BOARD01405

• Board Meeting Date: 1/24/2001
• Description: CF Section - Columbine Ranches Prperty Owners Association Loan Increase
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Columbine Ranches POA
January 24-25, 2001

I
Agenda Ilem 811,

18

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assessments to be paid by the membership, the power to create a lien if those
assessments are not paid, and the power to foreclpse a lien so created. The subdivision
encompasses 160 acres, of which 54 acres are irrigated. The subdivision is 93% built
out, with houses on 50 of the 54 lots. The CRPOAjowns the irrigation well, the storage
tank, and the deeded right of way for the dlstrlbutlQn system. The Association would
also own the senior waterrlghts purchased for aUQmentatlon of the well.

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Pro/ect DescrlDtlon
Five alternatives were analyzed in the feasibility study:
1. The no-action alternative
2. Continued membership with GASP to augment the well
3. Purchase senior water rights for augmenta/lon water
4. Purchase water from another source for thll centralized system
5. Pumping of non-tributary wells

While Alternative 3, purchase of senior watar rights for augmentation water, has a
significantly higher cost than Alternative 2, it is cOrjsidered to be a far more reliable
approach to continued use of the Association's irrigation well. Alternative 4 was ruled out
because of Its high cost, and Alternative 5 was ruled out because insufficient water
could be pumped from the non-tributary aquifers that underlie the subdivision. The no-
action alternative was unacceptable since it would,resultln an order from the State
Division of Water Resources that pumping from the well cease.
,

Selected Alternative 3 Involves purchase of senior; water rights that would be acceptable
to augment the CRPOA irrigation well. The main sources originally considered were the
Burlington-Wellington rights, the Brantner Ditch, the Fulton Ditch, and the Lupton
Bottom/Lupton Meadows Ditch. More recently the Association has been considering
Barr Lake shares as well as munloipal return flow Water. The consumptive use for
irrigation within the Columbine Ranches SubdivisiOn is about 75 acre-feet per year,
(revised down from 84 acre-feet as a result of recent engineering analysis.)

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The exact rights that the CRPOA would purchase !were not determined In 1998, because
of the uncertainties of availability and purchase price. Regardless of the rights selected,
they will need to represent 75 acre-feet of consurrjptive use per year. Attempts to
purchase Fulton Ditch shares or Burlington-Wellington rights were unsuccessful as the
water market tighten and prices nearly tripled in ttie time frame December 1998 through
December 2000.. i

CRPOA has worked with a water broker and esta~lished the following water purchases
to fully augment their well: i
I
Table 1: Water Rfahtsi Purchases
Acre-feet Price
(consumptive use) (acre-foo!)
15$4,000
30 $6,000

Name of rights

Total Price
$
$ 60,000
$180,000

Barr Lake Shares
Municipal return flow
I (Winter)
Municipal return flow
i (Summer)
Totals