Douglas County water authorities join forces

May 4, 2011 - PRLog -- CASTLE ROCK, Co. – Thanks to a shared goal of identifying a smart regional water project, a group of public water entities has joined forces to support “DC Water Smart,” an effort to complete regional water infrastructure planning efforts in Douglas County and parts of Arapahoe County under the framework of the Reclamation Rural Water Supply Program.  Funding for the pursuit comes from a grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

The Douglas County Water Resource Authority (DCWRA), South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA), the Rural Water Authority of Douglas County (RWADC), and Douglas County Government will work together on the DC Water Smart planning effort. The pursuit will capitalize on the considerable work already performed to date by members of the South Metro Water Supply Authority to complete regional water infrastructure planning in the less populated areas of the region, then formulate an analysis of regional economics and financial considerations of water solutions in the Douglas County area.  Reclamation documentation will serve as the template for the effort, while the URS Corporation will serve as the engineering and economics consultant on the effort.

After these tasks are completed, DC Water Smart will identify private, state, and federal options to fund the construction of a regional water project.  DC Water Smart is scheduled to run through February 2012, and will include opportunities for public participation and comment.  The process began in April with a series of seven public listening sessions held at local libraries that gathered comments and concerns from citizens regarding the region’s water future.

“We are facing complex problems and we will be able to generate solutions much more effectively and efficiently through collaboration and sharing expertise and research,” said Mark Shively, Executive Director of DCWRA. “Together, this group will be able to progress towards better solutions much quicker, smarter, and more cheaply than any one entity could on its own.”

DC WATER SMART is supported by the following water entities:

Douglas County Water Resource Authority (http://www.dcwater.org): Municipalities, water providers and County government pursuing water resource conservation, education and public policy surrounding water issues. Efforts to date include a 2010 Appraisal Study approved by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation under the Rural Water Supply Program, the retrofit in 2011 of 1,000 residential lawns with water saving rotary sprinkler nozzles, education in 2010 of 6,546 Douglas County School students on water and conservation topics, and delivery of 107,000 DVDs about xeriscaping to every single family residence in Douglas and parts of Arapahoe Counties.

Rural Water Authority of Douglas County (http://www.rwadc.org): Providing services and education to rural water users, working with other agencies and groups on water issues, and representing the interests of rural water users.  The RWADC is pursuing a well monitoring program in rural areas of the unincorporated Douglas County, which will be done under contract with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

South Metro Water Supply Authority (http://www.smwsa.org): Fostering long-term reliable and affordable water supplies in the South Denver Metro region through water conservation, reuse, renewable source acquisitions, regional structural and non-structural projects, funding mechanisms and integrated uses of resources. Recent efforts include a Master Plan document, the WISE agreement, and a CWCB funded study of aquifer storage and recovery.  SMWSA is an active participant in the study at Chatfield Reservoir.

Douglas County Government: (http://www.Douglas.co.us):  One of the highest 2010 priority results stated by the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners was that Douglas County water providers implement state-approved water conservations plans. This goal has been nearly achieved and recent efforts include Support for Water Conservation Plans by entities providing less than 2,000 acre feet per year, a Regional Water Conservation Plan, and a County parks and facilities 2009 water audit.