Sticker shock: $1 billion for water

South metro counties review supply options

Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 26, 2007 at midnight

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PARKER - Denver's southern suburbs must spend $1 billion by 2020 to wean themselves off an ailing groundwater system, officials at a water summit said Tuesday.

Communities such as Highlands Ranch, Parker and Castle Rock will use money, possibly generated by increased tap fees, higher water rates or new taxes, to build new water-recycling plants and lay pipelines to transfer water from farming communities, according to a master plan unveiled Tuesday by the South Metro Water Supply Authority.

Recycling plants being built in the southern suburbs will produce non-potable water, like recycling plants in the metro area.

But it's likely our drinking water will soon come from recycled sources as well, officials say.

The plan's $1 billion price tag is a bargain compared to doing nothing as groundwater dwindles, several conference participants said.

"We can't afford not to afford it," said Jack McCormick, a Douglas County resident who represents rural homeowners.

The area, which includes Douglas and parts of Arapahoe counties, has known for more than 10 years the cheap groundwater that fueled most of its growth in the 1980s and 1990s couldn't last. Groundwater wells are no longer producing as much water as they once did.

But the wealthy southern region has been unable to craft solutions to its water woes, thanks to years of bitter political battles among water districts and a lack of access to the renewable river water that most older communities rely on.

That may be changing.

"This area grew up on groundwater," said Rod Kuharich, executive director of the South Metro Water Authority. "But it has long recognized the need for renewable supplies."

To ensure a continued water supply, the authority said it will slash groundwater use from more than 25,900 acre feet, to just 14,900 acre feet by 2030.

An acre foot equals about 326,000 gallons, enough to supply two homes for a year.

In addition, it will more than double its use of recycled water during that period, from 11,900 acre feet to 24,000 acre feet.

But the region, home to more than 600,000 people, must also find new water - 40,000 acre feet more - to meet demand. The search for and purchase of new water is likely to take years and billions of dollars more to complete, Kuharich said.

Harris Sherman, executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, urged suburban water providers to push forward with aggressive water conservation programs and to consider ways to partner with farm communities and the Western Slope.

"The water picture has tightened measurably," in recent years, Sherman said. "We can expect another 2.8 million people in the state by 2030. . . . This is why we're seeing this fierce competition for water. Virtually every city is looking for water just as you are."

Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Douglas County, said he has no intention of letting money stand in the way of protecting the region's water future.

"This region represents some of the most important economic infrastructure Colorado has," Harvey said. "We have to provide businesses some level of comfort that they will have long-term water supplies."

smithj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5474

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