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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.
County Should Carve Out Water Investments In Its Annual Budget
Douglas County has long been viewed as a county that charts an independent course on key public priorities. Transportation is "exhibit A," with county leaders (and county voters) dedicating resources to roads and bridges - not waiting for the state - for example, to focus in this essential need in a rapidly growing county.
That’s the kind of focused, forward-looking leadership that is needed in 2023 and beyond on water.
The current county budget - passed just a few days ago - dedicates zero funds to the acquisition of new, high-quality renewable water resources.
Experts agree a new renewable water supply is needed to reduce today's over-reliance on the non-renewable Denver aquifer.
Douglas County operates a $169 million General Fund, part of an overall $473 million 2023 budget. It is becoming clear that the county could begin to dedicate a percentage of the General Fund to water and make this urgent need a budget priority.
County leaders could carve out 5 percent in the first year, or roughly 8.4 million, with the goal of eventually dedicating 10 percent annually to water investments.
You might call it a “water tithe” – a responsible, forward-thinking investment in essential needs, without having to reduce essential funds for public safety such as the County Sheriff or District Attorney.
A long range dedicated county water fund also helps preserve Douglas County as a sought-after location for residential and business property owners.
The county currently receives 39 percent of its General Fund revenues from property taxes.
Without a high-quality renewable water supply, potential buyers will look to other Front Range counties and municipalities that are safeguarding water resources.
No public budget is so tight that it is immune from identifying savings that can be rededicated to essential, overlooked priorities.
Douglas County must continue its practice of being a strong, visionary leader on identified public needs by directly investing in our water future.
Recent Headlines
Colorado Springs Utilities approves new fund to purchase water through fees on new construction
Colorado Springs Utilities board created a fund to purchase water rights Wednesday that will receive revenue from new fees on development.
Many people on the Front Range depend on water from the Denver Basin. But the underground supply isn’t infinite
...So Denver Basin water is considered nonrenewable groundwater and the populations using it are growing. Neither Denver Water nor Colorado Springs Utilities rely on the Denver Basin to serve their customers, but some of the big deep commercial wells that serve other Front Range municipal and community water systems are starting to become less productive.
“We had one well that was producing initially around a hundred gallons a minute. We're lucky to get 40 gallons a minute out of it right now,” said Jessie Shaffer, who manages the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District in the northern part of the county.
“It's really a diminishing return that you get on Denver Basin groundwater these days,” Shaffer said. “Every well you drill, you get less and less yield out of, and it takes more and more wells just to maintain your current level of water supply that you need to have in sufficient level to serve your community, which means more money, more capital improvement projects, and more costs, higher water rates.”
Colorado River flows will plummet this water year to 24% of normal: Bureau
As the Colorado River crisis deepens, a new federal analysis of flows into Lake Powell shows that they will continue to plummet through 2025, before beginning to partially recover.
James Prairie, a hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, said flows are likely to be just 24% of average this year, making it unlikely under various planning scenarios that Powell will have enough water for the Upper Basin states of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming to meet their legal commitment to deliver a minimum of 7 million acre-feet of water to the Lower Basin. That amount is already reduced from the historical delivery obligation due to low flows on the river.
Did You Know? Douglas County has been debt free as of October 2022. In 2023, Douglas County will be operating a $169 million General Fund, part of an overall $473 million budget. The County has the funds now to dedicate a percentage of the General Fund to identify and source a renewable water supply and make this urgent need a budget priority.
Total County Budget
2020 - $274 million
2021 - $331 million
2022 - $511 million
2023 - $473 million
General Fund Budget
2020 - $63 million
2021 - $74 million
2022 - $162 million
2023 - $169 million
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