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MWSI Project Phase II Conjunctive Use Summary Report - DRAFT August 22, 1995 Southern Aquifer Wellfield Analysis Denver, Arapahoe & Denver & Aquifer LFH Arapahoe Arapahoe Volume Number of Volume Number of Volume Number fllfLro ~ (afu:r) ~ Wf.xr) of~ Denver 7,500 23 10,000 31 Arapahoe 15,000 31 20,000 41 30,000 62 Laramie- Fox Hills 7,500 21 Total 30,000 75 30,000 72 30,000 62 The economic and aquifer input parameters used in the Southern 2,000 af/yr well field analysis were also used in this 30,000 af/yr analysis, The annual volumes of groundwater pumped and the number of wells increased, The spreadsheets for the 30,000 aflyr southern well field analysis are Tables 12, 13 and 14 for the Denver, Arapahoe and Laramie-Fox Hills, the Denver and Arapahoe and the Arapahoe aquifers, respectively, The weighted average year one capital cost for production from the Denver, Arapahoe and Laramie-Fox Wills aquifers is $1,550 per acre foot. The weighted average year one capital cost for pumping 30,000 af/yr from the Denver and Arapahoe aquifers is $1,386 per acre foot and the year one capital cost for pumping 30,000 af/yr from the Arapahoe aquifer is $1,383 per acre foot. This analysis docs not reflect cost differences related to the collection system for each of the three alternatives. We expect that pumping from the Denver, Arapahoe and Laramie-Fox Hills aquifers would have lower collection system costs than pumping from only the Arapahoe aquifer as fewer well sites would be involved, Revised collection system costs would result in more similar costs between the three aquifer production alternatives. Environmenral and Institutional Issues Colorado Water Law defines the appropriation of Denver Basin aquifer groundwater and the administration of the Denver Basin aquifers is the responsibility of the Division of Water Resources through the State Engineer. Denver Basin water is a property right. A land owner owns the Denver Basin water beneath his property, Special districts and municipal utilities have the right to impose "implied consent ordinances" to convey the groundwater rights beneath a homeowner's property to the water district or utility and then develop the groundwater beneath their area, Under current law, groundwater users in the Denver Basin are entitled to withdraw on average one one-hundredth of the total amount of water beneath their property in any year. Groundwater legislation in 1985 (Senate Bill 5) developed a definition for nontributary groundwater. Groundwater beneath a parcel is nontributary if the pumping of that water will have a stream depletion effect less than 0,1 percent of the amount of water pumped in the one hundredth year of pumping. The State's Denver Basin Rules (1985) establish the nontributary areas through a map for each aquifer. Two percent of the amount of non tributary groundwater pumped has to be relinquished to the stream system, Pumping from aquifers which are either , 8