By The Parker Water & Sanitation District Board of Directors

Recently, there has been false information circulating about the Parker Water & Sanitation District which calls for clarification. The one central truth facing the community served by the Parker Water and Sanitation District is the requirement to increase our supply of water to ensure a reliable resource for both present and future generations. Not doing so creates a grave threat to our children and grandchildren.

For this reason, recent discussions about rate increases represent much more than merely a review of operating budget line items and spending practices. Far more important is the commitment and the ability to secure more water through investment in capital improvement projects. How the District manages it short term operational needs will have a significant impact on its ability to obtain long-term capital financing.

Some might say that stopping growth would curtail the need for new sources. Even if true, such a tactic would harm the regional economy and reduce property values, among other unintended consequences. Others might surmise that raising water rates significantly would result in people using less. That may be true but the tactic would fall far short of ensuring the supplies we need as well as adding another cost burden to our customers.

Here is the reality: our current water use is reducing our groundwater aquifers by as much as 30 feet per year. Every well in the district records this reduced production. We are essentially mining a non-renewable resource. Once we have pumped the water to the surface, it will not be recaptured and returned to the aquifer. The Rueter-Hess Reservoir is part of the solution to this problem. But with groundwater depletion, PWSD management is working hard to find new sources to meet ongoing demand.

The amount of renewable water supply from Cherry Creek is limited to about 5,000 acre feet annually (an acre foot supplies two average sized families for a year). Currently, our residents and businesses use 8,000 acre feet every year! The District will capture as much surface water as possible in the Rueter-Hess Reservoir, which represents a major component of our future water security.

What is the answer to this mounting challenge? There are several opportunities related to purchasing renewable resources on the South Platte, Arkansas or Colorado rivers. Such buys are feasible but the cost is high because in addition to purchasing the water rights the District must launch major capital projects to construct pipelines and pump stations to transport the water to Parker. These kinds of capital costs are already being incurred by neighboring water districts, including several pipelines of 30 miles or more that will consume literally billions of dollars.

PWSD has also purchased consumptive water rights by buying 12 farms outside the District in Logan County that could supply as many as 9,000 acre feet of water. The good news is that these are performing assets, generating District revenues until the water might be needed. PWSD's foresight in obtaining "senior" water rights here will give Parker residents priority over other uses when the time comes. The District views this option as a last resort insurance policy.

Delivery from the Colorado River would bear the same infrastructure cost but would be less expensive to treat. The District is also looking at water from Flaming Gorge on the Green River, the largest provider of water to the Colorado River. We have also obtained permission to study this option from the Colorado Division of Natural Resources and the Wyoming Water Commission and the Bureau of Reclamation. With this option, 400 miles of pipeline would create significant capital costs and would require partnerships with other agencies.

How long the water in our Denver Basin aquifers will last is a matter of debate, but our current studies indicate that without imported surface water, Parker could face sever water shortages as soon as 20 years from now. Given the length of time required to develop new sources of supply, PWSD management is entirely prudent in starting now to raise the revenues required to ensure consistent water supplies for the future of the Parker community.