, -In wet years, we use sur{;lce water and
<br />mJeCl any excess imo the gn1undwater wells. Then In dry ycars., we can fall back
<br />on the groundwater source. This way we can avoid continuously' deplcnng our
<br />groundwater supply, because ItS our S:.I'lngs accounL,~
<br />By 201.14, the district had equipped 21 wells for inJcctlOn and had .:u.idcd
<br />almost 7.000 acre-feet of m:alf:d water to its groundwater stores, Mcloud
<br />reptmed So far withdrawals. made only during the dry summer of 2001, han~
<br />amounted to 570 acre-fen Injected waler comes from the same potable supply
<br />distributed lo CUSlomers
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<br />CoryuoctJve use systems toke WCl!er 110m rt-ers In wet ~ a:d ~ that ...mer 1n[O underground
<br />OQIJI~ Dunrrg cry years. !hat N(/tef cal be re<:(M!fed (rom the oquifiy and distributed [0 homes and
<br />C1t/eS.Coryunatveusea/lowsooestDrTIOfl"~(OIfIOb/y~thefrwOtersupplysyst~
<br />gr'Ol.l'ldwatersuppbeslllwe!~oncJprtMdlngmorereliabk wo(f'fsuppl~Klc7Y~
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<br />28 CCLC"ACC F'CUNCAT'CN "-C" WATE" ECUCAT'CN
<br />
<br />(.1ltli.:C of C,'nxrY.llh'n w tnduJc ll'(hlllca\
<br />.b~lSt,l1lCt' tt' .1gncuhuul and mdm.trial
<br />\1,11Cr rwnd.:rs .mLl .;,t.W..' ,It:t'nCles, ,b \\('11
<br />.b ..lSslgmn~ It the nc\~ luk l,i "Olliec 1,1
<br />I (,'nSCr'o.lIl,'n ,lno Dr,'u~ht \lluj::Jut1n.
<br />In 2l'l'.l, tht' SI;1!t' ,lis,' wt'lghl'd HI
<br />1'[1 \IJta-l'frli.:lt'!lt Lmd,.i.:3pmg, p:bSlllg
<br />I .1 Liw prllhlhl!ln" tht: .tdl'Pl1''n of ,my
<br />new 'IHTn.1nl~ lh;11 rc"trlct 1\'w-\\",1I('r-
<br />I the laIlJ~t..lpm~
<br />I Th.ll ,,-lInc YCJr tht' <.t.lI(' kglslalUrt'
<br />I :11"" .1d.,ptl'J J J<>lllt rt'.;",hllll'rl (!it'U""-' BIll
<br />h't<.:ll) n'mJIIlIl1~ ;\ .;,el ,\1 10 pnrlnpks
<br />dl'~\~nl'J (" ~llId,' tu!ure water ""Ii..:y l,'r
<br />lht' ,.Ult' Thc !lInth prillt'lpl(' assens that
<br />.... .lll'l LlmSCr'o,llwll ml',I~UreS thaI d,l not
<br />Imlllre t'lhcr v.,lll'r n~hb ,.twuld ~ aggre<,-
<br />,.1'Th. pur"uco
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<br />Efficient Management
<br />of Water Supplies
<br />H"\I \I..iter suppllo .m' manJgl'd .J!
<br />rq"lvll<ll, k'l:al. .lIld "I,lt,'Wldt' k\l.'"b r.1Il
<br />I h.\\l.'" ,I ~1~lllf1Lall! Imp,ILl IlIl how dho"Ilt-
<br />II\" th;ll \\,uer ":,111 h,' PUl t<l U:'C In r,yell!
<br />\C,lfS. the SLIti.' Iq'.lsLuurt' and local w;II<'r
<br />pflw1ders h,l\T h..yn dc\'el,'pmg mech.l-
<br />mSl1l~ l\) lIl..:rea<.;..' the nC\lhllit~. \\"llh whlt'h
<br />w:Ucr Gill he lr.m"lnr;:d. sh'red, .md
<br />m,'n'd ar,'und the .;,Utt' tn <'rdcr W lllt.'t'l
<br />uenun..!.;, dTcdiwly .1~ thcy ~mse
<br />Thc",' >.tr.llq'.lCS lIl..:ludc lIln'J\.lII\'C
<br />\\;ltl'r m.magt'1l1('nl lCi.:hnL,k'g\t's (sllt'h .b
<br />~"1I1IUn(tl\'l' uS('l .l!1d pnltTdurcs (slIi.:h ,1';'
<br />lnlCmlpuhlc WOller <'upply agn'clllt'n1S! It'
<br />fatllnal" l1ll,re Ik\lhlc .mJ resr<1IlS1W water
<br />lTIana~emcm llll .1 k.cal .111\.1 rq!,lllllal ICI-...I
<br />rhe f,'ll,l....lng dtStlbSmn 1.~ nt'l ml':Jnt l,.l ht,
<br />I a c(lmpn'hen';'ln' ItSl but rw\,jJ("~ an (wcr-
<br />,'in\ "f ~uITl'nlly ':1\',ll!.\hlr Opll(lIl~
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<br />I Conjum'li\l' U'l'. Conluncllw u~(' IS a
<br />l1l;:m<l~l'ml'nt .\pprt';Kh In WhICh <,urLtcc
<br />I w;ltn ~1Ild gwundwJler supphe,,- arl' m.m-
<br />.lgni I(llntly l\l prodUlC ..i largl'r. mort'
<br />rdl;lhk ~llrpl\' th.lIl cllhcr S(lurec wuld
<br />I ,L:enCr,l1l' alone [lunne \\('1 \t';U<, \\'nh
<br />ahOYC-.1Wr.l~<' prcopIlalllm and run,)f!,
<br />surf:It,c \I.ller IS "ll'rcd f"t lata USt: by
<br />I 1nlet.:l1ng It mlt' gnlUllJwall'T ~lqUlfcr" III
<br />I this ,..,:enan,'. ..i dt'Cp um1med aquder IS
<br />u"t:d f,'r swr~l~c 1Il mUi.:h Ihe same \\ay as a
<br />I
<br />s.urf.lli: re~r'o'Ojr A \I;lla man;lgeme!lt db-
<br />I In\! ml)'.ht als,' dlri:t"t wall't fwm :'>tteams._
<br />lakes, \IT r,';:""t\'l'lt.,; Il' p('rmeable arc,lS of
<br />J gr(1undw,ll('r has1ll \\"here lhe \\'<ita can
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