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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-02-13 WSB AGENDAWATER & SEWER BOARD AGENDA Tuesday, February 13, 2007 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ROOM 1. MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 23, 2007. (ATT. 1) 2. GUEST: JOE PERSHIN, ALLEN FILTER PLANT RE: PLATTE RIVER PROGRAM AREA. (WHOOPING CRANES). (ATT. 2) 3. GUEST: BILL McCORMICK. NATURALLY OCCURRING URANIUM IN SURFACE WATER.. (ATT . 3) 4. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. ARTICLE FROM THE DENVER POST -"WATER-QUALITY BILL CLEARS PANEL." (ATT. 4) B. ARTICLE FROM DENVER PUBLIC WORKS JOURNAL -"A NEW LEVEL OF WATER EFFICIENCY." (ATT. 5) C. ARTICLE FROM CDM NEWS-"MANAGING DIGITAL DATA." (ATT. 6) D. ARTICLE FROM COLORADO BUSINESS-"THIRST FOR SOLUTIONS ." (ATT. 7) 5. OTHER. WATER AND SEWER BOARD MEETING January 23, 2007 J\ TT. I The meeting was called to order at 5:03 p.m. Members present: Members absent: Also present: Clark, Moore, Cassidy, Wiggins, Oakley, Habenicht, Higday, Wolosyn Burns Stewart Fonda, Director of Utilities John Bock, Utilities Manager Bill McCormick, Operations Supt. Joe Pershin, Water Production Administrator 1. MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 14, 2006 MEETING. The Englewood Water and Sewer Board approved the minutes of the meeting of November 14, 2006. Mr. Wiggins moved; Mr. Moore seconded: Ayes: Nays: Members absent: Motion carried. To approve the minutes from the November 14, 2006 meeting. Clark, Moore, Cassidy, Wiggins, Oakley, Habenicht, Burns, Moore, Wolosyn None None 2 . BIG DRY CREEK INTERCEPTOR. John Bock, Utilities Manager, appeared to discuss the Big Dry Creek Interceptor. The Big Dry Creek Interceptor line runs along Clarkson and Orchard, with the sewage eventually emptying into the Littleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Board received a letter from Southgate Sanitation District outlining a proposed rehabilitation and replacement program. It is proposed that advanced tap charges will no longer be collected, but line charges will continue to be collected for the Big Dry Creek Interceptor for a long-range maintenance program. Tap fees that have been collected will be reimbursed to the respective sanitation districts . Maintenance fees will be increased $8 to $10 per year, per residential unit to cover costs. Southgate will then give the maintenance program a $1 ,800,000 loan to the Maintenance Program that will be repaid from future maintenance revenues. The existing contract allows for these adjustments . The City Attorney's office is reviewing the contract. 3. MARY ELLEN McPHERSON -4001 S. FOX ST. John Bock appeared to review the challenges of Mary Ellen McPherson, owner of 4001 s. Fox Street regarding her water and sewer billing history. 4. GUEST: DAVID HILL, WATER ATTORNEY RE: FRICO CASE. David Hill, Englewood's water attorney, appeared before the Board to discuss water rights issues and the results of the FRI CO case . 5. GUEST: JOE PERSHIN, ALLEN FILTER PLANT. DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS AND SURFACE WATER. Joe Pershin, Water Production Administrator, appeared before the Board to discuss the Stage 2 Disinfection/Disinfection Byproducts Rule, which is meant to lessen the exposure to disinfection byproducts, and the Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, which is meant to lessen exposure to Cryptosporidium. Possible alternate disinfection techniques were discussed . 6. GEESE CONTROL AT THE ALLEN FILTER PLANT. The Board received copies of the City of Englewood Administrative Policy Manual #47 allowing use of a pyrotechnic pistol launcher for the use of geese dispersal at the North Reservoir at the Allen Filter Plant. Mr. Bill McCormick, Operations Superintendent at the Allen Filter Plant appeared to explain the use of the pyrotechnic pistol and the hazards that are created by large numbers of geese that can reside on the North Reservoir. 7. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS : The Board received the following informational items: a. Article from "The Seattle Times," "Sewer Bills Likely to Rise" discusses a $1.75 billion increase in the cost of the Brightwater sewage treatment plant. That will increase already high sewer rates . b. Article from "Quarterly Magazine," "Data Driven Design" discusses the Littleton/Englewood Wastewater Treatment Plant implementing a cutting-edge automation system. The next Water and Sewer Board will be February 13 , 2006 in the Community Development Conference Room at 5:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Recording Secretary Date March 5, 2007 INITIATED BY Utilities Department ATT. 2 COUNCIL COMMUNICATION Agenda Item Subject Platte River Program - Endangered Species Act STAFF SOURCE Stewart Fonda, Director of Utilities COUNCIL GOAL AND PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION RECOMMENDED ACTION The Water and Sewer Board, at their February 13, 2007 meeting, recommended Council approval of Englewood's participation in the Platte River Program. BACKGROUND, ANALYSIS, AND ALTERNATIVES IDENTIFIED The South Platte Water Related Activities Program (SPWRAP) is an agreement with the Department of the Interior to improve the habitat of the following endangered species -the interior least tern, whooping crane, pallid sturgeon and the threatened piping plover. The South Platte Water Related Activities Program (SPWRAP) would improve the habitat, by providing more water in the critical area along the Platte River in Nebraska. Englewood , along with other water users along the Platte River, would be the principals in the SPWRAP agreement. This agreement should provide compliance with the Endangered Species Act to participating entities .. The Department of the Interior is funding half of the program, and through the Corps of Engineers, issues 404 Permits for users along the Platte River. These permits are mandatory for construction, repairs or projects in or along the Platte River. FINANCIAL IMPACT Englewood's portion of the assessment for the program for 2007 is $29, 189.52, with an annual assessment for 13-years. Future assessment amounts will be computed on treated water use and number of participants with the SPWRAP Program. The amount of $29, 189.52 is based on the assumption that all users along the Platte will participate. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS Ordinance Platte River Program :~ . Platte River Basin ~ ·~ :: .. . . . . ... ... · , .· Wyoming · Nebraska .· ... . . .. -.. . I . I .:,. ___ ·:···. Slnclalr :-.. Grand Lexington Island Overton N.o rth gate . ·. ~. _, · · Nort0Sca1e ',·.. · .·.·: ~ •. ~ · .. ~ ·. ·:.>.-." .·· Colorado Critical Habitat r--------· I I Kansas I I The South Platte Water Related Activities Program Since the late 1970 's, conflicts between water use and endangered species protection have affected federal permitting of existing and planned irrigation, municipa l and industrial water supply projects in the Platte River basin. These are 404 permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers whenever work is done in the South Platte River or any of its tributaries . In 1997, the Governors of the States of Colorado , Nebraska and Wyoming signed an agreement with the Department of the Interior to improve and/or study the habitat of four endangered species in the central Platte River in Nebraska (endangered interior least tern, whooping crane and pallid sturgeon and the threatened piping plover (target species)). Some Colorado water users have incorporated into the South Platte Water Related Activities Program, Inc. (SPWRAP), a Colorado nonprofit corporation, to represent users and partner with the State to ensure compliance with Program obligations . SPWRAP will serve as the vehicle by which Colorado South Platte water users participate in the Program, and the exclusive means by which they will obtain the regulatory benefits of the Program. The Program was finalized in October , 2006. This program will allow water projects to be initiated with relatively little effort required for Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance . The program is a basin-wide effort undertaken by the 3 States and the Department of the interior to provide benefits for the endangered interior lesser tern, whooping crane, and pallid sturgeon and the threatened piping plover (the target species). The habitat for these species is in Nebraska near Grand Island. Through the program the states and the federal government will provide land , water and systematic monitoring and research. The program is designed to be incremental , with the first increment lasting at least 13 years. During this time the objectives are to: 1. retime and improve flows in the central Platte River by an average of 130 ,000 to 150,000 acre-feet per year at Grand Island; 2. protect , restore and maintain 10,000 acres of habitat; 3. Implement the integrated monitoring and research plan through the Adaptive Management Plan. The monetary cost of the first increment of the program is $187 million (2005). The States plan to contribute water and land in addition to the monetary contributions. The total burden of money, land and water will be shared equally by the 3 States (50%) and the United States (50%). Basically, Colorado would provide money, Wyoming would provide water and Nebraska would provide land with the United States providing matching contributions . This program is voluntary to water users along the South Platte River. The downside is that if a federal 404 permit (for any activities in the river or its tributaries) is needed by a water user, that user will be charged past dues to the program or the permit will not be issued. The good news is that by participating in the program, the entity is assured compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Otherwise compliance in the future may cost much more than the program costs. The Program provides substantial benefits to water users in the form of regulatory predictability under the ESA. The water users' portion is determined by the amount of water used in the past five years. Englewood's contribution will be approximately $29,000 for this year. Since the ESA went into effect, it was common knowledge that those diverting water (especially in the Platte River basin) would be affected in some way. There were many options discussed as to how water users would comply and some were very detrimental to the diversion of water. The Program will allow compliance without curtailing diversions by Englewood. • Assessments will change each year depending on the amount of water produced for the previous 5 years. • The Program would like assessments for the first year paid by April 1, 2007. • Assessments may change depending on how many entities join. A. Instructions South Platte Water Related Activities Program, Inc. Municipal (Class M) Membership 2007 Reporting Form & Assessment Invoice Page 1 of 2 Please fill in this form including membership information , water use data , and the assessment as calculated . Send payment for your SPWRAP annual assessment to the address listed at the bottom of this form . Municipal Member Entity Mailing Address City of Englewood 1000 Englewood Parkway Englewood, Colorado 80110-2373 email Address Phone Number Submitted by Title sfonda@englewoodgov.org 303-762-2636 Stewart H. Fonda Director of Utilities Date B. Treated Wate r Use (previous 5-year average (2002-2006) Note : A member's water use for purposes of defining the number of single-family equ ivalent taps for SPWRAP is defined as "any treated water deliveries from sources of water owned by the member." (A) (B) (C) (D) =A+ B + C Treated Water Year Production at Additions 2 Subtractions 3 Total Treated Member's Plant 1 Water Use (acre-feet) (acre-feet) (acre-feet) (acre-feet) 2002 9,072 9,072 2003 8,184 8,184 ' 2004 7,344 7,344 2005 7,921 7,921 2006 8,020 8,020 5-Year Average Adjusted Water Use 4 8,108.20 1 The amount of treated water produced at your entity 's water treatment facility (if any). 2 Add any treated water that is owned by your entity but treated by another entity . 3 Subtract any water treated at your facility but not owned by your entity . 4 Equals the sum divided by the number of years reported . C. Calculation of Single Family Equivalents, Membership Units and Annual Assessment 1. Previous 5-year average (2001-2005) Treated Water Use (acre-feet) 8,108.20 2. Use per S. F. Account (acre-feeUSFE) t 0.5 3. Single Family Equivalents (No. 1 / No. 2) 16,216.40 4. SPWRAP Member Units per SFE t 6 5. Total SPWRAP Membership Units (No. 3 X No. 4) 97,298.40 6. 2006/2007 SPWRAP AssessmenUUnit t 0.30 7. 2006/2007SPWRAP Annual Assessment (No . 5 X No. 6) $29,189.52 t Numbers 2, 4, & 6 above are fixed for all members in 2007 D. Payment of Assessment Payment of the annual assessment will provide membership in SPWRAP and coverage under the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program through the calendar year 2007 . Please make checks payable to "SPWRAP" and send to the following address : SPWRAP % Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District 220 Water Avenue Berthoud, Colorado 80513 Page 2 of 2 Note : This reporting form may be revised in the future to reflect information needed to comply with Program requirements . Entities electing to join after 2007 will be required to pay the assessment for the year they join the program. In addition the new member must pay assessments for all prior years of the Program , plus 4% interest, compounded annually. ATT. 3 Urban Development and its Influence on Naturally Occurring Uranium in Surface Water and Groundwater Abstract Timothy Cox, P.G., CGWP URS Corporation Denver, Colorado The City of Englewood, Colorado operates a water treatment plant with an intake on the South Platte River and treatment residuals have contained higher than expected levels of uranium. These elevated levels are due to increased efficiency of removal of uranium from influent water during alum coagulation and potentially to increased uranium within the influent water. In an effort to identify possible source(s) of elevated uranium, the City collected surface water samples from the South Platte River and its tributaries. Results of this sampling revealed that water collected from Big Dry Creek, a tributary to the South Platte, had uranium above background levels. The creek flows past the closed County Line Landfill, which was suspected to be a possible source of uranium. The City and owner/operator of the landfill subsequently sampled surface water and groundwater at locations down , cross and upgradient of the landfill. Elevated concentrations of uranium were found upstream of the landfill in an unnamed tributary to Big Dry Creek. This finding indicated that shallow groundwater contains naturally occurring, elevated uranium and that the landfill is not a source of uranium. Review of the local geology combined with results of the sampling suggested that the source of uranium in Big Dry Creek is the Dawson Formation, which forms the ridges within the watershed . The Dawson is largely comprised of arkosic sandstone derived from the weathering of granitic rock that contains uranium-bearing minerals. Drainages have eroded through the formation and the sediment lines the streambeds. Much of the area now experiences extensive lawn irrigation as a result of ongoing residential and commercial development. This lawn irrigation increases return flows to Big Dry Creek and its tributaries. Irrigation water migrating through the uranium rich soils and streambeds provides the likely source of uranium in the shallow groundwater and eventually to Big Dry Creek . Background Natural radioactivity is present at various concentrations in rock and soil. Water in streams, lakes, and reservoirs can contain naturally occurring radioactivity . The predominant radionuclides from these water sources are radium, uranium, and radon , as well as their daughter products . The U.S . Environmental Protection Agency has established new standards for uranium in drinking water that require drinking water providers to remove more radionuclides from the raw water. These radionuclides end up in the water treatment residuals as high volume, low activity sludges that are above background levels. The residuals are typically dried and transported to disposal facilities. Drinking water providers have become increasingly concerned that their current disposal practices may require change due to the higher radionuclide content and that this may not justify the increased costs of disposal. The City of Englewood (City) operates a drinking water treatment plant south of Denver, Colorado (Figure 1). The water in the City's system comes primarily from the South Platte River. Water is pumped from the river to a filter plant where it is treated. The City's water treatment residuals have contained higher than expected levels of uranium over the past several years . These high levels are apparently due to increased efficiency ofremoval of uranium from influent water during treatment. Further, the amounts of uranium in residuals are elevated relative to background, which suggests uranium may be elevated in the South Platte River (Camp Dresser & McKee 2006). Englewood Water Treatment Plant Belleview Ave. Arapahoe Rd. Lincoln Ave. l mile Figure 1 -Location map of study area In the fall of 2005, the City attempted to identify the source of elevated uranium in the South Platte River by collecting samples from the river upstream of the treatment plant intake and from Big Dry Creek, which is tributary to the river and enters approximately 600 feet upstream of the treatment plant intake. The stream flow in Big Dry Creek is supported by groundwater baseflow in local drainages that also receive storm water runoff. Sample results showed that water entering the river from Big Dry Creek contained about 200 micrograms per liter (µg /L) of uranium whereas the concentration in the river was lower. Elevated concentrations of uranium were observed in Big Dry Creek upstream to a point where the creek crosses into Douglas County near the closed County Line Landfill. Although not definitive, these initial results suggested that the landfill could be a source of uramum. County Line Landfill is a former municipal waste disposal facility that was operated from the mid-1960s until it was closed in January 1987. The landfill is located in Douglas County and covers approximately 90 acres (Figure 1 ). The landfill is owned by Arapahoe County (County) and operated in its later years by Waste Management of Colorado (WMC). Prior to landfilling operations, the natural topography beneath the landfill drained to the north through an unnamed tributary to Big Dry Creek. A reinforced high-density polyethylene pipeline runs beneath the landfill from a storm water detention basin located south of the landfill. The pipeline was constructed when the landfill was built and continued along the pre-existing channel. North (downstream) of the landfill , the storm water is conveyed via a concrete pipeline and outfalls at Big Dry Creek. In the spring of 2006 , the City contacted the County and WMC about results of the initial sampling of Big Dry Creek. Discussions among the parties were held and the outcome was a joint sampling investigation that included focused sampling of water in Big Dry Creek, groundwater downgradient of the landfill, and water in the unnamed tributary upstream of the closed landfill. The objective of the sampling was to determine if the landfill was a source of the elevated uranium concentrations in Big Dry Creek. Focused Sampling Focused sampling of Big Dry Creek was performed in June 2006. Split samples were collected between the City and County/WMC . Water samples were tested for uranium, gross alpha and beta activities , radium 226 and 228, and thorium . Concentrations from split samples were very similar with relative percent differences of less than five percent. Uranium is the key radionuclide for the investigation; thus, uranium results are presented herein and results from the County/WMC samples are used for interpretation. Big Dry Creek was sampled at eight locations along an approximate two and one-half mile reach from its headwaters , east of the landfill , to about one mile north of the landfill (Figure 2). Samples were collected at a sufficient number of locations to assess where uranium concentrations begin to increase and how they may change in the creek. The stream flow of Big Dry Creek was visually estimated at the upstream sampling location. A stream flow gauging station is located on Big Dry Creek east of the landfill and the flow at the time of sampling was obtained. Stream flow allows for the uranium load in the creek to be calculated. Co un Line Road C-4 70 Highlands Ranch Pkwy. I mi le Figure 2 -Sampling locations with uranium concentrations in parentheses (µg/L) Water in the unnamed tributary to Big Dry Creek was sampled upstream of the storm water detention basin and south of the landfill. A sample at this location defines naturally occurring concentrations within the small watershed upgradient and unaffected by the landfill. The flow in the unnamed tributary at this location was visually estimated. The same water was sampled at the outfall of the storm water pipeline at Big Dry Creek. Water at the outfall was sampled to determine if there is a gain or loss of uranium as the water is diverted beneath the landfill in the pipeline. Additionally, two shallow groundwater wells north of the landfill were sampled. Previous investigations of this area found that the flow direction of shallow groundwater generally mimics topography and the wells are downgradient of the landfill (Hydrologic Consultants, Inc. 1994). Therefore, sample results from the wells should detect uranium that is potentially migrating from the landfill within the shallow groundwater system. Sampling Results Uranium concentrations at each sample location on Big Dry Creek and are shown on Figure 2. Overall, the primary increase in uranium in the creek occurs from the headwaters downstream to County Line Road, downstream of which concentrations are similar. The uranium concentration at the upstream most location I was 35 µg /L. The concentration increased to 79 µg /L at the next downstream location H and further increased to I 30 µg /L at the GI location, which is near Highway C-470 . The reach from GI to G is east (cross gradient) of the landfill and the uranium concentration increased by 90 µg /L reaching 220 µg/L at location G, which is at County Line Road. No inflows of water to Big Dry Creek or possible anthropogenic sources of uranium occur from location I downstream to location G; therefore , the increase in uranium levels is naturally occurring. Locations F3 , F2 , Fl and F are on a golf course north of the landfill . Uranium concentrations at these locations are similar and range from a low of I 90 µg/L at location F to a high of 230 µg /L at location F2. The highest uranium concentration of 700 µg/L was measured in the unnamed tributary that enters the storm water detention basin south of the landfill. This location is identified as DP and is upgradient of the landfill (Figure 2). From this location , the water is piped beneath the landfill and the water outfalls at Big Dry Creek northeast of the landfill at location F4-SO. The uranium concentration at the outfall was 480 µg /L; thus , some dilution of the water is occurring as th e water passes beneath the landfill. The shallow groundwater north of the landfill has uranium concentrations that are slightly less than in the reach of Big Dry Creek downgradient of the landfill on the golf course . The uranium concentrations in monitoring wells FMW-2 and MW-I were 180 and I60 µg /L, respectively. Sample results suggest that the landfill is not the source of uranium that has been observed in Big Dry Creek. Support for this finding includes : • The increasing trend in uranium concentrations in the creek begins at locations upgradient or cross gradient to the landfill. • Elevated concentrations of uranium are observed upstream of the landfill m the unnamed tributary. Based on results of the focused sampling, uranium in Big Dry Creek appears to be naturally occurring. The increase in uranium from the upstream location I to location G is from natural groundwater baseflow feeding the creek. This loading of the creek is illustrated in the following calculations at the two locations. The stream flow at upstream location I was estimated to be 30 gallons per minute and the resulting uranium load based on the measured concentration of 35 µg /L is 0.013 pounds per day . The stream flow at the gauge near location G was 680 gallons per minute and the uranium load based on the measured concentration of 220 µg/L is 1.8 pounds per day . The load increases by two orders of magnitude between the two locations . The shallow groundwater that feeds the creek not only increases the stream flow of the creek but it also is responsible for increasing the uranium concentration . Support for shallow groundwater to have naturally elevated concentrations of uranium is evident from the groundwater wells north of the landfill. The wells have uranium at levels similar to those in Big Dry Creek indicating that groundwater in the area is likely to have naturally elevated concentrations . Natural Occurrence of Uranium Initial discussions between the City and County/WMC identified naturally occurring uranium as a possible source of uranium in Big Dry Creek. With no known anthropogenic source of uranium in the area and evidence that the landfill is not the source, the most likely cause of elevated uranium in Big Dry Creek is from soil and rock in the area that has naturally elevated levels. Uranium is a ubiquitous and common element in soil and rock along the Colorado Front Range. Primary deposits of uranium tend to concentrate in granitic or alkaline volcanic rocks . Uranium is soluble in oxidizing waters and can be leached from primary source rocks into porous sedimentary rocks and structures by groundwater. This secondary (epigenetic) uranium in sedimentary rocks accounts for most of the uranium occurrence in Colorado (Colorado Geological Survey 2006). The Big Dry Creek watershed drains lands underlain by the Dawson Formation of the Denver Basin. The Dawson Formation is comprised of andesitic and arkosic sandstone deposited during the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary. Sandstone minerals chiefly include quartz , feldspar , and plagioclase . The sandstone is cross-bedded or massive and is very coarse-grained to pebbly. Occasional interbeds of thin-bedded claystone and sandy claystone may occur. The sediment that now comprises the Dawson Formation was eroded from the rapidly uplifting granitic and metamorphic rocks of the Front Range and deposited in the western part of the Denver Basin (Thorson and Madole 2003). In the upper reaches of Big Dry Creek and its tributaries, streams have eroded into the Dawson Formation. Figure 3 is a geologic map of a portion of the Big Dry Creek watershed (Maberry and Lindvall 1977). The Dawson Formation forms most of the ridges within the watershed and is adjacent to the much of the Big Dry Creek drainage . Over time, the creek has incised into the Dawson Formation exposing the sandstone. A photograph of an outcrop of arkosic sandstone is shown on Figure 4 (a) and the coarse-grained granitic composition of the arkosic sandstone is shown on Figure 4 (b ). The eroded material eventually enters the drainages and makes up most of the Quaternary Piney Creek Alluvium within the Big Dry Creek drainage. Op >;-_ Cotinty Lin ~· Landfill v Tda ~ l' ,,un&med "· i !ributary 01 \ 00 ' i I L .t . Tda < ,, Ir af ,1 J l Td a ' ,011 1 '· 1' i () Ob \) I (- j // / , ( ~ t Ot Op ..... Figure 3 -Geologic map of Big Dry Creek drainage; Tda is the Dawson arkosic sandstone facies, Tds is the sandstone facies, and Tdo is claystone facies; Qp is the Piney Creek alluvium and Qpp is the Post Piney Creek alluvium (Maberry and Lindvall 1977). A literature review was performed for information on primary and secondary uranium occurrences in the Dawson Formation. Small uranium deposits have been located in the Dawson Formation in limonite-cemented arkosic sandstone of the upper part of the formation (Nelson-Moore and others 1978). Gamma-ray logs from water wells in the upper Dawson Formation near Colorado Springs occasionally have elevated responses (2-4 times background), which may indicate low-grade uranium occurrences (Thorson and Madole 2003). Furthermore, a large number of radon gas mitigation systems are installed in residential homes in the area, which indicates that the natural radioactive decay of uranium is occurring in the soils. Given these lines of evidence, it is likely that the Dawson Formation is a source of uranium that eventually leaches to groundwater and enters Big Dry Creek. Figure 4 -(left) Outcrop of Dawson Arkose sandstone in Big Dry Creek drainage; (right) Close-up view of arkosic sandstone showing coarse-grained, granitic composition. Urban Development Urban development has increased considerably in the area (population increase of approximately 70 ,000 in the past 20 years). The cause-and-effect relationship between increased development, with its associated water management practices, and changes in the shallow groundwater system are strong. Prior to 1991, the unnamed tributary watershed south of the landfill was not developed . Land use was primarily ranch land for stock. Small trees and brush are within the main channel with grasses present elsewhere. By 1996, the watershed was nearly completely developed with residential homes and some commercial business (Hydrologic Consultants , Inc. 1995). Increased precipitation runoff from residential streets, return flows from lawn irrigation, and increased infiltration from storm water detention basins are new hydrologic influences to the watershed. In particular, return flows from lawn watering now impact the watershed . The region is semi-arid and the average annual precipitation is about 15 inches. It is common for lawn watering to additionally apply two to three times the normal precipitation. Return flows from lawn watering result in year-round flow in the unnamed tributary of about 30 gallons per minute, whereas the tributary was dry and only flowed in response to precipitation events prior to 1991 (Hydrologic Consultants , Inc. 1995). More water is now available to infiltrate through soils and leach uranium and other minerals into the shallow groundwater system and eventually into receiving streams. A photograph of the sustained flow in the unnamed tributary is shown on Figure 5. An example of the impact of increased leaching of uranium is evident in the flow of the unnamed tributary. The flow was measured to be 30 gallons per minute when the sampling was conducted. Using the uranium concentration of 480 µg /L at the storm water outfall (F4-SO), the uranium load in the tributary is 0.3 pounds per day. The uranium load in the unnamed tributary is 17 percent of the load in Big Dry Creek north of the landfill and represents an additional year-round load to Big Dry Creek that was not present prior to residential development in the area because the creek did not flow except in response to precipitation events. The increased water application in the unnamed tributary watershed has impacted water levels in the shallow groundwater system. Monitoring Well-2a is located at the southern (upgradient) boundary of the landfill and water levels have been measured since the late 1980's (Figure 2). From 1987 to 1991 and prior to the residential development that began in about 1991, groundwater elevations in Well-2a ranged from around 5,709 to 5,713 feet (Figure 6). Water levels were not measured from 1991 through 1997 but resumed in 1998 and indicate that groundwater elevations have increased to 5,720 to 5,723 feet. Comparison of pre-development and recent water levels shows that the water table has risen as much as 14 feet , which is primarily attributed to the lawn watering and increased return flows reaching the shallow groundwater. Figure 5 -Unnamed tributary flowing north (top of photograph) through residential development. Flow in tributary is year-round. 5 ,724 5 ,722 ~ 5 ,72 0 c ~ 5,718 > Q) w El 5,716 ~ -0 c ::J E' 5,714 Cl ~ ]i 5,712 (/) 5,710 5,708 1986 • - • 1988 Period of Residentia l Develop ment in the Unnamed Tributary Watershed South of th e Landfi ll 1~ ·I •• . 1990 1992 1994 1996 • • • • • • • • • -.... . • • • •• • • •• 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 Figure 6 -Historic groundwater elevations in Well 2a south of County Line Landfill within the unnamed tributary watershed. Summary Focused sampling of Big Dry Creek found elevated uranium concentrations as high as 230 µg/L. Uranium concentrations in the headwaters of the creek are relatively low and increase where the creek passes County Line Road . Sample results indicate that the landfill is not the source of uranium because the increasing trend in uranium concentrations begins at locations upgradient or cross gradient to the landfill , and elevated concentrations of uranium are also observed upstream of the landfill in the unnamed tributary. The most likely cause of elevated uranium in Big Dry Creek is from soil and rock in the area that has naturally elevated le vels . The Big Dry Creek watershed drains lands within the Dawson Formation that is comprised of arkosic sandstone and likely contains uranium- bearing minerals. Streams have eroded into the Dawson Formation exposing the sandstone and the eroded sediments area deposited in the streambeds. Residential development in the area has increased the overall amount of water within the watershed. Historically dry streams now flow continuously and shallow groundwater levels have increased. More water is now infiltrating through the soils and provides a transport mechanism for uranium to leach and enter nearby streams. It is likely that elevated concentrations of uranium have occurred in the creek in the past and will likely continue to occur in the future because of uranium's natural occurrence within soil and rock in the region. References Camp Dresser and McKee, 2006, Evaluation of Source of Uranium in Big Dry Creek Surface Water, letter to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, August 9, 2006. Colorado Geological Survey, 2006, RockTalk, Volume 9, Number 2, Fall 2006. Hydrologic Consultants, Inc., 1994, Subsurface Characterization of a Portion of Fairways at South Suburban Property, Littleton, Colorado, prepared for Arapahoe County and Waste Management of Colorado, February 3. Hydrologic Consultants, Inc., 1995, Assessment of groundwater levels at County Line Landfill, Littleton, Colorado, prepared for Arapahoe County and Waste Management of Colorado. Maberry, J. 0., and Lindvall, R. M., 1977, Geologic Map of the Highlands Ranch Quadrangle, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, Colorado , United States Geological Survey, Map GQ-1413 . Nelson-Moore, R.G., Collins, D.B., and Hornbaker, A.L., 1978, Radioactive mineral occurrences a/Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 40, 1054 p. Thorson, J.P., and Madole, R. F., 2003, Geologic Map of the Monument Quadrangle, El Paso County, Colorado, Colorado Geological Survey, Open-File Report 02-0. Timothy Cox, PG, CGWP URS Corporation 8181 E. Tufts Ave. Denver, Colorado 80237 (303) 740-3920 tim _ cox @ urscorp.com Mr. Cox is a Senior Geohydrologist with URS in Denver, Colorado where he is in charge of projects involving environmental characterizations and evaluation of remedial actions. He received a B.S. in Geology and M .S. in Civil Engineering/Groundwater Engineering from Colorado State University. He is a Professional Geologist and a Certified Groundwater Professional working in the consulting industry for the past 20 years. His areas of expertise include remedial investigation/feasibility studies at organic and inorganic contaminated sites, acid rock and mine drainage, flow and transport in fractured rock, and groundwater-surface water interactions. A T7. 'f denverpost.com Home News Politics Sports Business Entertainment Style Opinion Outdoors Travel Local Politics I Legislature I Election National Polit ics Voter's Guide ~ Subscribe I Customer Care Electronic Edition Home > Denver & the West legislature 2007 Water-quality bill clears panel By Je nni fer Brown Denver Post Staff Write r Art icle Last Updated : 01/24/2007 11 :47:34 PM MST Web Feeds D Email Newsletters El Print Friendly View B Email Articl e A proposal to strengthen state water-quality law that has failed at the Capitol the past six years won initial approval Wednesday, with lawmakers predicting this is the year it finally will survive . The measure's genesis is in the feud between Colorado Springs and its downstream neighbor Pueblo , wh ich contends Colorado Springs is fouling Fountain Creek -one of the Arkansas River's tributaries -with sewage . The proposed law would allow water-court judges to consider environmental effects before approving transfers of large amounts of water out of rivers . Rep . Buffie Mcfadyen , D-Pueblo West, who is sponsoring the bill , choked up during a House committee hearing after Rep . Cory Gardner, a Yuma Republican who voted against the measure last year, said he would support it. "We have a saying in Colorado : Whiskey is for drinking , and water is for fighting ," Mcfadyen said . She said she hoped the bill ends "an ongoing struggle in water quality" in appl ications for irrigation rights . The cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs, which opposed McFad yen's bill last year, also supported it this year. Gov. Bill Ritter has said he would sign it. Sara Duncan from Denver Water, who testified in favor of the measure , said the political makeup in Colorado , with Democrats controlling the statehouse and the governor's office , "swayed people as to the wisdom of th is bill." The enduring fight between Colorado Springs and Pueblo is driving the legislation , but it will affect water quality across Colorado . ''This measure is based on the reality that all of our communities are downstream from one another, and by protecting the quality of our water, we can support everyone's access to clean water," said Peter Nichols, a water lawyer for the Lower Arkansas Water Conservancy District. If passed, the measure will allow water-court judges to consider water-quality standards established by the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission before approving a large transfer. It does not apply to transfer decrees already approved. Las Animas housewife Rachel Bogner told the House natural-resources committee she won't drink her well water because she's worried about pollution in the Arkansas River. Instead , the pregnant woman hauls buckets of water to her house . "Water quality in the valley is not all that wonderful ," Bogner said . "It would be nice to make it where it doesn't get worse ." Last year, the legislation was killed by one vote in the Senate. This year's measure , only slightly different than last year's because it would apply only to permanent water transfers and not temporary ones , was sent to the House floor on an 11-2 vote. Staff writer Jennifer Brown can be reached at 303-954-1593 or jenbrown@denverpost.com . Class Search Top Fev. lmrr Poli Big Han daU ! Can ;i~·EG _ISL AT·U RE 2007 :,f - ~'~. ;~f .... ··~--4 ater~quality bill clears panel . ' , . ' ~:{i>Urr~d by an on$oing dispute ~tween Colorado Springs ~lhd Pueb,lo, the measure may 0 fl 'hally pass the legislature. By Jennifer Brown Denver .Post Staff Writer A proposal t6 strengthen state wa- ter-quality law that has failed at the Capitolthe past six years won initial Jllpproval Wednesday, with lawmak- -BES predicting;this is the year it final- "'br twill-survive. The measure's genesis is in the ~dibetween ·Colorado Springs and dts 4.do:wnstream neighbor Pueblo, mibich c,ontends Colorado Springs is fouling Fo'ilntain Creek -one of the u\tkansas Riv:e r 's t'i:ibutaries -with ~wage . 1. The proposed law would allow wa~ ter-court judges to consider environ- mental· effects before approving transfers of large amounts of water out of i ivers. · Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West, who is. spons·oring the bill, choked up during a. House conµn.it- tee hearing after Rep. Cory Gar<,iner , a :Yum.a Repubijcan -·who voted against the measure last year, said he would support it. "We have a saying in Colorado: Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting," McFadyen said. She said she hoped the bill ends "an ongoing struggle in water· quali- ty" in applications for irrigatio~ rights. · The cities of Amora.and Colorado Springs, which opposed McFad- yen's bill last year, also supported -it this year. Gov. Bill Ritter has said he would sigii it. · '.Sar-a Duncan from Denver Water, who testified in favor" of the mea- 'sure,. said the political makeup in Colorado, with Democrats· control- ling the statehouse and the gover-• nor's ·office, "swayed people as to the wisdom of this bill," The enduring fight between Colo- rado Springs and Pueblo is driving the legislation, but it will affect wa- ter quality across Colorado. "This measure is-based on the real- ity that all of our communities are downstream fr.om one another, and by protecting tne,:,quality of ofil wa- ter, we can support everyone's ac- cess to clean w~ter," said Peter Nichols,. a water lawyer for the Low- er Arkansas Water Conservancy Dis- trict. .If passed, the ·measure will allow water-court judges to consider wa- ter-quality standards establi~hed by the Coloi;ado Water Quality Control Commission before approving a large transfer. It does not apply to transfer decrees already approved. Las Animas housewife R.3.chelBog- ner told the House naturaI-resotiJ:c- es committee she won't drink her well water because she.'s . worried about pollution' ih the Arkansas Riv- er. Instead, the pregnant woman hauls buckets of w'ater to her house. "Water quality in the valley is not all that wonderful," Bogner said. "It would be ·nice to make it where it doesn't get worse." ·. Last year, the legislation was killed by one vote in the Senate. This year's me11sure, only slightly different than last year's because it would apply onlyto·perm:inent wa- ter transfers and· not temporary ones, was sent to the House floor on an u-2 vote. · Staff writer Jennifer Brown-can be reached at 303-954-1593 or · jef1brown@denverpdst.com. ' ' i . I ' ATT. S- A New Level Of Water Efficiency City Of Aurora Taking Steps To Create Sustainable Water Supply Solution I n Colorado , having water rights historically has meant having water. Such a correlation can no longer be assumed today unless the rights have seniority, which doesn 't come cheap. Most agencies responsible for providing potable water to citizens have acted responsibly in acquiring water rights wherever they could to create supply assurances necessary to accommodate population growth and an increase in customers . Yet drier than "normal " conditions throughout the western United States over recent years have resulted in depleted levels of avail - able water as demand continues its inevitable rise. The situation , conceivably a foreboding of soon- to-be-commonplace challenges , has helped make the time right for City of Aurora to develop existing, fully-consumable water rights as a sustainable source for both drought protection and future water supply. In 1968 , Aurora took a pioneer- ing role in reclaiming treated water and using it for irrigation at parks , golf courses, greenbelts and other municipally-owned land . The City's Sand Creek Water Reclamation Facility treats five million gallons each day for irrigation . Purple pipe carries the water to nearby locations where it is applied by automatic sprinkler, while off-line large-volume users , like Buckley Air Force Base, receive plant output by truck for hand-watering. Approximately 15 percent of Aurora's treated water is currently being used for irrigation. Today, Aurora is also one of the State 's leaders in promoting water conservation . The City enforces lawn watering restrictions in the summer and aggressively markets its water conservation rebate programs to reduce both in- door and outdoor water use. After evaluating 54 pos- sible projects , Aurora Water City of Aurora owns land adjacent to the South Platte River west of SH 85 in which vertical wells will be drilled for infiltration of reclaimed water from the river 's alluvial bed before transmission to Aurora Reservoir for storage before potable treatment and distribution to customers. 32 December 2006 officials selected the Prairie Waters Project as the recommended strategy, determining it to be the most cost-effective, environmentally- friendly and immediate way to meet future supply needs. "Aurora receives 95 percent of its water from the western slope ," says Aurora Utilities Department Director Peter Binney, P.E. "Maxi- mizing the use of this water is more effective than developing new mountain water supplies to provide the increasing amount necessary to meet demand . While this may not eliminate the need to develop more sources, it does reduce demand fo"r additional sources . Our comprehensive plan to provide a future supply of high -quality, reliable water to our customers includes a variety of projects that will strengthen the existing system, provide more storage and expand water conservation. At this time , Prairie Waters is the key element of the overall plan." Aurora has purchased land adjacent to the S. Platte River near Brighton on which it will construct extraction wells to draw alluvial groundwater from the river. Pumps will move the water into an infil- tration basin , a former gravel pit , where it will percolate through the soil, breaking down organics in the water continuing the natural purifi- cation process known as riverbank filtration . Wells will capture the groundwater and pumps will recir- culate it back into the infiltration basin , allowing for 30 days of natural cleansing before the water is pumped into protected Aquife r Recharge and Recovery basins. The system of wells physically sep- arates the filtered groundwater from the water undergoing treatment and makes it available for transmission Colorado Public Works Journal Prairie Waters Project Natural Water Purification Prbcess -- to Aurora Reservoir. Aurora Water is hoping initially to return 50 percent of its volume of fully-consumable water back into the system , with the capability of expanding operations over time. Binney describes moving toward a long-term sustainable future as "a system in its adolescence look- ing for maturity." Twelve reservoirs and lakes prov ide 155 ,000 acre-feet of storage capacity for water taken under rights from the Colorado , Arkansas and S. Platte watersheds and , to a far lesser degree , from deep aquifers in the Denver Basin . Current levels of water demand are around 60 ,000 acre -feet per year. The City's long-standing goal has been to develop 10 ,000 acre-feet of raw water supply per decade , enough for 50 ,000 people. "We need a mix in our raw water supply strategy," says Binney. "Drought conditions earlier this decade helped promote conser- vation efforts that have proven to make quite a difference that we will of course continue to champion. We need a supply which is highly reliable , and that can best come from efficiently using water rights we already own , in our own basin." Historic challenges for Aurora to using its water rights on the S. Platte involve the fact that the river carries the water away from the __ , __ i City 's reservoirs and potable treat- ment facilities , wh ich are located on higher ground on the City 's south side . The costs of constructing a pipeline and acquiring necessary right-of-ways were not justifiable. With the completion of E-470 , how- ever, the pipeline became much more feasible . The Prairie Waters project is expected to cost $850 million , including $200 million for a new 50- MGD purification plant at Aurora Continued on page 35 Colorado Public Works Journal December 2006 33 Continued from page 33 Reservoir which will break ground this coming March . The 34-mile- long , 60-in.-diameter steel pipeline will transmit water from the Brighton campus south of Barr Lake to E-470 , where it will follow the tollway south for 23 miles to 1-70 before alignment shifts to the east just north of the Adams/ Arapahoe county line . Three pump stations will be necessary to lift the water 1200 feet as it is carried to the reservoir. By 2010 , the Prairie Waters project could deliver as much as 3.3 billion gallons of water back to the City each year. This equates to 20 percent more water i n the system than is available today, enough to meet projected demand into the 2020s . Aurora has a history of respon - sible stewardship with respect to water. Before 1951 , the City was entirely dependent on treated water deliveries from the Denver Water Department. During that year, Aurora embarked on a program to develop its own water supply system. By 1976, when phase one of the Homestake Transmountain Diversion Project was completed, the City disconnected from the Denver system. Aurora Water 's system has grown from a simple well field to a complex network of reservoirs , pipelines and treatment plants delivering water from as far away as 180 miles . It now serves around 300,000 people and is expected to need to serve more than 500,000 people by 2035. "Additional peak capacity can be achieved by expanding the system when necessary," Binney concludes. "Additional storage will be needed, so long-term plans include constructing a new reservoir to the east and interconnecting it with Aurora Reservoir and existing and \ new treatment facilities. A non- potable reservoir for irrigation pur- Colorado Public Works Journal poses as well as a second recla- mation plant on Sand Creek may be added , also . Some land needed in the master plan is already acquired , and we will be investing in additional properties . To complete the Prairie Waters project, we will be issuing an estimated 15 major contracts over the next three years." Growth must pay its own way, so future water supplies will likely include the acquisition of existing senior water rights as well as increased reuse. Being responsible with water usage facilitates rela- tionships with communities else- -~...-@ . ---~ ~ __ ...,,_. N · • ..,.. .. · . ,_,_ ·-..--O MI•_,,...,, _..,.._, where within the State from which water rights might be obtained. In a very real way, demand modification in Aurora lessens the burden on those water-exporting communities and , in fact , the entire western United States . Despite an extensive network of supply and innovative conservation programs , a single drought year could exhaust 40 percent of the City's reservoir storage capacity, which is why the Prairie Waters Project is important to Aurora. • Ktir;J: " . ~-Aurora Reservoir • AURORA . WAT.ER . ";.) . ~ ~....... . December 2006 35 ATT. ~ Manilging Digital Data Located in the Denver suburb of Englewood, the Littleton/Englewood wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) is the third-largest publicly owned treatment facility in Colorado. The plant-the central treatment point for smaller sewer districts-receives untreated waste- water from the cities of Englewood and Littleton, as well as from 18 connector districts in a service area of approximately 100 square miles. Littleton and Englewood each own and operate their own collection systems, and in turn, provide capacity and conveyance service to the connector districts that serve the outlying areas of the system. After relying on many sets of disparate data while conducting an inflow and infiltration study 5 years ago, the Littleton/Englewood utility team sought a means to streamline its collection system data. The solution quickly became the implementation of a geographic information system (GIS ). The utility's GIS will standardize the multitude of data that plant staff regularly reviews, replacing traditional paper or electronic file s with real-time data-allowing the Littleton/Englewood plant to leverage this data as an integral facet of daily oper- ations and ongoing planning processes . "No one here had a comprehensive picture of the collection system before now. We just had pieces that we worked to put together," said Mark Van Nostrand, senior project engineer at the Littleton/ Englewood WWTP. "This is the first time that we 'll have all of the collection system information in one place." The GIS Advantage "Daily benefits will primarily relate to quick access to data," explained Stan Plante, CDM project manager. "Where is this address? Which connector district is responsible for this customer? Will this road widening project affect any sewers? The list goes on :' In the long run, GIS implementation will enable the plant staff to better manage the utility, more effectively communicate with the 18 connector districts and two cities, improve customer service , and support management in making emergency decisions, especially in response to illicit discharges and emergency conditions. "Littleton/Englewood will have a much more comprehensive tool to manage what is coming into the plant;' commented John Rehring, CDM vice president and client service manager. "The plant's team members recognized a good business practice in introducing GIS . They are looking ahead." However, Littleton/Englewood was also motivated to implement a GIS to comply with proposed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations relating to capacity, management, operations, and maintenance (CMOM) and sanitary system overflows. EPA may require the plant to hold the permit for a wide-ranging series of independent sewer districts, and a GIS will facilitate management of these districts . GIS Implementation Phase 1 of the GIS implementation was a 9-month assessment. During this time, CDM team members interviewed key stakeholders, including potential users of the GIS and ·the Denver Regional Council of Governments (a collaborative that fosters regional cooperation among 52 county and municipal governments in the Denver metropolitan area), to identify what data was available for standardization. Since the Littleton/Englewood plant does not own any sanitary sewers, the sewer district representatives were also interviewed during this exploration period. "We learned that several districts were taking on GIS projects of their own. We decided our system would not focus on the detailed, local data, but rather coordinate the information to help us at a higher level;' Van Nostrand said. "This is a tool we will use for planning, reporting, and operational purposes." The GIS will increase access to more specific information about potential spills, ultimately offering better protedion of the South Platte River. '7he [Littleton/Englewood] plant team members recognized a goo d business pradice in introducing GIS. They are looking ahead." -John Rehring, COM vice president and client service manager Phase 2 began in 2005, and CDM GIS specialists continue to standardize and convert a variety of files-including Oracle, AutoCAD, and hard-copy maps and data-into Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI)-shape files . Each data set, derived from vario u s districts , cities, and counties, was received by the conversion team with varying levels of detail, quality, and format. For example, AutoCAD mapping, which consists of sim ple vector lines and points, is converted to GIS files, which use sewer attributes (e.g ., diameter, length, material) that are seamlessly associated with the graph ic representing each feature. This effort has helped provide data t h at can be used to identify methods of prioritizing applications between multiple in-plant and district interests . For pre-treatment needs, this process has identified a method of refining and updating current databases to incl ude more pertinen t information on regulated facilities and provide access tools for field staff. "We 're using a phased approach to implementation, starting with tools that can be used by a broad set of plant staff," said Rob Parsons, a CDM senior GIS specialist overseeing the data conversion. "We 're putting the districts together and creating networks and using portable maps, such as Arcreader, as a way for the districts to review the converted data ." Future phases of GIS development may include enhanced operat ion al su pport for the plant and its connector districts . For example, real-time data is expected to b e linked geographically to points on a map, allowing the different districts to access a centralized source of information for verifying flows and potential adverse impacts on the collection system or treatment p lant. As each phase is imple- mented, the Littleton/Englewood team will be better positioned to understand and treat what comes down the pipe. I Mary Kate Dubu ss What questions can GIS data answer for regional collection systems? • Which distrid is responsible when an emergency condition occurs in the system? • How can industrial pretreatment data be managed to best protect the plant? • How can a system model be developed so each distrid can update and access it? • How can metering data be coordinated and provided to each district? • Ho w can sewer data be made portable and accessible to field crews? • What specific programs are in place to demonstrate CMOM compliance? • Whom does a homeowner call to obtain help with a sewer backup? ATT. 7 f: ; I I " ! i '! I: I': l l i ! ! ! ! ! ' S ,j! . I . . ! : ! I I . : ' ! i i i WRITTEN BY ALLEN ' BEST ' i : ! PHOTOGRARHY ~y JEFF kc' ~G~lf'iS ! I I I I ; I I ! I I I I I ; i l ! I i I i ' . ' ' I i I . I I ! ' ! : ! ' ! ! ! ~ 1 i I , I i ' ' I , l ' I i I I ' I : . I I ! I l i By almost any definition, Castle Rock is a boomtown. Population, now at 35,000, has doubled in just the last five years -startling when you consider the sputtering of the nation's economy and the tech-stock meltdown. At every curve and corner, though , Castle Rock has the new- car smell of a Cadillac showroom . Houses are cavernous, their exteriors neatly adorned, lawns and gardens carefully primped: the good life, Colorado style, Sunset Magazine writ large upon the land. And don't for a moment think the party is anywhere near over. Giant yellow, me- chanical ants still push new loads of dirt around as the covenant-con- trolled Meadows community prepares for more pastel-colored houses. Castle Rock is marching rapidly toward a build-out population triple that of today. It's a town with undaunted ambition.» I i I . i ' I , I I i i I i I I I 26 _ThiTst for solutions And the foundation for its new prosperity? Although Castle Rock residents would never think of themselves as such , they are in a sense miners , cresting the latest wave in Colorado's long his- tory of boom-and-bust mining cycles . From the Pikes Peak gold rush of 1858 to the most recent oil -shale bust of 1982 , the pattern is by now familiar. But Castle Rock's mining boom is different. What is being mined in Castle Rock and other communities be- tween Denver and Colorado Springs and stretching ~a s tward onto the Great Plains is water. Drinkable, life-giving water. Infor- mation technology or financial services may deliver the pay- checks-of many of the residents of Castle Rock , but homes and businesses need water, and that water is mostly coming from taps into underground aquifers that were created during glacial pe- riods many, many years in the past. The paradox of this richly expanding settlement is that these underground reservoirs are even now playing out. Slowly, but now steadily, it's becoming more and more difficult to extract water from these giant beds of sand lying hundreds and thou- sands of feet underground. While Castle Rock does not expect to have problems meeting peak demands for 50 years , the costs as- sociated with delivering that water are expected to rise dramati - cally even as the town phases in alternative water sources . And those alternatives themselves will not be cheap. They may, for instance , include buying farms from Fort Lupton to Greeley, from Fort Morgan to Sterling, for their water rights -and in some cases pumping the water back to South Metro. Another alternative is to draw water from Colorado's Western Slope, where very few water rights actually remain for the taking in the state's most acces- sible headwaters . Mitigation costs to Western Slope counties for taking that water also will probably be high, and the actual cost of pushing water through pipes across several mountain ranges is likely to be even more expensive for individual water consumers . But those may be the choices for future residents of Castle Rock . The wells the town draws water from now ma y never be enough. And Castle Rock is not alone . Its unfolding water drama is shared by other growing communities spread across the wonder- fully rolling, oak-brush and pine-tree studded hills of Douglas , Arapahoe and El Paso counties. Indeed, it's the central water story of Colorado . At issue is how will this great sprawl of communities from Parker to Monument and beyond -ironically, Colorado's most affluent , best educated, and most politically conservative population -be provided water to drink in the years ahead? What will happen to these boomtowns when the water mines play out? "I think we are building toward a great crisis ," longtime water lawyer Greg Hobbes , now a Colorado Supreme Court Jus - tice, said at a recent lecture in Denver. "We can't afford to let South Metro fall off the map ." From Aurora to Colorado Springs, those areas with the least secure water supplies have been growing the most rapidly. The headliner has been Douglas County, which includes Parker, Castle Rock and Highlands Ranch, among others . Since 1960 , the population has been dou- bling and tripling every decade, leading the nation during the 1990s in rate of population growth . And still the rush continues . Five years ago, the population was 176,000; now it's at 251 ,500. Castle Rock's water situation also is neither the best nor the worst in the South Metro area . One water district, which serves the affluent Roxborough Park neighborhood, has no water sup- plies assured beyond 2023. Another, growing Aurora , uses little well water, but does rely on water transported from the north , south and west while aggressively buying farm water from the South Platte and Arkansas River valleys . Parker is on the brink of a record year for issuing water taps, and is building Reuter-Hess Reservoir, now planned at half the size of Cherry Creek Reser- voir, but with the potential to quadruple its size in order to serve other water-short jurisdictions, including Castle Rock . Lone Tree is on a much more brisk building pace now than it was before the drought or the 2001 recession. Building of single-family homes in unincorporated parts of Douglas County may have slowed down some , but condominiums, town homes and commercial develop- ment has continued apace . If consumers, homebuilders and local governments are wor- ried about water supplies for those developments evaporating, it isn 't evident in their plans . With some exceptions, much of that population will depend upon aquifers in what is called the Denver Basin , a swath of territory at times 50 miles wide that features sev- era! layered aquifers , or water sands, located 800 to 3,000 feet or more below the earth's surface. At one time, hydrologists thought those aquifers were so vast that they could supply South Metro water needs for as long as 500 years . But even 20 years ago , some people began to doubt that cheerful assessment. During the roaring '90s , it became increasingly clear to water managers in the region that more skepticism was warranted. Well pressures were dropping faster than expected, yet rampant building continued. What if the prop le ran out of water? WHO'S DOING WHAT? In Parker and around the state, Frank Jaeger is an institution. He strides into a place and people turn toward him for water an - swers , one of which he has been contemplating almost since he took over as director of Parker Water and Sanitation District in 1981 . That answer is called the Reuter-Hess Reservoir, now under construction three miles southwest of downtown Parker. The dam that will create Reuter-Hess blocks Newlin Gulch, a tribu - tary to Cherry Creek. Unlike most of the Colorado's existing reservoirs , however, very little water for Reuter-Hess will come from the stream it blocks . Instead, water from both Cherry Creek and from Parker's city wells will be pumped into the reservoir during winter, when overall consumer demand is much lower Log onto cobizmag.com for a FREE SU bscri ption ! ,:, than during summer watering and cooling seasons . Treated waste - water will also be stored in the reservoir. Now approved to hold 16 ,200 acre-feet of water, or about half the size of the existing Cherry Creek Reservoir, the size of Reuter-Hess may yet be mo're than quadrupled, to a capacity of 70 ,000 acre-feet, depending on state regulators' approval and the addition of funding partners . Castle Rock is already planning to be one . Yet Jaeger already knows his new reservoir is but a piece of a puzzle that will solve Parker's long-term water problems . Right now, Jaeger says , any water provider in South Metro needs a vessel to store water to meet peak-day demands , instead of drawing down on the region's wells on those days. Reuter-Hess -even if expanded -is only a partial answer, he says. "It mini- mizes the impact on the aquifers , but the aquifers (will) still dry up . We still need another source of water. There's no question about that. Reuter-Hess will buy us some time , but ultimately we need a renewable resource . Everybody does ." Like others , Jaeger sees Parker's long-term water salvation in the farms of the South Platte Valley. His water district has already purchased several farms in the Sterling area, located about 150 highway miles away. The water not consumed there compensates for water soon to be held back by Reuter-Hess . What's On His Mind? "Where is all the venture capital?" "What could derail Colorado's future?" "Why are aerospace jobs going overseas?" "What's the formula for renewable energy?" "Is cyber terrorism just one click away?" Today's Challenges - Tomorrow's Solutions Listen 24/7 at www.w3w3.com Talk Radio 27 ' l _Thirst for solutions And Jaeger sees many more acquisitions ahead, acquisitions that will make use of a concept called fallowing . Under this widely di scussed program -it might well be called the "have your cake and eat it too" approach -cities lease water from farms on a ro- tating basis. The fields that would ordinarily get water through ir- rigation are allowed to lie un-irrigated or dormant, fallow -a concept basic to good agriculture anyway. The goal of fallowing for water is to allow farmers to farm , making money from leasing of water to cities , while still tilling their fields -but not as often. That, in turn , allows more grocers, implement dealers and shoe salesmen in places like Fort Morgan , Sterling and Brush to remain in business, too, serving the resident farm population. As now en- visioned, water providers in Douglas County and perhaps else- where would notify farmers in spring of their needs for water from specific fields. Farmers would be reimbursed their costs as well as future value of the water. A bill that would have altered Colorado water law to accommodate such lease arrangements was consid- ered by the legislature last year, but scrapped . Legislators are ex- pected to consider a similar proposal this year. In the long-term , Jaeger figures Parker has perhaps 20 years to transition from aquifers to renewable supplies . He sees wells remaining as a backup insurance for droughts . The question , he says , is who Parker's partners will be and how big the projects will be. 'There's a lot of coalescing that will have to come into place, but I'm a firm believer that now is the time, not I 0 years from now," he says. "I'm always nervous ," he adds . "A nd until I die, I will be looking toward the next water project to secure the long-term future . I don't think any water manager should ever stop that search ." OTHERS PAST AND PRESENT When Ron Redd arrived in Castle Rock in 2000 to head the city's utilities department, the town and other water providers were just starting to acknowledge the extent of their water prob- lems . Redd had spent the earlier part of his career in Los An- geles, working in the water district there . As such , he was already experienced in complex water delivery systems . Still , it took him two years to sort out the story in Castle Rock and other South Metro communities . When he did, he concluded that Castle Rock's 33 wells would last much longer than pes - simists feared -perhaps even as long as optimists cheerfully predicted. But what the optimists failed to understand, Redd re- alized, was how much more difficult it was already becoming to draw water from the wells. In coming decades, with growing de- mand, more wells would have to be drilled, someti mes to greater depths . And all of this would cost money. CH2M HILL is a global leader in full-service engineering, construction and operations. But what differentiates us from other firms? At CH2M HILL, we do whatever it takes to outperform expectations and deliver innovative, yet practical solutions. So where does our commitment take us? It takes us from concept to construction, from initial objectives to full operations. C092005004MKT ·~J 2005 CH2M Hill It takes us to the heart of our communities and to the ends of the earth. We do whatever it takes -wherever it takes us. CH2M HILL www.ch2n'lhill.com Drawing water from the Denver Basin now is not particu- larly cheap, although much cheaper than what is projected ahead. For example, on Castle Rock's east side is a new well field that was pressed into service in June . It has two wells, one going to the Denver Formation at a depth of 1,000 to 1,680 feet , and then a second well tapping the water of the Arapahoe Forma- tion , 1,700 to 2,340 feet below. Drilling the wells and outfitting them with pumps and other equipment cost Castle Rock $1.5 million . Pumping costs , largely for electricity, are ongoing: $I 0 ,000 to $20,000 per month per well field, and the city has 20 such fields . When the water pressure in those aquifers drops ; pumping will get more expensive , and new wells will have to be drilled . Current estimates calculate the wells, given current and projected rates of extraction, will yield water economically for only 25 to 40 years . "We can't shove this off to the next genera-f tion ," says Redd . To pay the piper today, Castle Rock -like several other South Metro communities -is changing course , transitioning from its overwhelming reliance on well water to a more varied portfolio . The transition is expected to take 10 to 15 years . The easiest , most immediate gains are to be had in conservation. This year, the city council is expected to adopt sweeping measures that reduce the 165 gallons per-person, per-day average , water-use rate of the last five years to a new average of 135 gallons per day .. Most of that reduction will be achieved through conservation by modified landscaping and irrigation practices . "You won't see grass in medians anymore ," says Redd . Smart technology also will be mandated to reduce irrigation needs . Conservation is expected to dampen demand by 3,300 acre-feet a year, or about enough water for 16 ,500 people. That means saving $100 million that would otherwise be needed to procure other water sources. Next , following in the steps of Aurora , Denver, and several other communities -including the Centennial Water and Sani- tation District, which serves Highlands Ranch -Castle Rock plans a water-reuse program that should yield 3,000 to 5 ,000 acre -feet of water. This wastewater is made pure enough to water golf courses and parks , but not for drinking. Reused water also means less water has to be drawn from the wells. But reducing use and reusing water only goes so far in a town that expects to triple its size . The conservation measures still leave Castle Rock looking for 6 ,000 to 8,000 acre-feet of water, or enough for 30 ,000 to 40 ,000 people . To that end, Castle Rock has partnered with other water dis - tricts on two major projects . One is a 45 -mile pipeline that will send agriculture water from the Brighton area swinging around CO NTINUED ON PAGE 42 Now, three generations later, the Enstrom family's hand-crafted Almond Toffee is still the perfect gift of taste for clients , colleagues , employees and friends . .--.......... -·- Gift orders may be shipped nearly anywhere in the world, and large volume discounts are available. Quantities are limited, so place your holiday orders early. Chet Enstrom perfects his almond toffee recipe 1-800-ENSTROM • www.enstrom.com 201 University Blvd., #118 • Cherry Creek North , Denver I 14415 W. Colfax • Denver West Village, Lakewood 523 E. Cooper Avenue • Aspen I 200 S. 7th Street • Downtown Grand Junction I 401 Kokopelli Boulevard • Fruita ~~;;:;;,~~= "' 0 0 N '\~ 0 ;:; 0 29 ~J _Thirst for solutions CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 the metro area, to Castle Rock, and is scheduled to begin deliv- eries next year. The second is Reuter-Hess . But Castle Rock will need more, and the city is one of the Front Range areas that re- mains most open to getting water from the Western Slope--'--if a deal can be cut. "Mitigation, that's the key," says Redd, a native of Montana. In other words, water can be retrieved from the Western Slope only if Western Slope communities get enough from the deal to feel like partners . Even so, there just may not be enough water on the Western Slope to justify the investment, says Redd . But instead of Castle Rock going to the Western Slope on its own , a more likely scenario is for Castle Rock to piggy-back its need onto Denver Water's infrastructure . Denver already draws water from both Grand and Summit counties, using tunnels from Winter Park and Dillon, and it may in the future also draw water from the Camp / Hale area south of Vail. In metropolitan Denver, the poster child for well-heeled run- away growth has always been Highlands Ranch . Ironically, it has among the best water portfolios of the South Metro communities. Centennial has purchased two of the final ranches in South Park, where the South Platte River originates, with attached water rights . The district has also filed on rights to spring runoff flows in the South Platte River drainage, hoping such water materializes about once every five years . That water would be stored in Chat- field Reservoir. Centennial also has more aggressively encouraged conserva- tion with an incremental pricing structure . While the district has backed off from the higher costs imposed during the drought of 2002, it -like Denver-has observed residual conservation by , consumers, who are using 20 percent less water. "It has been very effective in reducing demand for water, and I think it will be ef- fective over time," says Hendrick. AURORA & THE WESTERN SLOPE Aurora became the poster child of Colorado's watering restric-. tions and conservation measures when the drought of 2002 re- duced its water supply to a few months' worth . It relies heavily on supply transported from the Western Slope -most of the r 'i . ' • ~e~ < -I jl.' . . 11 1 , w~ still need another source of water. There's .c.tY i~~t~-BP a;o~ut that. Reuter-Hess will buy us some ... ·,.,~,~~' :~iWtult1ma;;1y we need a renewable resource. > •• ·:~~~j;M;ppa y d O~S. -FRANK JAEGER, DIRECTOR , PARKER WATER AND SANITATION DISTRICT '·./' tt'!.t /?'1 ... '. ~ ~· -J~ Now 80 to 85 percent built out, Highlands Ranch yields 30 ,000 to 40,000 water customers for the Centennial Water & Sanitation District. Centennial gets 80 percent to I 00 percent of its water through surface rights it has secured over the years, and the dis-l trict was also among the first to adopt a reuse program . Only I 0 · percent of the district's water comes from aquifers, and those . aquifers remain at 75 to 80 percent of capacity. Still, John Hendrick, Centennial Water's director, is con- cerned. The cost of extracting subsurface well water available to Centennial will at some point -knowing when is nearly impos- sible at this time -become unbearably expensive . "It will get much more expensive than we want to bear in the long run ," he says. So Centennial is also helping pay for the enlarged pipeline from the Brighton area, keeping alive its option of buying water from South Platte Valley farms. Also, during the last five years, ranches in South Park were purchased for the water rights decades ago by Aurora -although the city also has been a leader in securing leased water supplies from Eastern Plains farmers who are allowed to rotate their water rights from Aurora to their pro- ducing fields . It also has built a new reservoir, Aurora Reservoir, but the new facility, too, was nearly run dry during the drought. And Aurora, too, has not turned away from new residential and commerical development even in the face of short water sup- plies . The underlying philosophy, says Dick Hinson, vice presi- dent with the Aurora Economic Development Commission, !~ "Build it, because they are going to come." The mission of his or- ganization , he said, has nothing to do with supplying water to the people who come to Aurora . It is to attract good-paying jobs to the city, advertising its road system and Aurora's proximity to Denver International Airport, building the economy for the ben- efit of the existing population , even if that continued growth causes more growth and more need for new water supplies . That's fundamentally the same attitude among builders throughout metro Denver. 'To suggest that builders should vol - untarily not build homes where people want homes, I just don't think that's an appropriate placement of responsibility," says Kim Calomino, vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver. She sees ex- isting collaboration among Colorado's four major water providers -Denver Water, Colorado Springs , Aurora , and a conglomera- tion of Douglas County water districts -auguring even greater collaboration . 'There is no need for a sense of impending doom or hysteria ," she says . Which means South Metro ultimately will test the aphorism of former G ov. John Love, who liked to say : In Colorado, "water flows uphill to mon ey." A general consensus among observers seems to be that South Metro , because of its wealth, will eventu- ally secure whatever water supply it needs to continue growing, some of it procured on its own , but some, too, necessaril y in- volving its bigger, richer neighbor, Denver, which has the largest water department in the state. Steve Boand, a former Castle Rock mayor and a current Dou- glas County commissioner, is actively promoting pursuit of a Denver connection to South Metro water needs, and consolida- tion of South Metro water districts into some single entity of in- fluence in order to make the connection . Specifically, he is trying to sell Denver on the idea of integrating Denver's water resources with Douglas County's aquifer and well infrastruture, in order to pump extra water in flush years into Douglas County aquifers to be retrieved when needed. That's a relatively new and unproven concept, but Boand is receiving plaudits from Denver and envi- ronmentalists alike for his effort . For its part, Denver has no desire for its largest neighboring region ,. South Metro , to endure a water-shortage emergency, which almost inevitably would impact Denver economically. Being able to integrate the 11 or 12 water providers in South Metro into what Ed Pokorney, Denver Water's director of plan- ning, calls a "coherent whole" is key to Denver's willingness to work with South Metro. "It's very difficult to talk about what the region is willing to do until there is a region ," he says . Still, Poko- rney likes what he sees happening. "I think we would have been nervous five , seven or 10 years ago ," he says . "You had the sinking feeling that maybe nobody was recognizing the (South Metro re- gion's ) problem . Now, that is far from the case . To their credit, they are stepping up to the plate ." But while Boand pushes for consolidation of South Metro water interests -for the last two years, South Metro interests have been trying unsuccessfully to create a unified body through an act of the legislature -he does not foresee Douglas County slowing growth. More customers and taxpayers are needed to ~-... ,_.,....,,..-.. bear the great infrastructure costs of delivering water-from dis - tant farms or from the Western Slope -and so Douglas County must continue to build rapidly. Boand even sees Douglas County working collaboratively with Aurora , which to some on the Western Slope represents a nightmare coalition of power and in - fluence that could contest even Denver Water's No. 1 status for getting what it wants. Western Slope water interests, meanwhile , eye South Metro's water moves and countermoves with a wary yet engaged concern. Aurora's reach for water across the Continental Divide has been considered suspiciously for so long that politics as much as in- creased costs have turned the city's search for water toward Eastern Plains farms . And Western Slope recreation interests have been developing an increasing need to retain water on the Western Slope's side of the mountains . The low -hanging fruit of water d iversions from the Western Slope -Dillon Reservoir, the Moffat Tunnel collection system , and Homestake Reservoir, to cite just three -were plucked decades ago . Any large diversions in the future will have to go much farther afield, such as to the Steamboat Springs area or downstream of Gunnison . That requires crossing two mountain ranges and hundreds of miles to deliver water to South Metro . Still , Steve Ormisten, of Shea Homes, the developer of Highlands Ranch , sees such long- range diversions as possible in the future . Drawing water from near Steamboat, says Ormisten, is no more far -fetched than Los Angeles drawing water several hundred miles away from the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada . In the meantime, plans for new but smaller water diversions are being discussed . One idea would have more water from the Winter Park area routed by pipeline to the west side of the metro area and further on to the south suburbs . While Western Slope interests get riled at the idea of new diversions , most opposition would allow for compromise. An exhaustive 2003 South Metro Water Supply Study, for example , was sponsored in part by the Glenwood Springs-based Colorado River Water Conservation District, the primary water-policy agency for the Western Slope . The reason, explains Chris Treese, the district's director of ex - ternal affairs, is the river district believes the Western Slope's in - terests are best served by an orderly, thoughtful planning process . Rushed decisions , he says , often produce poor policy. SOUTH METRO SPREAD STATEWIDE Denver Water also helped with that South Metro supply study, and in recent months both the city of Denver and state govern- ment have been providing forums for discussions of regional and state water issues . Ed Means , a water consultant formerly of the California Metro Water District, has led a series of meetings with South Metro water providers to look for areas of agreement and cooperation between them . On a statewide basis , that's also the point of a series of roundtables between regions and river basins 43 I ___ j _Th ir st for solutions that has been ordered by the state legislature. Now getting un - derway, the process -the brainchild of Russell George , a Rifle native who is director of the Department of Natural Resources - is designed to yield compacts among the state's seven river basins , resolving once and for all who gets what water and from where . But even as solutions to South Metro's water problems are ex- plored, there are worries of deepening dependence on non-renew- able wells . Where Parker was once the fringe of metropolitan Denver, now exurban ranchettes and subdivisions are proliferating onto the Eastern Plains in Elbert , Arapahoe and El Paso counties . All depend upon wells -just like Parker and Castle Rock . For Gary Barber, who directs the Palmer Divide Water Group , representing about 40 ,000 people now living in the northern part of El Paso County, the most direct answer to his water problems lies in further tapping aquifers , such as those un- derlying the Greenland Ranch open space. A study by his group estimated a 20,000-acre -foot yield, at a cost of $200 million to develop those wells . But the water, he says, could be used on both sides of the Palmer Divide, areas stretching toward both Denve r and Colorado Springs. In the Black Forest area near the Air Force Academy, he says , there are already 8,000 individual wells. At the same time, governmen t approval has been given to the Banning Lewis Ranch , where 75 ,000 homes are projected on , WE THOUGHT CERTIFIE ON-SITE INFORMAT ON DESTRUCTION SHOULD LOOK · AS COOL AS IT SOUNDS. the prairie east of Colorad o Spri n gs -also without an assured long-term water supply. Eric Kuhn , general secretary of th e Colorado River Water Conservation District, clearly is concerned that the lesson o f South Metro has not been learned. "I don 't think El Paso County can turn down a subdivision ," he says . Someday, those subdivi- sions will have to be bailed out, just as South Metro must be now. That the bailout, when it comes, will have statewide impact is already evident in current thinking about the use of agricultural water from the Eastern Plains. By o n e estimate , for example , the amount of water devoted to agriculture in northeastern Colorado -the area from Denver to Greeley to Julesberg -will have been reduced by 30 pe rcent over the next quarter century with Aurora, Douglas County and other South Metro communities the prime candidates for purchasing the water. Somehow, South Metro will get its water, and presumably so will th e newer neigh - borhoods sprawling out onto the prairie , even if farms do not. Where it will all e nd , nobody knows . But what is increasingly un - derstood is that Colorado has o nly a finite amount of water. The state's water supply ca n be reallocated, but it cannot be created. That's a lesson of limits that South Metro now is absorbing painfully. It's one that Colorado will face statewide in the not so distant future . ~ 400 TI M ES FASTER THAN A TYPICAL OFFI CE SHRED D ER, IT'S THE FASTEST MOBILE SHREDDER ON PLANET EART H. From Records Management, to Data Security, to Shredding , DocuVault is your one source for reliable document and information management. Your business's most important information is most secure when it's in our hands . 1 ·877 ·573·0500 + www.docu11ault.com PANY WINNER 2005 ( ~ I I Sin clalr North gate Not to Scale Platte River Basin Wyoming I I Nebraska Ollth Platt9 Riv9r Colorado Lake Mcconaughy l -' Lexington Island Grand Overton Critical Habitat r---------· I I Kansas I I The South Platte Water Related Activ ities Program Since the late 1970's, conflicts between water use and endangered species protection have affected federal permitting of existing and planned irrigation , municipal and industrial water supply projects in the Platte River basin. These are 404 permits issued by the Army Corps of Engineers whenever work is done in the South Platte River or any of its tributaries. In 1997, the Governors of the States of Colorado , Nebraska and Wyoming signed an agreement with the Department of the Interior to improve and/or study the habitat of four endangered species in the central Platte River in Nebraska (endangered interior least tern , whooping crane and pa ll id sturgeon and the threatened piping plover (target species)). Some Colorado water users have incorporated into the South Platte Water Related Activities Program , Inc. (SPWRAP), a Colorado nonprofit corporation, to represent users and partner with the State to ensure compliance with Program obligations. SPWRAP will serve as the vehicle by which Colorado South Platte water users participate in the Program , and the exclusive means by which they will obtain the regulatory benefi ts of the Program. The Program was finalized in October, 2006 . This program will all ow water projects to be initiated with relatively little effort required for Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance. The program is a basin-wide effort undertaken by the 3 States and the Department of the interior to provide benefits fo r the endangered interior lesser tern, whooping crane, and pallid sturgeon and the threatened piping plover (the target species). The habitat for these species is in Nebraska near Grand Island. Through the program the states and the federal government will provide land , water and systematic monitoring and research . The program is designed to be incremental , with the first increment lasting at least 13 years. During this time the objectives are to: 1. retime and improve flows in the central Platte River by an average of 130,000 to 150,000 acre-feet per year at Grand Island; 2. protect, restore and maintain 10 ,000 acres of habitat; 3. Implement the integrated monitoring and research plan through the Adaptive Management Plan. The monetary cost of the first increment of the program is $187 million (2005). The States plan to contribute water and land in addition to the monetary contributions. The total burden of money, land and water will be shared equally by the 3 States (50%) and the United States (50%). Basically, Colorado would provide money , Wyoming would provide water and Nebraska would provide land with the United States providing matching contributions. This program is voluntary to water users along the South Platte River . The downside is that if a federal 404 permit (for any activities in the river or its tributaries) is needed by a water user, that user will be charged past dues to the program or the permit will not be issued. The good news is that by participating in the program, the entity is assured compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Otherwise compliance in the future may cost much more than the program costs. The Program provides substantial benefits to water users in the form of regulatory predictability under the ESA. The water users' portion is determined by the amount of water used in the past five years. Englewood's contribution will be approximately $29,000 for this year . Since the ESA went into effect, it was common knowledge that those diverting water (especially in the Platte River basin) would be affected in some way. There were many options discussed as to how water users would comply and some were very detrimental to the diversion of water. The Program will allow compliance without curtailing diversions by Englewood. • Assessments will change each year depending on the amount of water produced for the previous 5 years. • The Program would like assessments for the first year paid by April 1, 2007. • Assessments may change depending on how many entities join. A. Instructions South Platte Water Related Activities Program, Inc. Municipal (Class M) Membership 2007 Reporting Form & Assessment Invoice Page 1 of 2 Please fill in this form including membership information , water use data , and the assessment as calculated . Send payment for your SPWRAP annual assessment to the address listed at the bottom of this form . Municipal Member Entity Mailing Address City of Englewood 1000 Englewood Parkway Englewood, Colorado 80110-2373 email Address Phone Number Submitted by Title sfonda@eng lewoodgov. org 303-762-2636 Stewart H. Fonda Director of Utilities Date B. Treated Water Use (previous 5-year average (2002-2006) Note : A member's water use for purposes of defining the number of sing le-family equ ivalent taps for SPWRAP is defined as "any treated water deliveries from sources of water owned by the member ." (A) (8) (C) (D) =A+ B + C Treated Water Year Production at Additions 2 Subtractions 3 Total Treated Member's Plant 1 Water Use (acre-feet) (acre-feet) (acre-feet) (acre-feet) 2002 9,072 9,072 2003 8,184 8,184 2004 7,344 7,344 2005 7,921 7,921 2006 8,020 8,020 5-Year Average Adjusted Water Use 4 8, 108 .20 1 The amount of treated water produced at your entity 's water treatment facility (if any). 2 Add any treated water that is owned by your entity but treated by another entity . 3 Subtract any water treated at your facility but not owned by your entity . 4 Equals the sum divided by the number of years reported . ., • c. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Calculation of Single Family Equivalents, Membership Units and Annual Assessment Previous 5-year average (2001-2005) Treated Water Use (acre-feet) Use per S. F. Account (acre-feet/SFE) t Single Family Equivalents (No. 1 I No . 2) SPWRAP Member Units per SFE t Total SPWRAP Membership Units (No . 3 X No . 4) 2006/2007 SPWRAP Assessment/Unit t 2006/2007SPWRAP Annual Assessment (No . 5 X No . 6) t Numbers 2, 4, & 6 above are fixed for all members in 2007 8, 108.20 0.5 16,216.40 6 97 ,298.40 0.30 $29,189.52 D. Payment of Assessment Payment of the annual assessment will provide membership in SPWRAP and coverage under the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program through the calendar year 2007 . Please make checks payable to "SPWRAP" and send to the following address : SPWRAP % Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District 220 Water Avenue Berthoud, Colorado 80513 Page 2 of 2 Note : This reporting form may be revised in the future to reflect information needed to comply with Program requirements. Entities electing to join after 2007 will be required to pay the assessment for the year they join the program. In addition the new member must pay assessments for all prior years of the Program , plus 4% interest, compounded annually. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES c 0 L 0 R A D 0 G E 0 L 0 G I c A L s u R v E y Volume 9 , Numb er 2 Fall 2006 -, •• And Back by Popular Demand Pure elemental uranium is a slightly radioactive metal, silvery white in color and dense (almost as dense as gold). Ele- mental uranium metal does not occur in nature because it readily combines with oxygen to form several uranium oxide minerals and compounds. The most significant property of uranium is that it is the "parent" element in a radioactive decay series that eventually leads to formation of a particular iso- tope of lead. Radioactive decay means that certain elements, such as uranium, will over a specific period of time, give off atomic particles-electrons, protons, and neutrons-leading to changes in Atomic No . 92 the atomic weight and number of the parent element. This decay is a natural constant in that half JJ • ~-· ... ~ ...!"\ ~ of a ~Yi e!-1 ~mount of mciillllfu-2~~~'.WL-the 238 superscript refers to the a~o~ic -~~_ght of the atom) wljj~Gi~~'f©~~~iffn at>o~i~~ billion y@fo . It does not decay directly to lead but passes through several daugh- ter elements including tho- rium, radium, radon (a gas), and bismuth on its path to a stable isotope of lead. See Fig- ure 1 for a much-simplified chart of the uranium-lead radioactive decay series. Uranium is found in n ~~!r in three main isotopes . z ~iwf~· the most co~IDW-F <;:onstitut­ ing about 9~1]l;£pe.r;ceR~~~ ·-~ "·~ •• 1>1 ~.\.;~,.. .. n~~)!.;RP:nti m; 23s u consti- tutes a~ounn percent of all uranium; and other isotopes Burro No . 7 Min e, Slick Rock, Colorado . (Photograph by fim Cappa , 2005) 90 88 86 84 82 a 258,000y la l ,600y I 222Rn I I a 3.8d I 218Po I 3 min I a ~ EJ 27min 214 Pb such as 23 4U form trace amounts. 235 U is important because it is readily split as part of the fission process (Fig . 2) and in the process releases sub- Figure 1. Simplified uranium-lead radi oacti ve decay series. Abbrev iation s and explanation: Elements: U = uranium , Th = thorium , Ra = rad ium , Rn = radon, Po =polonium , Pb = lead, Bi = bismuth . Half-liv es: By = billion ye ars, y = years, d = da ys, min = minutes . Subatomic particles; a = alpha particl e, ess entially y a helium nucleu s consist- in g of two proton s and two neutrons . f3 =beta particle a high-energy electron or positron . stantial energy. 23 SU is more radioactive than 23 SU because of its shorter half-life, about 700 million years , and as such, the ratio of 23SU to 23s u has changed over geological time . In the earth's past, there was a higher percentage of 23 SU than today. Scientists believe that this higher percentage of 235 U (about 3 per- cent) led to a natural nuclear fission event that occurred about 1. 7 billion years ago in present-day western Africa. In sid e thi s iss ue: Th e Di scove ry of Ura nium , its Uses and Futur e, th e Hi sto1y of Uranium Minin g in Co lorad o, Geo logy of Ura nium Depos its in Co lorado , Cleanup of Co ntamin ated Mill Sites, an d oth er use ful informati on about Uranium CGS R OCK T A L K V o l . 9 , No . 2 1 2 From the Division Director- The boom is back! Colorado, which has supplied uranium to the world for more than a century, is seeing the return of interest in this important energy resource. Prospectors are dusting off their scintil- lometers and heading for the hills. Their apparent success is indicated by the filing of 3,000 new mining claims in the state last year. Why the boom? Currently, the 435 nuclear reactors in the world need 180 million pounds of uranium per year, but the world only pro- duces 110 million pounds. The shortfall has been made up by depleting stockpiles from the last boom cycle and by conversion of nuclear weapons . Both are diminish- ing in supply and consequently the price of uranium increased from $10 per pound in 2003 to more than $55 per pound today. China and India's increase in the use of nuclear energy increases the demand for uranium. However, the United States also needs a lot of uranium because we are the world 's leading producer of nuclear energy. Indeed, we produce more nuclear energy than France, Spain, Ger- many, Sweden, and the United Kingdom combin ed. One of the best kept secrets in our country is that U.S. production of electricity from nuclear plants has increased over the decade since the last nuclear power plant came on line in 1996 (it was ordered in the early 1970s). This was achieved by increasing the operating efficiency of the plants . Today we produce nearly twice as much nuclear power as any other country in the world, an amount equal to 30 percent of the world's nuclear energy. The increase in interest in uranium is but an indica- tor of growing interest in all of Colorado's rich natural resources . China and India's appetite for natural resources creates worldwide shortages and drives up prices of nearly every energy and mineral commodity. Colorado communities are already suffering from China-caused shortages of steel and cement. Prices for such diverse commodities as gold, copper, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, titanium, selenium, and antimony have sky- rocketed in the 21 s1 century with percentage price increases ranging from a low of 48 percent to more than 1, 700 percent! As shortages grow and prices increase, Colorado can expect to see increasing pressure to develop our rich array of energy and mineral resources. Vince Matthews A Na tu ra l Nucle ar Reaction in Afr ic a 1.7 Billion Ye ar s Ago In the early 1970s, scientists noted that something was strange about the uranium ore being mined at the Okla deposit in Gabon, West Africa. The ore was depleted in the fissionable isotope of uranium , z3s u, and resembled the percentage found in spent nuclear fuel-about 0.25-0 .30 percent (it should have been 0.7 percent). At the time, this uranium deposit was formed (about 2,000 million years ago) the percentage of z3s u was close to 3 percent, about the same as what is used in a modem nuclear reac- tor. Scientists think that water seeped into the deposit at about 1.7 billion years ago and allowed the neutrons emitted from uranium to slow enough to initiate a chain reaction, which then over time heated the water into steam causing the chain reac- tion to cease. This process may have happened numerous times until the amount of z3s u was depleted enough to cause the cessation of the chain reaction. The products of the nuclear reaction remained within the Okla deposit and were never dissolved or spread by ground water for 1. 7 billion years. This fact gives scientists hope that nuclear waste stored in geological formations may be immobile for, at least, millions of years. Discovery of Urani um and Radio activity In 1789, uranium oxide was first recognized as the mineral pitchblende (now considered as a variety of uraninite). The mineral was recovered from a silver mine in Joachimsthal, Bohemia, now a part of the Czech Republic, by an amateur chemist, Martin Klaproth. Klaproth named the compound uranium in a tribute to his friend , William Herschel , a famous composer and astronomer, who had discovered the planet Uranus (Uranus is the Greek god of the Heavens). However, it was not until 1841 that the true metal, uranium, was iso- . lated from its oxide form by a French chemist, Eugene Peligot. In 1896, another French scientist, Henri Bequerel, left some uranium in a drawer with a photographic plate for a few days and to his surprise found the photographic plate to be exposed. This lucky "experiment" was the beginning of atomic research and the understanding of radioactivity. Marie Curie and her husband Pierre conducted various experiments on uranium ore , some of which came from Colo: rado , from 1898 through the 1920s in their lab in Paris. They recognized the process of radioactivity and discovered two of uranium 's daughter products, polonium and radium. In the 1930s and early 1940s, scientists discovered that one CGS ROCKTALK Vo l. 9, No . 2 -0 Neutron isotope. of ura:r;iium, z3su, was fission- able-that is when an atom of z3su is bombarded by neutrons its nucleus splits into two equal parts, usually an atom of barium and krypton, at the same time releasing substantial energy in the form of heat and two or several more neu- trons (Fig. 2). The released neutrons then collide with other atoms of z3su, releas- ing more energy and neutrons, a process known as a chain reaction. The chain reaction released such large amounts of energy that it led to the development of nuclear weapons, ending World War II. After the end of the war scientists put the energy released by fission to work to heat water, create steam, turn a tur- bine to generate electricity-the major use of uranium today. mu Nucleus Unstable 235 U Nucleus mu Atom -==-o Neutron 00 $ Energy Release Barium Atom~ Q mu$ $: ® Neutron -0 Neutron Figure 2. Atomic fission of uranium . Explanation: Solid blu e circles =protons, White circles = neutrons; Yellow circles = electrons. Krypton Atom mu Us es of Uranium The very first uses of uranium, mostly in the form of complex uranium oxides, were as an agent in glass manufacture . A small amount of uranium was added to the glass giving yellow and green col- ors to the finished product. The glass is called Vaseline glass because it resem- bles the color of Vaseline (Fig. 3). Ura- nium oxide minerals, because of their bright yellow colors, were probably used as ornamentation paints by aboriginal tribes in North America and other local- ities. The uranium colored glass fell out of favor in the 1920s; however, one American manufacturer used uranium oxide to color its popular "Fiestaware" dinner plates a brilliant orange-red color as late as 1940. The work of Pierre and Madam Curie demonstrated that radium was a daugh- ter product of uranium and that small amounts of radium could be recovered from uranium mineral deposits. In the early 1900s, it was thought that radium was a cure for cancer and other ailments. Hot springs and spas advertised them- selves as "radium springs," whether they had radium in them or not. Various drinks and ointments were made from CGS ROCKTALK Vol. 9, No. 2 radium; again, the manufacturers espoused their curative effects. Radium was also being used to paint luminous dials on clocks, watches, altimeters, and other instruments. Young girls were hired to paint the radium on the dial faces and they were instructed to point their paintbrushes with their lips. Many of the young women contracted radia- tion poisoning and a number of them died in the 1920s and 1930s . A famous Figure 3. Erich and Ida Martin piece from Sixth Annual Vaseline Glass Collectors Inc. 2004 Convention. (http://www.v aselineglas s.o rg/) court case in which five "Radium Girls" · sued U.S. Radium Corporation was set- tled in 1928 and exposed the deadly effects of radium. Its use declined dras- tically after that. In the 1930s, scientists came to under- stand the nature of radioactivity and the atomic nuclear fission process as hav- ing the potential of releasing large amounts of energy. After World War II began in late 1941, the United States government began a research project at Los Alamos, New Mexico to develop an atomic weapon, which resulted in the production of three atomic bombs, one that was tested in southern New Mex- ico and two that were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in August 1945, effectively ending World War II . Uranium production continued in the United States, Canada, and other places during the Cold War years follow- ing the end of the World War II. Almost all of this uranium went into the pro- duction of nuclear weapons. Uses of uranium changed in the 1950s with the 1954 launch of the USS Nautilus, the first ship to be powered by See Uses on page 4 3 Uses fro'!' page 3 . a nuclear reactor. The Nautilus is a sub- marine and it made headlines because of its ability to remain submerged for long periods powered by its nuclear reac- tor. The first nuclear reactors designed for the generation of electricity went into production in the 1950s. As the 1960s ended and the 1970s began, the use of uranium as fuel for reactors to cre- ate electricity grew. Today, the primary use of uranium is to provide fuel for nuclear reactors that produce electric- ity; although it is still used for weapons manufacture . Today, there are 103 operating nuclear power plant reactors in the United States, which generate about 20 percent of the United States ' electrical power demand . This is more than double the 4 What is enr ich ed uran ium , and dep leted uranium? In order to make a nuclear reaction occur there has to be a greater per- centage of the more fissionable Z3S U in the fuel than occurs in nature. The enrichment process converts U30 s into a gas, uranium hexaflu- oride (UF6), which enables the ura- nium to be enriched from a 23 SU content of 0 .7 percent to about three to four percent. The enriched UF 6 is converted back into U02 and formed into fuel pellets. So-called weapons grade uranium is enriched to much higher levels of 23SU, gen- erally greater than 90 percent. Depleted uranium is created by the process of making enriched ura- nium and contains 0.25 to 0.30 per- cent 23S U. Every ton of natural uranium enriched for nuclear energy purposes contains about 260 pounds of enriched uranium and the remaining 1,740 pounds is depleted uranium. Depleted ura- nium is very dense (about 1.7 times lead) and is used as counterweights in aircraft, keels of boats, and as military projectiles. amount of the next largest generator, Japan. France , which has the highest percentage of electricity generated by nuclear power-78 percent, boasts only 59 nuclear power plants . No new nuclear ~ c ., ~ 150 ·5 C' ., ·o - emissions. However, technical and polit- ical issues on nuclear waste disposal and nuclear plant decommissioning are ongoing concerns . power reactors have been built in the United States since construc- tion commenced on the Riverbend reactor in Louisiana in 1977. In spite of this, nuclear power producti on has been steadily increas- ing, mostly because reactors have increased their efficiency (Fig. 4). Nuclear power plants provide low cost elec- tricity and have essen- tially no greenhouse gas ~ 1 00 +---------~ ~ "' c ~ so +------ ~ Figure 4. Nucl ear energy consumption in th e United States . (From En ergy Informati on Administrati on-U.S. Departm ent of En ergy) Hi story of Uran ium Pro spectin g and Min ing in Colorado- a Story of Boom and Bu st Uraninite, the black oxide mineral of 4 . Uranium energy boom of the uranium (U02) was first discovered in 1950-70s, decline from the late 70s the United States in 1871 within gold to 90s, and the uranium resurgence and quartz veins at the Wood Mine near starting in 2003 . Central City, Gilpin County, Colorado. Radium Boom Minor production of uranium occurred through the late 19th Century from Uranium ores in Colorado were not these mines. developed until the early 20th Century In 1881 , a yellow uranium oxide min-after the Curies announced the supposed eral was discovered in southwestern beneficial uses of radium. Prospectors Colorado on Roe Creek in Montrose realized that the carnotite ores of south- Country. This was the first discovery in western Colorado were easily mineable what would become the highly produc-and contained radium. The amount of tive Uravan mining district. It was not radium in the typical carnotite ores of until 1898, that this new mineral was r. the Uravan district is very small. It took named carnotite after the French min-about 200-300 tons of high grade (about eralogist Adolphe Carnot. Some of the 2 percent U30 s) carnotite ore to produce ore from Roe Creek was sent to Madam one gram of radium . However, during and Pierre Curie in Paris for their early t¥~J?,~.r· .d radiu &·,.or investigations into the properties of ura-$~;9 '31 nium and radioactivity. gr . . ' '.g Colorado ex perienced four periods of of:\I~ . .. · h . uranium and associated minerals boom The radium boom got underway in 1910 and bust cycles. when the Standard Chemical Company 1. Radium boom of the 191 Os started producing radium and vanadiqµ1 2. Vanadium boom of the 1930s-40s at the Joe Dandy property in Paraciox (the uranium ores of southwestern Valley south of Uravan. Other mining Colorado are very rich in vanadium). and processing operations supported by 3 . Uraniumboomofthe 1940s-related the U .S. Bureau of Mines and the to weapons manufacture National Radium Institute commenced CG S R OC KT A L K Vol. 9, No . 2 /"· r - ! (" f I i ' Uranium Minerals Uraninite (pitchblende): U021 often containing thorium, lead, and other metals of the lanthanum and yttrium group. Uraninite is very dense, black to brown, has a greasy luster, and is radioactive. It commonly occurs with coffinite in the Uravan district. Coffinite: U(Si04)1-x(OH)4x, a black hydrated aluminum silicate is named after R.C. Coffin, a Colorado Geolog- ical Survey geologist who wrote the one of the first monographs on the Uravan district (Coffin, 1921). Carnotite: Kz(U02)2(VQ4)2·3H20 1 a secondary mineral of uranium with a bright yellow color. [ Autunite: Ca(U02)2(P04)2·10-12H201 a common secondary mineral after uraninite. It has a yellow to yellow- ! . green color and a prominent yellow-green fluorescence. I: I, 1 Tyuyamunite: Ca(U02)2(V04)2·5-8H20, similar to carnotite with Ca substituting for K. Often associated with carnotite and very similar in appearance. T!:!.!!: RADIUM COMJ'AHYOF COL..Q . .RADO PURE RADIUM SA t TS in Long Valley (Fig. 5). In 1913, Stan- dard Chemical Company built the Joe Junior radium processing plant and town site on the San Miguel River at what would later grow into Uravan . Later the Radium Company of Colorado (Fig. 6) or its contractors utilized several radium processing plants in Denver. The Environmental Protection Agency rec- ognized the hazard posed by these old radium processing sites, and in the 1980s began an ongoing cleanup of the con- taminated sites. vanadium was beginning to be used to harden steel, especially in cannons and other weaponry. The carnotite ores of southwestern Colorado and the area around Rifle, Colorado contain signifi- cant amounts of vanadium. In 1916, Standard Chemical Company added a vanadium circuit to theJoeJunior plant 1W ,._., _,.,.O ~"lO TTN Of Al'ftlll:""toa 1:,~Uf ,rJt.l<ooOillllt ~-Cll-. ... COol'ft.>t'I IDDmnt llUl'M.1.Ab;IPI K.IUl!lMll! ,., p~n -..T1DJ1 ,_ .....,_ Figure 6. Advertisement from the Radium Company of Colorado The Colorado radium business received a shock in 1921 when very high-grade uranium ores (up to 60 per- cent U30s) were found and developed at the Shinkolobwe deposit in the Bel- gian Congo (present day De_mocratic Republic of the Congo). TQ:l;~@.$~~9s lowered _the nr.ice.0f,r.a.;r.l ·> i•um.,l;.Q;,t-70\UO~~, .. per~~fitn ~-~~~~tli~~ccicirii%'' radiu~" mines could not compete and were shut down. From 1898 to 1923, the mines of southwestern Colorado and Rifle pro- d~ced an .estimated ·67i000 tbns of ca);notite ore, which resulted in tf1e pro- dhction' of 202 grams of radiUm (454 grams/ pound) at an average price of $120,000 per gram resulting in a value of $24.2 million-$265 million in 2005 dollars (Amundsen, 2002). Vanadium Boom In the mid 1910s, the world was gradu- ally moving towards World War I and CGS RO C KTALK Vol. 9 , No . 2 See History on page 6 THl fl..AD1UM COMPANY OF COLOll. A.00, INc: .=. T ·-:::::- Figure 5. Long Park 16 Mine, near the site of the Radium Institute processing plant. (Photograph by Jim Cappa, 2005) 5 Figure 7. United States Vanadium Company plant, Uravan , in the late 1930s or early 1940s. Photograph courtesy of the Colorado Hi s torical Sodety, CHSX 6203. (Photograph by Bob Zellars) ·• History from page 5 and began producing vanadium . After the radium bust of 1921, the mines of southwestern Colorado continued to produce vanadium for steel hardening. Vanadium Corporation of America gained control of the radium mines and plants and United States Vanadium ~ompany expand ed th~)oe Junior site .~and named it Urava1i''after the combi- ' ' .. natiori.:tlfuranium and vanadium min- erals. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, production of vanadium brought some prosperity to Uravan and all of south- western Colorado (Fig. 7). Prior to 1937 the uraniu m in the carnotite ores of southwest Colorado was considered a contaminant and ended up in the mine and mill waste 6 piles. Unites States Vanadium Company installed a uranium recovery circuit in their mill in 1937 and used the uranium, just like the vanadium, as a steel hard- ener. Vanadium was a strategic mineral and a government-buying program encouraged continued exploration and development. Pre-1946 production of vanadium from Uravan and the surrounding dis- tricts was 636,166 tons at a weighted average grade of 1.9 percent VzOs result- ing in the production of 24, 138, 822 pounds of VzO s (Chenoweth, 1981). Uranium in Weapons Boom United States entry into World War II in December 1941 changed the picture in the Uravan district dramatically. The government realized that in order to win this war they needed a superior weapon . The nuclear fission process was barely understood when the government ini- tiated the Manhattan Project, the goal of which was to develop an atomic bomb. The Manhattan Engineers Dis- trict, part of the project focused on acquiring uranium, purchased all the uranium-rich waste piles from the Ura- van mineral belt mines and mills and contracted with United States Vanadium Company to process the ores for ura- nium. Uravan became a bustling, busy place with many new workers, homes, schools and all the amenities of a regu- lar community. Most of the uranium that was acquired by the Manhattan Project came from the Shinkolobwe Mine in the Congo (approximately 4,150 tons), and CGS ROCKTALK Vol. 9 , No. 2 to a ·less~r exten.t the Port Radium Mine in Canada (1,000 tons), and the Uravan district (850 tons) (Amundsen, 2002). World War II ended with the dropping of two atomic bombs produced by the Manhattan Project on Hiroshima and Nagasaki , Japan in August 1945. Produc- tion of uranium at Uravan ceased for a short while. The total production from the United States Vanadium Company mill at Uravan to late 1945 was 1, 782,000 pounds of U30s (Goodknight and others, 2005 ). In 1947, the newly created Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) contracted with United States Vanadium Company, which was bought by Union Carbide Nuclear Corporation in 1955 (Fig .8) to produce uranium for the Cold War effort. The AEC ended its uranium contract in December 1970. From 194 7 to 1970, the mill at Uravan produced 23 .9 million pounds of U30 s (commonly referred to as "yellowcake") and 9 .7 million pounds ofV20 s for the AE C . An additional 123.4 million pounds of V20 s was sold on the open market to the steel industry. Uranium Energy Boom and New Discoveries Prospecting for uranium deposits con- tinued throughout the 1950s and 1960s, resulting in limited production from the l C ~tlPaiK@ty;G:i:ati:.~th" Gr-,,ci;n:t Rang.e ,\ --·~' ~· and other localities throughout the state. <1)0i .., i .. ~ . . ... ~ , .. ;::.~ , /~.z.· \~ r~..ll>L;_._....,,...... >1'i.. .,,,._ ~.; • ,. ~ ... Figure 8 . Manhattan District uranium mill site, Ura van , 1944 . (Estal ee Sil ve r Co ll ecti on, do wnloaded fanuary 15, 2006 from www.uravan.com) In Colorado, the largest single uranium Pitch deposit in Saguache County. The deposit in Colorado was discovered deposit was developed by two adits from · ~~~~~~~~f~~4~~!J'~~m:~l!i.~~-}959 through 1962 and produced about in tli~ latei~4lJs. Fred ~cflwartzwalder 100,000 tons of uranium ore at an aver- had leased for the property for its cop- per potential and had taken some sam- ples to his home. LatJ r he ran a Geiger counter over the samples and found them to be radioactive . It took Fred some time to locate the exact spot where he had taken the sample, but he eventu- ally did . The Schwartzwalder Mine began pro- duction in 1953 and had a total production of 17 million pounds of uranium oxide at an average grade of 0.48 percent U30 s before its closure in March 2000 (Fig . 9). Uranium deposits occur in Upper Paleozoic carbonate rocks along a promi- nent north-trend- ing fault at the age grade of 0.50 percent U30 s, equiva- lent to one million pounds of U30 s. In 1972, .bf~m-~~1m11g.-.~~.-y acquired the property and proceeded to develop an open pit-mineable resource of 2 .1 million tons at an average grade of 0.17 percent U30 s, equivalent to 7,140,000 pounds of U30 s. Homestake mined the deposit from 1975 to 1985, and the ore was processed at Homes- take's mill near Grants, New Mexico . The Cochetopa uranium district is located in northwestern Saguache County about 20 miles southeast of Gunnison. The original discovery of the district was made in 1954 at the Los Ochos claim, which eventually became the Thornbu~j,Mine . As in the .Urav~ dio;trict the U ' ~-· · · · · ,~dt'": ~~ . p .~ ..• -,'<:~fl - ma ti on ~~JJ:i . . •. ranium ore . The Thornburg Mine produced over 1,253 ,000 pounds of U30 s at an average grade of 0.14 percent (Nelson Moore and others, 1978). " Figure 9. Schwartzwalder Mine , 1993 . (Photograph courtesy of fim Pas chis) Uranium in the form of the mineral autunite was discovered in the volcani- clastic rocks of the Tallahassee Creek See History on page 8 CGS R OCKTA L K Vo l . 9, No. 2 7 History (rqm page < district, Fremont County in the 1950s. Mining commenced from several small mines in the district and by the late 1960s, about 440,000 pounds of U30s had been produced. In the 1970s, the Hansen Creek deposit was developed by Cyprus Mines Corporation; it contains significant uranium, over 25 million pounds, albeit at a low grade of 0.08 per- cent U30s (Dickinson, 1981). The deposit was never mined because ura- nium prices tumbled in the 1980s The Uravan district began a new expansion to serve the growing needs of the nuclear power industry. In 1976, the mill was expanded to process 1,300 tons per day. However, the declining demand for nuclear power, the low uranium slipped from its high of $40 prices for uranium and the increasing per pound in the late 1970s to prices supply from Canada, Australia, and. below:~1~61p..e~l.ID~-£a~~sl~~JE,~o other countries spelled out the eventual 1980s and 1990s. As uranium stockpiles decline of the long-lived town of Ura-dwindled and worldwide economies van and the surrounding mines and improved, the demand for uranium mills of the Uravan mineral belt. In increased and, of course, the price began 1984, the Uravan mill was closed and to climb somewhat dramatically in 2003 the town was abandoned. Cleanup activ-(Fig.11). The worldwide demand for ura- ities commenced and continued through nium is 180 million pounds per year to the spring of 2006 (Fig. 10). Approxi-feed 435 nuclear reactors; however, mately 84 million pounds of uranium worldwide mine production in 2005. . .was , oxide and 220 million pounds of vana-.-0nly_J.lll . .mi,W.~!l~,-;;Il@t~/ di 'd d dfr th u ··~~>l:-.7.V.&!;Y.Jh~~~@i~~jJ.-fu{;~~..J-,f,.:~,,.:;_·:<t um OXl e were pro uce om e ra~il: . urax--u1w~.oSk: .' a:. cm r1ft'O.$_.lp·--:·· van district from 1936 to 1984. ·;,~jf~ml~~· · ~Jf~!i~~?~;:f;~\'- Because of the end of the Cold War -,~~~4~,--~~·:.~. . ·-.:."('~,;!-£!,bJJie(~, .. and the release Of Uranl'um from "''"'*' ··~~, ·· ·· ..,,,,~ "-~,...~,,u .. ,,,:~;; .111-C:-A' 'F -)""C·a~-;-··· ·-•·· -~·,.!~;·~~ .. ._· weapons stockpiles, the recession of the 198~s, and other factors, the price of Figure 10. The Uravan site in Spring 2005; cleanup work is almost complete. Compare this photograph to Figure 7; both were taken from approximately the same point. 8 CGS ROCKTALK Vol. 9, No. 2 uranium mines in the Uravan district in Uranium Prices, 1987-2006 . . 2003 and 2004. Cotter was transporting :~~~-~~~~~~·F · October 2 , 2006-$54.00/pound closed the mines abruptly in November 2005 citing increased costs making these operations unprofitable at this time . The Cotter mines produced 394,236 pounds of uranium oxide and 1,746,251 pounds of vanadium oxide from 2003 through 2005. In July 2006, International Ura- nium Corp. announced that they plan "C c 6 $30 +--~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-/ ~ $10 . on reopening four uranium .mines in ,~ the Uravan district. Tur~e··af'thoSe inines : $0 will be in Colorado; the -Other will be in Utah. .... ~ 0 !'.:! "" co Cl> 0 ... N "" ~ "' "' .... co Cl> 0 ... N "" ~ ~ !!! ~ ~ ~ !!! ~ !!! ~ ~ ~ !!! ~ ~ ~ 0 e 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 !'.:! !:'.! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ !:'.! ~ ~ ~ ~ !'.:! ~ !'.:! !:'.! !:'.! "" "" "" "" "" "" "" Figure 11 . Uranium prices. (Source: Ux Consulting Company, http://www.uxc.com!) "' "' e ~ 0 !:'.! ~ "" Geology of Uranium Deposi ts in Colorad o Uranium is a widespread and ubiquitous element. It has a crustal abundance of 2.8 parts per million, slightly more than tin. Primary deposits of uranium tend to concentrate in granitic or alkalic vol- canic rocks, hydrothermal veins, marine black shales, and early Precambrian age placer deposits. Secondary (or epigenetic) deposits of uranium are formed later than the surrounding rocks that host the mineral deposit. Uranium is soluble in oxidizing aqueous solutions, espe- cially the U+6 valence state, and can be redistributed from primary source rocks into porous sedimentary rocks and struc- tures by groundwater and form second- ary (epigenetic) uranium mineral deposits. Epigenetic deposits of uranium in sed- imentary rocks form the bulk of ura- nium deposits in Colorado. These include the many mines of the Uravan, Cochetopa, Maybell, and Rifle districts, and other scattered places including the Front Range and Denver Basin. Primary uranium deposits in Colorado occur in hydrothermal veins, especially in the Front Range. Epigenetic Uranium Deposits in Colorado Epigenetic uranium deposits in the sand- stones of the Salt Wash Member of the Jurassic-age Morrison Formation are CGS RO C KTALK Vol. 9 , No . 2 widespread in the Uravan district of southwestern Colorado. The sandstones of the Salt Wash Member were deposited by meandering streams and were later covered by shales, siltstones, and vol- canic ash beds of the Brushy Basin Mem- ber of the Morrison Formation. Later, near shore marine sands of the Dakota Formation and marine muds, silts, and sands of the Mancos Shale covered the rocks of the Morrison Formation . The Salt Wash sandstones are porous, per- meable, and locally contain abundant fossil plant material. Sometime after the deposition of the sandstones, uranium- See Geology on page 10 Figure 12. A uranium roll in the Salt Wash Member, Spring Creek Mesa Mine . Hammer for scale. Dark colored material is uraninite. (Photograph by Jim Cappa , 2005) 9 Geqlogy from page 9 and vanadium-bearing waters, probably derived from the overlying volcanic ash beds, flowed through the sandstones. The uranium-and vanadium-bearing water met changing physicochemical conditions, such as a reducing zone occupied by fossil organic material or changes in the acidity of the water, and the uranium precipitated as the miner- als uraninite or coffinite and vanadium precipitated with clay minerals. Ura- nium and vanadium minerals formed irregularly shaped ore deposits, com- monly referred to as uranium rolls. Typ- ical roll deposits from the Spring Creek Mesa Mine near Uravan are shown in Figure 12. Ore deposits in the Uravan district range in size from a few tons to over a million tons. The average ura- nium grade is about 0.25 percent and the average vanadium grade is about 2 percent. The Cochetopa uranium district also contains uranium mineralization in the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation. In the Thornburg Mine, the silicified and brecciated sandstone and mudstone of the Brushy Basin Member of the Morri- son Formation contain black, sooty, fine- grained uraninite in veinlets and as finely disseminated grains. Not all epigenetic uranium deposits in Colorado are located in the much- favored Morrison Formation. The Juras- sic-age Entrada and Navajo sandstones in the Rifle Creek district, Garfield County host typical vanadium-uranium minerals. The grade of these deposits ranges from 1 to 3 percent V20 s, and generally less than 0.10 percent U30s. Ore mined from 1959 to 1963 was prob- ably also from the Leadville Limestone though the host rock was unrecognized. Uranium ore in the Tallahassee Creek district occurs in two early Oligocene- late Eocene age formations, the Talla- hassee Creek Conglomerate and the Echo Park Alluvium. The Echo Park Allu- vium consists of sandstone, shale, and conglomerate . The Wall Mountain Tuff, a rhyolite ash flow tuff, overlies the Echo Park Alluvium. The Tallahassee Creek Conglomerate overlies the Wall Moun- tain Tuff and is mostly composed of boulders derived from the erosion of vol- canic rocks and Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. Uranium was dissolved from the Wall Mountain Tuff by groundwater leaching and then deposited as uraninite in favorable zones in the Echo Park Alluvium and Tal- lahassee Creek Conglomer- ate (Dickinson, 1981). Hydrothermal vein deposits s \ Figure 13 . Cross section of the Schwartzwalder Mine. (Downs and Bird, 1965) located in the Ralston Buttes district of Jefferson County. The hydrothermal veins of the Schwartzwalder Mine are hosted in Pre- cambrian age metamorphic rocks, schists, gneisses, and quartzite. Most of the uranium-bearing veins are located in garnet biotite gneiss and quartzite. , The veins fill north-to northwest-trend- ing, mostly steeply dipping, Laramide- age (about 70 million years ago) fractures in the garnet biotite gneiss, quartzite, and other rocks (Fig. 13). The ore mi11- erals in the veins consist of uraninite (variety pitchblende), some coffinite, copper sulfides, and other base metal sulfides. Quartz and carbonate minerals form the gangue (non-ore) minerals. NE Epigenetic uranium deposits also occur in carbonate rocks in the Marshall Pass district, Saguache County. In the 1970s, Homestake Mining Company geologists working on the Pitch Mine recognized that they had discovered a Cleanup of Contaminated Uranium Mill Sites previously unrecognized type of ura-Several uranium mills and processing nium ore deposit in brecciated dolomite facilities were built during the boom of the Mississippian-age Leadville Lime-years of uranium mining in Colorado stone. Most of the uranium deposits and and later abandoned. All of these facil- prospects of the district occur aloyz.!P~ ities had waste piles of spent uranium ~~ending Chester fault. La ~~~:!P ill tailings that, in some cases, were ere the used as construction materials for resi- ·"" Ile. dences, roads, and other buildings . In 1 0 the 1960s, the Colorado Department of Health (now named the Colorado Department of Public Health and Envi- ronment-CDPHE) and the U.S. Pubitc Health Service determined that the tail- ings in the Grand Junction area posed a significant health hazard and had to be mitigated. At this time, several CGS ROCKTALK Vol. 9, No. 2 thousan_d tons of uranium mill tailings from the Climax Mill in Grand Junction had been used in construction materi- als. In 1972, the U.S. Congress created the Grand Junction Remedial Action Plan and during the 15-year program, 594 buildings in the Grand Junction area underwent some type of remedial action. The U.S. Congress soon came to realize that the uranium mill tailings hazards were not restricted to the Grand Junc- tion area and passed the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act which set up a protocol and funding to clean up uranium mill tailings throughout the U.S. Cleanup of the nine uranium mill · sites in Colorado authorized by the Ura- nium Mill Tailings Remedial Action pro-. gram (UMTRA) has been completed. The communities in Western Colorado where uranium mill tailings were cleaned up are: Durango, Grand Junc- tion (including Fruita and Palisade), Gunnison, Maybell, Naturita, and Rifle. Final authorization for the surface cleanup program ended in 1998. From Bulletin 40 Press Release approximately 5,000 properties and the nine uranium mill sites, 15 million cubic yards of uranium tailings were removed to controlled disposal sites. The disposal cells were constructed utilizing strict ground water, geologic, and erosion cri- teria. The cells are designed to last for 200-1,000 years, are erosion resistant . and located primarily away from popu-. lated areas. The structures will continue to be monitored and maintained in the future by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In September 1998, the CDPHE devel- oped and published a plan for manag- ing uranium mill tailings encountered during construction activities in west~ em Colorado. The Post-UMTRA Ura-. / nium Mill Tailings Management Plan provides guidance and outlines resources for building contractors, private citizens; utility companies, and local govern- ments when faced with newly discov- ered uranium mill tailings material.. Along with the development of respon-. sibilities and safety procedures, tht: CDPHE developed a long-term disposal The Colorado Geological Survey announces the reissue of Bulletin 40, Radioac- tive Mineral Occurrences of Colorado. Bulletin. 40 was originally published in 1978, the height of the 1970s uranium boom. It quickly Sold out and, as uranium mining declined it was never repriflted. As uranium prices increased through 2003 and 2004, the Colorado Geological Survey decided to release Bulletin 40 again, this time as a CD-ROM. Bulletin 40 provides a detailed list- ing of all the known (1978) uranium occurrences in the state. Several plates depict the radioactive mineral occurrences on 1:250,000 scale topographic base maps. More detailed maps are included for •the southwest-corner of.'the state in the area around Naturita and Uravan. A 585-page bibliography related to uranium and thorium deposits and mining is included as Part Two of the bulletin. Bulletin 40 was written in 1978 by James L. Nelson-Moore, Donna Bishop Collins, and A.L. Hornbaker all of the Colorado Geological Survey. The Colorado Geological Survey scanned a printed copy of Bulletin 40 in an Adobe Acrobat PDF format in late 2004. The objective of this publication is to provide readily accessible information on uranium and thorium deposits in Colorado to resource developers, government planners, and interested businesses and citizens. site in Mesa County, known as the Cheney disposal cell, which will not be totally capped and closed for several years. Recognizing the need for long- term management and storage of the remaining uncontrolled tailings, the Cheney site will remain available for UMTRA-related contaminated materials until 2023, or until the cell is filled to capacity. For further information on the UMTRA program, visit the following CDPHE web site: http://www.cdphe. state.co.us/hm/rptailng.htm The Uravan mill and processing site began operation in 1912 and continued.. operations until 1984. The site contained nearly 10 million cubic yards of radioac- tive tailings and processing ponds that were leaking contaminated water into the San Miguel River. In 1986, the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency added the Uravan site to its National Priorities List and cleanup remedies were imple- mented which include: Capping and revegetating 10 million · cubic yards of uranium mill tailings Disposal of radioactive crystals from . processing ponds and elimination of · processing ponds Pumping and treating contaminated water Secure 12 million cubic yards of tail- ings along the San Miguel River • Dismantling the two mills and most of the old buildings in the town of Ura van Excavation and disposal of contam- inated soil Most of the cleanup work at the Ura- van site was completed in 2001 except for final remediation of the processing ponds and some long-term ground water cleanup. See Figure 10 for a photograph of Uravan in 2005. The Future of Uranium Copies of this publication, Bulletin 40, in CD-ROM format are available for $15 plus shipping and handling, from the Colorado Geological Survey. To order, please contact the Publications Section, 1313 Sherman Street, Room 715, Denver, CO 80203, e-mail address: pubscgs@state.co.us; Fax number: (303) 866-2461; Phone: (303) 866-2611. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. See http://geosurvey.state.co.us for a complete list of publications available through the Colorado Geological Survey. The use of uranium in the future will be for the production of electricity. Elec- trical demand is growing sharply, espe- cJaUy in the emerging countries of ,;<:· .. Clliila ·and India. Nuc~e~r power .,t)t~nts cupentlY .. ~~!,AW,;~(Wll)'..·b·e ·R~-f! bf ~the <r • .. ; ••• • •• __ .·_ .:.: _~ ~~·,~~~J:.FUtU(e on page 12 CGS ROCKTALK Vol. 9, No. 2 1 ] Future fr.om page , 11 electrical supply equation; perhaps, even more so as concerns grow about the emission of greenhouse gases from coal- fired powered plants and the price of natural gas. Nuclear power plants are expensive to build, but uranium fuel is abundant and cheap. Problems to be resolved include power plant security, eventual decommissioning, and spent fuel disposal. R CKT ALK is published by the Colorado Geological Survey 1313 Sherman Street, Room 715, Denver, CO 80203 State of Colorado Bill Owens, Governor Department of Natural Resources Russell George, Executive Director Colorado Geological Survey Vince Matthews, State Geologist and Division Director Back issues and subscriptions can be obtained FREE by contacting the CGS by mail, fax, phone, or e-mail or download them from our Web site . Phone : (303) 866-4762 Fax : (303) 866-2461 E-mail: pubscgs@state.co .us Web site: http://geosurvey.state .co. us THIS ISSUE Authors: J. Cappa Editor: V. Matthews Production: D. Eurich References Amundsen, M.A., 2002, Yellowcake towns: uraniu m mining communities in the American West: Boulder, Colo., University Press of Colorado, 204 p. Chenoweth, W.L., 1981, The uranium-vanadium deposits of the Uravan mineral belt and adjacent areas, Colorado and Utah, in Epis, R.C. and Cal- lender, J.F. (eds .), Western Slope Colorado, New Mexico Geological Soci- ety thirty-second field Conference Guidebook, p. 165-170. Coffin, R.C., 1921, Radium, uranium, and vanadium deposits of south- western Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 16, 231 p . Dickinson, K.A., 1981, Geologic controls of uranium mineralization in the Tallahassee Creek uranium district, Fremont County, Colorado: The Moun- tain Geologist, v. 18, no. 4, p. 88-95. Downs, G.R. and Bird, A.G., 1965, The Schwartzwalder uranium mine, Jef- ferson County, Colorado: The Mountain Geologist, v. 2, no. 4, p. 183-191. Goodknight, C.S., Chenoweth, W.L., Dayvault, R.D., and Cotter, E.T., 2005, Geologic roadlog for Uravan mineral belt field trip, west-central Colorado: Prepared for Rocky Mountain Section Meeting of the Geological Society of America 2005 Annual Meeting. Nelson-Moore, J .L., Collins, D.B., and Hornbaker, A.L., 1978, Radioactive mineral occurrences of Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey Bulletin 40 (reprinted as a CD-ROM, 2005). Shawe, D.R., Archbold, N.L., and Simmons, G.C., 1959, Geology and ura- nium-vanadium deposits of the Slick Rock district, San Miguel and Dolores counties, Colorado: Economic Geology, vol. 54, pp. 395-415 . Sheridan, D.M., Maxwell, C.H ., and Albee, A.L., 1967, Geology and ura- nium deposits of the Ralston Buttes district, Jefferson County, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 520, 121 p. TALK PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID DENVER CO PERMIT 738 Colorado Geological Survey 1313 Sherman Street, Room 715 Denver, CO 80203 M#341100040 BILL MCCORMICK ENGLEWOOD WATER DISTRICT 3400 S ELATI ENGLEWOOD CO 80110 11 •• 1.11 ...... 11 ... 1111 ... 11 ... 1