|
<br />8B
<br />
<br />u
<br />
<br />La
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />THE
<br />-~DENVER
<br />POST
<br />
<br />, "
<br />"
<br />
<br />Founded 1892
<br />
<br />William Dean Singleton, Chairman
<br />Gerald E. Grilly, President and Publisher
<br />Dennis A. Britton, Editor and Executi\'e v"p
<br />Jeanette Chavez, Managing Editor
<br />Sue O'Brien, Editor of the Editorial Page
<br />Jim M. Wall, Executive ~fp, General AJanager
<br />. Thomas J. Botelho. VP Marketing ~
<br />Frank Dixon, VP Operations .
<br />Carol H. Green, VP Human Resources
<br />Stephen R. Sparks. VP Circulation
<br />Allen J. Walters. VP Advertising
<br />
<br />\
<br />
<br />\
<br />\
<br />,
<br />I
<br />
<br />d -:r!1i
<br />Reservoir a good idea
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />':~w."-:" ith each passing day, a
<br />-' little more of the land-
<br />.. , " ' scape of Douglas County
<br />>: ~ ' '"with its rolling hills and
<br />~~~bstructed panoramic view Of, the
<br />'::nuc:!<y Mountains diminishes.
<br />. : ~i'hose once-untouched- hills' are now
<br />':- home to the second fastest-growing
<br />': :County in the nation. When growth
<br />tappens at the speed of light. it'sdif-
<br />Jlcult to keep up with the demand and
<br />. ~an- a community that makes eco-
<br />,::liomic, environmental and aesthetic'
<br />sense. That is why, creating a reser-
<br />voir in the county to meet the needs
<br />of the growing population and its ex-
<br />treme demands on ground water is a
<br />- good idea. ' ,
<br />This is not to 'say that there should
<br />be any relaxation of the requirement
<br />"'tfiafdevelopers prove a 100-year wa,
<br />>''!.ter''supply before building on 'rural
<br />'!'Mnd'. Efforts to conserve' aquifer and
<br />/,.7ab'ov'e-grourid water .while creating ,
<br />"~llew:'renewable sources should, with-
<br />'" ouh doubt, continue:' :,_" ',' "
<br />'I;',';:riie Parker Water and Sanitation
<br />:; I)istrict has begun the process of cre- '
<br />..~ating a new reservoir in Douglas
<br />':,:Cpunty to ease the demand on ground- ,
<br />;",)vater, which is a non~renewable wa-
<br />ter supply, l1's good that the county is
<br />, not -letting any more sawdust rise
<br />without addressing the on-going wa-
<br />--" tdproblem, '
<br />
<br />- But county and Parker officials re-
<br />, ally have no choice, The Denver Ba-
<br />, 'sin, aquifers that supply ground water
<br />'to most of the residents in the area
<br />,': are shaped like a bowL ,When several
<br />
<br />.
<br />
<br />straws draw water from the middle
<br />of a bowl, the edges become dry.
<br />This has been known for a long
<br />time, yet $500,000 homes are still be-
<br />, ing built on the edge of the aquifer !
<br />because people like having big homes I
<br />on mountainsides to soak in the view. 1
<br />Unfortunately, the view is the only
<br />, thing they are going to be able to soak
<br />- in ,if building continues at its current-
<br />,'rate and a more renewable water, ~,
<br />supply is not found. ,;1 " ',' '
<br />, The Rueter-Hess Reservoir would
<br />, decrease the area's dependency' on
<br />groundwater. Located' about 3 miles'
<br />, southwest of Parker, lhe first phase
<br />" of the 120-foot dam would store'
<br />; 15,000 acre-feet of water. which is be- '
<br />, ing permitted right now. The demand"
<br />for this reservoir would come mainly
<br />"from Parker. The waler to fill this
<br />reservoir would come from return
<br />and flood flows from i ,Cherry Creek
<br />and water pumpedfroin low-produce
<br />ing Denver Basin aquifers~'
<br />In a possible second phase, which
<br />would be available for regional use.
<br />the reservoir could be expanded to a
<br />dam 185 feet high with the ability to
<br />store 55,000 acre-feet of water. An
<br />enlargement assumes' a transmoun-
<br />tain diversion, which itself carries
<br />controversy_ That's why the search
<br />for other sources is so important.
<br />The bottom line is that the Rueter-
<br />Hess Reservoir is a good idea. It will
<br />provide a long-term water supply for
<br />Parker and possibly for the southern
<br />region and its contract users in the
<br />future.
<br />
|