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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.
Spotlight On:
El Paso County Water Master Plan
El Paso County takes its current and future water needs very seriously.
Its in-depth ongoing study and planning processes are a valuable roadmap for the development of Douglas County’s countywide water plan.
Released in early 2019, the El Paso County Water Master Plan is a 252-page detailed document that aims to “ensure that land use decisions are balancing efficient use of existing water supplies with the water needs of current and future residents.”
To conduct the study, the county worked with its 70 water suppliers and the owners of over 21,300 permitted groundwater wells.
One of the core aspects of the master plan is a close examination of water supply needs, which found that by 2060, the county could be 18 billion gallons (or 55,000 acre-feet) short, requiring water supplies to be boosted by one third.
Among the strategies to accomplish that, as described in the plan’s executive summary, is that “a number of water suppliers will need to diversify their supply portfolio with additional renewable water sources.”
In addition, El Paso County announced earlier this year that it is conducting a study of groundwater levels in the Denver Basin aquifers. Many rural residents in the county currently rely on the Denver aquifer.
According to media reports, the initial aim to gather data from water providers is, “to help update the understanding of groundwater in the county that has largely been based on a state study from the 1980s.”
County officials noted that the aquifers in the Denver Basin have been diminishing over time, which is a key driving force in the need for Douglas County’s water plan as well.
The new study, along with the water master plan, have been strongly backed by past and current El Paso County commissioners.
The findings of the study, which meshes data from providers and well owners, paints exactly the picture of long-range water needs and supply gaps that Douglas County must mirror in its own plan.
Getting actionable facts is critical for responsible leadership not just on growth and development, but protecting the county’s economy and quality of life.
Recent Headlines
This Texas City Is Too Hot, Short on Water—and Booming
Kyle is one of the U.S.’s fastest-growing cities. But with extreme heat and limited water supplies, that isn’t necessarily a good thing.
KYLE, Texas—People and businesses have flooded into Kyle, Texas, since the pandemic, making it the second-fastest-growing city in the U.S. The influx is creating wealth but also contributing to a big problem: Kyle is getting hotter and running low on water.
Housing developments pop up seemingly overnight on this patch of hills and prairie between Austin and San Antonio. Amazon.com recently opened a 308,000-square-foot sorting center in town. Tesla built a megafactory nearby.
Large number of customers starting lawn-watering cycles on Mondays is stressing Denver Water’s system
Denver-area homeowners and businesses, in their race to start their automatic sprinklers at 5 a.m. on Monday mornings, are putting unprecedented stress on Denver Water’s delivery system, threatening its supply of locally stored, treated water.
Roughly 80% of the utility’s 1.5 million customers have watering systems that can be set and then left for the season, but too many are going off at 5 a.m. at the start of the week, a period that has become the witching hour for Colorado’s largest water utility.
…Castle Rock has some of the strictest lawn watering rules in the state, and that partly explains why it has been able to manage the new peaks in demand, said Mark Marlowe, director of Castle Rock Water.
“The whole reason Castle Rock developed watering days originally was because our infrastructure was not big enough to allow everyone to water on the same day,” he said. “To be fair, if we had everyone water on the same day we would have the same problem as Denver.”
Colorado's richest county is the third-healthiest community in the country, according to a U.S. News & World Report ranking released Tuesday.
Why it matters: Studies show that higher incomes are linked to a lower likelihood of disease and premature death — and Douglas County, which has ranked as one of Colorado's top two healthiest since 2011, keeps proving that point.
Zoom in: Douglas County, where Castle Rock is the county seat, scored 95% overall across the 10 categories.
Did you know? Colorado Springs is expected to surpass Denver as the most populous city in Colorado by 2040. It also recently ranked as the #3 best place to live, according to the latest edition of the U.S. News & World Report.
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.
