The latest news for you from Douglas County Future Fund
Important News Impacting our Community
Critical Issues Impacting
Douglas County
Aug. 8 | Issue 3
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a recognized Douglas County community leader and stakeholder.
As County leaders, we must protect our region. Our quality of life is directly connected to our commitment to build a tomorrow that preserves the best of today. This vision includes protecting our natural resources, utilizing our county’s resources in a fiscally-smart manner, and wisely planning for our future. Thank you for standing with us.
Scrutiny of Water Projects Key to Solving Douglas County Water Challenges
The water crisis facing Douglas County – and all of Colorado – is prevalent in daily headlines. The 2022 revised Colorado Water Plan estimates more than 400,000 acre feet of water shortage by 2050. This crisis is evidenced by increasing use restrictions, the federal government demanding a 20 percent reduction of water usage off the Colorado River, and questions about long-term availability of water for existing and new residential and commercial developments.
The answer to our water crisis must be an “all of the above” approach.
Douglas County, its towns, cities and water districts urgently need to engage in honest, fair but in-depth and comprehensive reviews of all proposed projects that can bring clean, safe and dependable renewable water to Douglas County residents.
Taking its turn in the spotlight now is the proposed $827+ million Platte Valley Water Partnership that is seeking $20 million in ARPA funds from Douglas County Commissioners. This costly and complicated project deserves scrutiny by elected officials and citizens alike to ensure that it meets fiscal and environmental standards and provides high-quality, renewable water to meet the county’s long-term needs.
Here are just a few of the many questions that must be asked, and thoroughly answered:
Water Quality: Quality, safe drinking water must have a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels of 300 or below to be considered excellent. Anything above 500 is unsafe for drinking. What will be the expected TDS levels in the Platte Valley project?
Treatment Costs: Higher TDS levels require costly water treatment. The Platte Valley water will have to be treated twice, with the first treatment needed to make it safe to be stored in the Rueter Hess Reservoir. How much will this dual treatment cost? Where will the treatment facilities be located?
Environmental Effects: The byproduct of treating high TDS water and desalination, which will be required by the Platte Valley Project, is brine and other toxic hazardous waste. What environmental effects will the project have in Logan and Morgan counties where the water originates?
Citizen Awareness: Have elected officials in Logan and Morgan counties been thoroughly consulted on the environmental impacts in their communities? Are farmers and ranchers up to speed on the impacts of storage and disposal of brine in their communities?
Eligibility for Tax Funds: Can the project meet the strict progress timetable required for it to even be eligible for federal ARPA (COVID-19 relief) funds?
Refund for Douglas County Taxpayers: If the project fails, are Douglas County taxpayers guaranteed that these public funds will be returned?
Need: Parker Water and Sanitation recently announced a new $51 million dollar administration building…do they really need funds from the County?
These are just a few of the very basic questions that must be answered for any water project to go forward. Thorough scrutiny now will not only protect a major investment of tax dollars – but determine whether this project is a fiscally conservative proposal that can responsibly effectively meet Douglas County’s long-range need for high-quality, renewable water.
Recent Headlines
Aurora City Council considers Colorado's first-ever cool weather turf ban for new development
The City of Aurora hopes to be the first municipality in Colorado to put the skids on nonfunctional grass with an ordinance that will get its first review from Aurora City Council on Monday.
The ordinance would restrict the use of "cool weather turf" in new development, redevelopment and for new golf courses. As defined in the ordinance, cool weather turf includes Kentucky bluegrass and fescue.
…The ordinance has been in the works for several months and, if approved, would go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
New 'forever chemicals' guidelines force Front Range communities to examine their drinking water
…Meanwhile, the water utility that serves Commerce City is paying Denver Water $2.75 million to help clean up its PFAS contamination. The South Adams County Water and Sanitation District is using Denver Water supplies to dilute its contamination.
Water utility district manager Abel Moreno says the PFAS cleanup is costly, and some of it may be passed on to customers.
“It is possible that we may need to increase rates, certainly for the short term to balance the needs of buying more Denver Water,” Moreno said.
…The EPA’s new guidelines are just that — they’re guidelines and not official standards. The EPA is in the process of developing drinking water standards. Still there are barriers, including the fact that the current testing methods cannot detect PFAS at the low levels established by the EPA.
Andrews, from the Environmental Working Group, said those new standards will take into account “technical feasibility, cost, and other things that are not purely health-based.” The EPA is expected to release those standards by the end of this year.
The Colorado Department of Health and Environment suggests that at-risk populations, such as kids under the age of 5 and people who are pregnant or breastfeeding, consider using a filter.
<David Andrews is a senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group.>
...About 40 million people rely on the Colorado River as it flows from Colorado to Mexico. But overuse and climate change have contributed to its reservoirs drying up at such a rapid rate that the probability of disastrous disruptions to the deliveries of water and hydroelectric power across the Southwest have become increasingly likely. Now the seven states that depend on the river must negotiate major cuts in water use by mid-August or have them imposed by the federal government.
…Agriculture uses about 70 to 80 percent of the water. As the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s John Entsminger recently said, “you can evacuate Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles and still not have counted up enough water” to meet the needed reductions.
Did You Know? The federal government is forcing Colorado River states (including Colorado) to meet a mid-August requirement to come up with a plan to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water in the coming year.
Upcoming News from DCFF
Every other week, DCFF will report on important news and challenges impacting our community. We hope you will stay engaged and connected with us.
