$1.2 billion solution aims to create sustainable water source for Colorado farmland and suburbs
Two parts of the state desperate to secure more water are now working together. Castle Rock has joined a major water project known as the Platte Valley Water Partnership.
It's a joint effort between Parker Water and the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District to secure a long-term water supply for towns in Douglas County and northeastern Colorado farmers.
"This field actually happens to be drip irrigated, and that's the most efficient," explained Dan Kendrick, owner of Kendrick Livestock. "I was short of water, and that's why we did this."
Water from the South Platte River is central to operations on Kendrick's Fort Morgan farm.
"We grow corn, alfalfa, and we're able to custom farm quite a bit of ground for the folks across the road, and we raise a lot of sheep," Kendrick said.
But in the driest months of the year, Kendrick has to turn to dwindling groundwater.
"When it gets dry for a couple years or three years in a row, it gets tough," Kendrick said. "It's a water-short area for sure, and we've been looking for a long time for ways to shore that up."
One hundred miles away, fast-growing communities in Douglas County are also worried about water.
"We want to make sure that, as we continue to grow, that we have a long-term renewable and sustainable water supply," said Mark Marlowe, director of Castle Rock Water.
A major infrastructure project could be the solution for both communities.
The Platte Valley Water Partnership seeks to divert water from the South Platte near Sterling and move it to Douglas County.
"We'll pull that off, store it in a reservoir out in that area and then slowly pump it back to Rueter-Hess," said Ron Redd, district manager for Parker Water.
Castle Rock and Parker will utilize their own junior water rights. A "junior water right" was established after previous other water rights in the same water source, meaning it has lower priority and must be curtailed first if there is a water shortage. Redd says in this case, the South Platte junior water rights essentially amount to spring runoff.
Agricultural communities in northeastern Colorado can also use the reservoir.
"They benefit because they'll get to use our infrastructure as well, and they'll be able to capture their own water and use it," Redd said.
"It has the potential to have a huge positive impact for us in helping narrow that water gap and coming up with a new source of water," Kendrick said.
The partnership will ensure water rights are not bought or taken from agricultural users to benefit municipalities.
"A 'buy and dry' is where a municipality buys a farm and then takes the water off that farm and moves it to the customers in the metro area, and so we're not going to allow that," Redd said. "Because the water is a junior water right, it's mainly spring runoff. We're not impacting the farmers' water rights."
"We do not want buy and dry," Kendrick said.
Water storage plan
In Douglas County, water will be stored in the Rueter-Hess Reservoir, which already exists. But Redd says another reservoir, to hold approximately 70,000 acre-feet of water, and a 120-mile pipeline will need to be built.
The partnership has found a location for the reservoir near Fremont Butte in Washington County, and is currently in the land acquisition phase.
"This is an expensive project. It's going to take a lot of money. And our partnership with Parker Water and Castle Rock is what's going to make this project affordable for ag. We can't do it on our own," Kendrick said.
Project cost and timeline
Phase one of the project will cost around $835 million. Parker will contribute $579 million, Castle Rock $156 million, and Lower South Platte Water $100 million.
Yearly, that will give 11,000 acre-feet of water to Lower South Platte, 9,000 to Parker, and 3,000 to Castle Rock.
Phase one will lay out the initial infrastructure for the project and may not be completed until 2040. It will then be followed by phase two. The entire project will cost around $1.2 billion over more than 50 years.
"This project for Castle Rock will help us reach 100% renewable and sustainable water supply in any given average hydrologic year. So it's pretty exciting for us because it'll kind of get us to that final piece that we've been looking to get to," Marlowe said.
Castle Rock has been working on plans to use 75% renewable water by 2050 and 100% renewable by 2065. They hope to eventually replenish depleting aquifers.
"We want to continue to utilize the Denver Basin, nonrenewable groundwater over the long term, but what we want to use it for is a drought supply. We want to protect that supply. We also want to collect this renewable water supply when it's available and store that water back down in the Denver Basin aquifer for the long term," Marlowe said. "This project will obviously help us along that route, and it's an opportunity to participate in what we see as one of the most innovative projects in the state currently. This concept of working with the agricultural partners and building infrastructure that can be used jointly to make that water used more efficiently and to ensure that we're able to capture those junior water rights and put them to use."
It's a partnership that seeks to carry the Front Range through growth and northeastern farmers through dry years.
"If we're going to solve the water gap in Colorado, we have to work together," Kendrick said.
