BOARD01032

• Board Meeting Date: 1/24/2001
• Description: CF Section - Colorado Institute for Irrigation Management - CSU Non-Reimbursable Investment
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Colorado Inslltule for IrrlgaUon Managament (CSU)
January 24.25, 2001

Agenda Item 14,

The Study
The study is an assessment of the potential for pressurized raw irriga1ion water for landscape use
In unincorporated and Incorporated areas in Colorado,' The study concentrates on the northern
Colorado Front Range, and on canai companies and irrigation districts that voluntarily wish to
provide this kind of water service to subdivisions and other water users, Lessons will be drawn
from similar practices on the West Slope as well as current practices in northeastern Colorado.
The study will be conducted in two parts and compieted in one year,

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Part I will generate a re<:lionallevel report on the potential for expanding pressurized dual
system water service in northeastern Colorado, This: regional level report will address broad
opportunities and constraints for dual system develo~ment, including assessing the gap
between regional water supply and demand, and to what extent dual systems can bridge that
gap. Many of the supply, demand. benefit/cost and opportunity cost analyses for the region will
be based on the more specific case study analysis conducted in Part /I,

Part II will generate a more specific case studv report on two participating Irrigation companies
providers (The New Cache La Poudre Irrigating Company and the Highland Ditch Company,)
These companies have volunteered to cooperate as ,walk-through examples of potential
pressurized dual system development. This report oiJtlines a method that can be used by
agricultural water suppliers and engineering firms In initiating dual system development. The
examples will provide a "blueprint" for fully assessing opportunities and constraints, Water
supply and demand under current potential dual syst.em service, as well as projected supply
and demand under projected outbuilding or urban encroachment. into the service areas of these
two irrigation systems, will be modeled,

Study
Phase
Phase 1
Phase 2
Total

Cost Estlmllte
Cash and In- ; Amount
Kind :unfunded
$31.862 . $93.259
$52,519 $42,872
$84,381 $136.131

74%
45%
62%

Total Cost

Percentage Unfunded

$125121
$95,391
$220.512

Discussion

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Phase 1 of the study includes a large portion of the Sou1h Platte River Drainage, concentrating
on the northern front-range, The cost of new municipal raw water In this area has risen to the
point that it is not practical to use it for outslcle irrigation. Study results will be transferabie to
other areas of Colorado, which are also experiencing rapidly rising municipal water costs, and
to towns with limited capability to treat drinking water, For these reasons, Phase 1 of this study
should be classified as addressing an Issue of "stat'ewide impact or Importance."
!

Phase 2 of this study will include detailed feasibility lievel evaluation of two agricultural water
providers, and their potential to develop dual water ~ysterns within their service areas, Both
these Companies are aware of this study, and have !expressed interest in participating. If the
stUdy finds that dual water systems are feasible within their respective servioe areas there is a
good probability these Companies would proceed to built the infrastructure and provide the raw
water service, Larger systems in Colorado and Utah have infrastructure costs ranging from
$500K to $10M, Phase 2 of the stUdy has "".a sig!Jificant potential to result in a loan from
the ConstructIon Fund/Severance tax Trust Fund Perpetual Base Account. " .

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