A refreshing water source

This summer, the East Cherry Creek Valley Water and Sanitation District (ECCV) located south of Denver, opened the taps on a new water source for its residents: the South Platte River. The district, which previously could access only groundwater, now draws from the surface water, ensuring adequate supply for current and future customers.

For more than 40 years, ECCV depended on finite water supplies in deep underground aquifers, known as the Denver Basin, to serve residents in eastern Centennial, Colo., and unincorporated Arapahoe County. However, as the population has steadily grown to reach 50,000 people, aquifer levels have dropped and pumping costs have increased, so ECCV leaders sought a renewable water source to supplement the area’s supply.

The South Platte River, the nearest alternative, is more than 30 miles away, and to access it, ECCV needed to buy water rights and develop a financing plan to create an infrastructure. Three years ago, the district struck a deal with Farmers Reservoir and Irrigation Co. (FRICO), an irrigation water provider in Adams and Weld counties, and the United Water and Sanitation District (United) to divert 9,000 acre-feet of water annually from the river and exchange it through the FRICO system into the Beebe Draw, a shallow natural aquifer system near Barr Lake.

From the draw, a 31-mile pipeline and two pump stations would carry the water nearly 1,000 feet in elevation to ECCV’s storage tanks. The project, named the Northern Water Supply Project or “H2’06,” would supply enough water to support nearly 75 percent of the needs in the district, with groundwater sources providing the remaining 25 percent. ECCV also offered to share the infrastructure with other communities in the south metro area.

ECCV contracted with Cambridge, Mass.-based CDM to design and manage all project construction. Then it purchased South Platte River water rights from FRICO and United, which provided wells in the Beebe Draw and the basic infrastructure to send ECCV’s water to the pipeline.

In March 2005, members of the South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA), which serves adjacent communities, joined the project by funding the installation of a larger-than-planned pipeline (48-inch diameter instead of 42-inch diameter), creating capacity to eventually move water into their communities. The project was completed by ERS Constructors, a division of Steamboat Springs, Colo.-based TIC, and Kansas City, Mo.-based Garney Construction, which also built the pump stations. “This collaborative effort enables participating districts to purchase their own water rights and to use the ECCV pipeline to bring resources to their customers,” says Peter Elzi, ECCV president. “It is the first project to import a renewable water supply to a southeast Denver water district in more than 30 years.”

By July 27, 2006, the pipeline and pump station construction was completed, and ECCV began filling its storage tanks with renewable water. Future phases will include purchasing additional water rights and building a water treatment facility.

ECCV spent approximately $150 million for the water rights and the first phase of construction. In 2003, the district paid about half of the initial water rights costs — $18.5 million — by selling enterprise revenue bonds. The remaining cost of the water rights and a portion of the infrastructure costs are funded by increased tap fees, which home builders pay to connect to ECCV’s system. Currently, ECCV’s water tap fee is $17,750 per house, and the amount is anticipated to increase by up to $1,250 each year until the district is fully developed. In addition, ECCV customers pay a $22 monthly fee to finance the new infrastructure. The fee will remain in effect until the 30-year bonds are completely paid.

Dave Kaunisto, district manager, and Rebecca Mullenix, project engineer, for ECCV