HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-10-11 WSB AGENDAWATER & SEWER BOARD
AGENDA
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
5:00 P.M.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ROOM
ENGLEWOOD CITY HALL
1. MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 MEETING. (ATT. 1)
2. GUEST : NICOLE HASKINS OF TELEWORDS. (ATT. 2 -ENCLOSED IN
PACKET)
3. PURCHASEOFTVVAN. (ATT .3)
4. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS:
"DENVER WATER BOARD TO VOTE ON 5.5 PERCENT RATE HIKE,"
FROM THE DENVER POST. (ATT. 4)
"EAST-WEST PEACE PACT," FROM THE COLORADO FOUNDATION
FOR WATER EDUCATION. (ATT. 5)
5. OTHER.
WATER & SEWER BOARD
AGENDA
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
5:00 P.M.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ROOM
ENGLEWOOD CITY HALL
1. MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 MEETING . (ATT. 1)
2. GUEST: NICOLE HASKINS OF TELEWORDS. (ATT. 2 IS ENCLOSED IN
PACKET)
3. PURCHASE OF TV VAN. (ATT. 3)
4. TOTAL TRIHALOMETHANE CHART. (ATT. 4)
5. LETTER SENT TO SANITATION DISTRICTS REGARDING TAP FEE
ADJUSTMENTS. (ATT. 5)
6. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS:
"DENVER WATER BOARD TO VOTE ON 5.5 PERCENT RATE HIKE,"
FROM THE DENVER POST. (ATT. 6)
"EAST=WEST PEACE PACT," FROM THE COLORADO FOUNDATION
FOR WATER EDUCATION. (ATT . 7)
7. OTHER.
WATER AND SEWER BOARD
MINUTES
September 13, 2011
The meeting was called to order at 5 :03 p .m.
Members present: Clark, Wiggins, Olson, Woodward
Members absent: Higday, Bums, Habenicht, McCaslin
Mr. Cassidy had resigned from the Water and Sewer Board on July 11, 2011.
Also present:
A quorum was not present.
Stewart Fonda, Director of Utilities
John Bock, Admin. Manager of Utilities
Police Officer Mander
Deputy City Clerk Bush
Chairman Clark stated that since a quorum is not present, no formal business will be
conducted.
The meeting adjourned at 5:37 p.m.
The next Englewood Water Board meeting will be October 11, 2011 in the Community
Development Conference Room.
Respectfully submitted,
Is l Cathy Burrage
Recording Secretary
Date
December 5, 2011
INITIATED BY
Utilities Department
COUNCIL COMMUNICATION
Agenda Item Subject
Purchase of a TV Van
STAFF SOURCE
Stewart H. Fonda, Director of Utilities
COUNCIL GOAL AND PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION
None.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
The Englewood Water and Sewer Board, at their October 11, 2011 meeting recommended
Council approval by motion of the purchase of a TV van and power control unit. Staff
recommends awarding the bid t o Boyle Equipment Company in the amount of $123,275 .00.
BACKGROUND, ANALYSIS, AND ALTERNATIVES IDENTIFIED
The TV van allows the wastewater collection crew to inspect the sanitary and storm water
systems from the inside of the pipe. This will provide an inline view for inspecting pipe quality,
root infiltration, protruding taps, offset joints and manhole invert connections, blockages and
debris in mains. Staff requested an upgrade to a steerable camera transporter. The steerable
transporter will enable the unit to navigate around offset joints and obstacles greatly
enhancing the ability to inspect lines, allowing a more accuate view to look into tap
connections, buried manholes and collapsed pipe severity.
Three bids were received from vendors for a TV van.
Boyle Equipment Company
DW Inspection Systems
Hydro Physics Pipe Inspection
$118,775.00
$129,467.00
$132,144.00
Boyle Equipment Company was the acceptable low bidder in the amount of $118,775.00, plus
$4,500.00 for the steerable camera transporter upgrade, for a total of $123,275.00.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Boyle Equipment Company is the recommended bidder at $123,275.00.
The Utilities Department budgeted $125,000.00 for this piece of equipment in the 2011 Budget
under #411605 61401 and 61301 .
LIST OF ATTACHMENTS
Bid Proposal Tabulation
MEMORANDUM
TO: Stu Fonda, Director of Utilities
FROM : Tom Brennan, Utilities Engineer @
DATE: September 26, 2011
RE: IFB-11-025, Utility Van with T.V. Mounted Inspection System
The Utilities Department staff has reviewed the above mentioned Invitation for Bid and has
determined that Boyle Equipment Company's bid is the lowest, technically acceptable bidder.
The City received three bids for IFB-11-025 and they were as follows:
Boyle Equipment Company: $118, 775.00
OW Inspection Systems: $129,467 .00
Hydro Physics Pipe Inspection: $132,144.40
The approved budgeted amount for the TV System is $125,000.00. The Utility Department staff
has requested an upgrade from the specified non-steerable camera transporter to a steerable
camera transporter. The price for the upgrade is $4500.00 bringing the bid price to
$123,275 .00. A steerable transporter will enable the unit to navigate around offset joints and
obstacles greatly enhancing the ability to inspect lines. Therefore, the award will be made to
Boyle Equipment Company for $123,275.00.
Results in ug/I PWSID#-CO 0103045 Total Trihalomethanes Sheet 11
Date Sample Site Chloroform Bromodichloro-Dibromochloro-Bromoform THM4 RAA LRAA methane methane Concentration
4811 S. Broadway 3.78 8.43 11.20 3.46 26.87 28.38
"'<:>;
1000 Englewood Prky 3.29 8.55 11 .80 3.90 27 .54 31.78
't.~ 3380 S. Lincoln 3.60 9.16 11.80 4.47 29.03 32.55
,'I: 2323 W. Baker 3.46 9.48 12 .90 5.06 30.90 34.28
Averaae 3.53 8.91 11 .93 4.22 28 .59 31 .75
4811 S. Broadway 8.98 9.36 7.68 1.26 27.28 31.97
')jO; 1000 Englewood Prky 12 .00 12.90 9.91 1.69 36.50 36.32
~~ 3380 S. Lincoln 11.30 10 .30 7.59 1.36 30.55 35.90
'\,~ 2323 W. Baker 8.16 8.20 6.42 1.26 24.04 35.46
Averaae 10 .11 10.19 7.90 1.39 29.59 34 .91
4811 S. Broadway 13 .80 13 .80 12.70 3.35 43 .65 35.61
"'<:>;
1000 Englewood Prky 11.80 13.00 12 .30 3.25 40.35 37.01
';?-.JS; 3380 S. Lincoln 12.80 14 .00 12.80 3.46 43.06 36.96
~ 2323 W. Baker 11 .80 12.60 11.40 3.06 38 .86 35.00
Averaae 12 .55 13.35 12.30 3.28 41.48 36 .14
4811 S. Broadway 7.90 7.89 4.35 0.74 20.88 29 .67
"'<;;:,<:>;
1000 Englewood Prky 8.30 8.55 4.96 0.90 22 .71 31.78
~~o 3380 S. Lincoln 8.42 8.88 5.35 1.01 23 .66 31 .58
'\) 2323 W. Baker 8.48 11.40 10 .50 3.24 33.62 31.86
Averaae 8.28 9.18 6.29 1.47 25 .22 31 .22
4811 S. Broadway 5.30 10.30 11.40 3.90 30 .90 30 .68
~ 1000 Englewood Prky 5.10 10 .80 12.30 4.40 32.60 33.04
't.~ 3380 S. Lincoln 5.40 11 .20 12 .60 4.30 33 .50 32.69
~ 2323 W. Baker 5.30 11.10 12 .50 4.30 33.20 32.43
Averaqe 5.28 10.85 12.20 4.23 32.55 32 .21
4811 S. Broadway 7.70 10 .70 9.40 2.10 29.90 31.33
~ 1000 Englewood Prky 9.40 12.30 9.80 2.10 33.60 32.32
~'1>~ 3380 S. Lincoln 9.70 12.30 9.40 2.00 33.40 33.41
C'<f 2323 W. Baker 9.50 12.60 10.40 2.50 35 .00 35.17
Averaqe 9.08 11.98 9.75 2.18 32.98 33.06
4811 S. Broadway 14.60 12.00 7.60 1.30 35.50 29 .30
'<;;:,
1000 Englewood Prky 15 .90 12 .10 7.80 1.40 37 .20 31 .53
'ff>~ 3380 S. Lincoln 16 .60 12.30 7.60 1.30 37 .80 32 .09
,o; 2323 W. Baker 16.30 12 .60 8.10 1.50 38.50 35 .08
Averaoe 15 .85 12 .25 7.78 1.38 37 .25 32 .00
4811 S. Broadway 7.00 14.30 16 .20 4.70 42.20 34 .63
,<;;:, 1000 Englewood Prky 7.30 13.70 12 .60 3.50 37 .10 35 .13
"" 3380 S. Lincoln 7.80 13.60 11 .90 3.30 36 .60 35 .33 .,,~~o
2323 W. Baker 7.20 13 .80 13.30 3.60 37.90 36 .15
Averaae 7.33 13 .85 13.50 3.78 38.45 35.31
4811 S. Broadway 8.30 12 .90 13.00 4.40 38.60 36.55
,, 1000 Englewood Prky 8.20 12.80 12.40 4.60 38.00 36.48
~'1>" 3380 S. Lincoln 8.80 13.70 12 .90 4.60 40 .00 36 .95
'I: 2323 W. Baker 10 .10 14 .00 12 .00 3.90 40.00 37.85
Averaae 8.85 13.35 12 .58 4.38 39.15 36.96
4811 S. Broadway 4.10 5.80 8.60 5.00 23 .50 34.95
,, 1000 Englewood Prky 3.70 5.80 9.40 7.40 26.30 34 .65
~'1>~ 3380 S. Lincoln 3.80 5.50 8.30 6.00 23 .60 34.50
"i 2323 W. Baker 4.90 6.50 8.50 5.10 25.00 35.35
Averaqe 4.13 5.90 8.70 5.88 24 .60 34 .86
4811 S. Broadway 11.70 8.60 5.10 0.80 26.20 32.63
,, 1000 Englewood Prky 12.30 8.90 5.00 0.86 27.06 32 .12
':?-"~ 3380 S. Lincoln 12.30 8.80 5.10 0.86 27 .06 31 .82 ~ 2323 W. Baker 12 .30 8.70 5.10 0.90 27.00 32.48
Averaae 12 .15 8.75 5.08 0.86 26.83 32.26
Averages include compliance data only
....
Results in ug/I
Date Sample Site Dibromoacetic
acid
4811 S. Broa dway 4.6
~ 1000 Englewood Pky 1.7
~ 3380 S. Lin co ln 1.1 ~~o
"3 2323 W. Bake r 3.0
Average 2.6
4811 S. Broad way 3.5
"" 1000 Englewood Pky 4.1
~~ 3380 S. Lincoln 4.0
"\; 23 23 W. Baker 4.0
Avera ge 3.9
4811 S. Bro adway 4.3
, .... 1000 Eng le wood Pky 3.5
~'If. 3380 S. Lin co ln 3.0
'-$ 2323 W. Ba ker 3.0
Average 3.5
4811 S. Broadway 1.30
, .... 1000 Eng lewood Pky 1.40
'5?-~~ 3380 S. Li ncoln 1.20
,<tr 2323 W. Baker 1.30
Ave rag e 1.30
4811 S. Bro adway
1000 Englewood Pky
3380 S. Lincoln
2323 W. Baker
Average
4811 S. Bro adwa y
1000 Englewood Pky
3380 S. Li ncoln
2323 W. Ba ke r
Avera ge
4811 S. Broadwa y
1000 Englewood Pky
3380 S. Lin col n
2323 W. Baker
Average
481 1 S. Broa dway
1000 Englewood Pky
3380 S. Lincoln
2323 W. Bak er
Averag e
4811 S. Broadway
1000 Englewood Pky
3380 S. Li ncol n
2323 W. Baker
Ave rag e
4811 S. Broadw ay
1000 Englewood Pky
3380 S. Lincol n
2323 W. Baker
Averag e
Haloacetic Acid (HAAS) Analyses
PWSID -103045
Dichloroacetic Monobromoacetic Monochloroacetic Trichloroacetic
ac id ac id acid acid
5.1 1.9 5.1
2.2 1.2 4.2
1.7 1.2 4.6
4.3 5.1 4.4
3.3 2.4 4.6
4.6 3.7 3.8
4.0 2.1 3.8
5.9 2.3 4.1
6.1 2.5 4.4
5.2 2.7 4.0
3.4 3.1
2.1 1.8
2.2 1.7
3.0 2.4
2.7 2.3
3.30 3.50
4.10 3.50
3.30 3.30
3.00 3.10
3.43 3.35
Averages include compliance data only.
Sheet6
Total HAAS RAA LRAA Concentration
16.7 14.3
9.3 11.8
8.6 11.8
16.8 14.0
12.9 13 .0
15 .6 14.6
14 .0 12.9
16 .3 13.7
17 .0 13.6
15.7 14 .1
10.8 14.0
7.4 10.7
6.9 12.5
8.4 14.4
8.4 13 .2
8.1 12.80
9.0 9.93
7.8 9.90
7.4 12.40
8.1 11 .26
(Date)
(Sanitation District)
Re: Revisions to the City of Englewood 's Sanitary Sewer Connection Fees
(Salutation):
This letter will serve as notice that, at its October 17, 2011 meeting, the City of
Englewood's City Council passed on second reading revised sanitary sewer connection
fees that affect new sewer connections in (sanitation district). Those revised connection
fees will take effect thirty days after the second reading date, or November 18, 2011.
The revised fees do not affect "single use" connections, that is, one meter serving a single
residence or single commercial property. The revised fees pertain to multi-family and
mixed use multi-family and commercial properties.
The new fee schedules are included with this letter.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely
John Bock
Utilities Manager of Administration
303-762-2643
Fax 303-783-6894
jbock@englewoodgov.org
CITY OF ENGLEWOOD
Utilities Department
Effective 11-3-2011
Table Two
Mixed Use Residential and Commercial Sanitary Sewer
System Connection Charges
Mixed use Residential and Commercial Sewer Connection fees are a combination of the per
residential dwelling unit charge plus a per commercial fixture unit fee based on the number of
fixture units.
Multi Family Sewer Connection Fees
Collection Treatment Plant
Base Fee $720 .00 $845.00
Dwelling Unit Fee
(per dwelling unit)
First 12 units $160 .00 $185 .00
Next 22 units $125 .00 $150.00
Over 34 units $75.00 $85.00
Commercial Mixed Use Sewer Connection Fees
Sewer Collection Treatment
First 125 fixture units $23.00 $27.00
Next 250 fixture units $10.00 $11.00
over 375 fixture units $7.00 $9 .00
Note: The mixed use connection fees shall be the greater of the following:
1) The sum of calculated mixed use multifamily and commercial connection fees or
2) Meter size based connection fee.
H:\JBock\General Spread Sheets\ Water and mixed use sewer Tap Fees New 2011 .xls
CITY OF ENGLEWOOD
Utilities Department
Effective 11-3-2011
Table One
Multi Family Sewer Connection Fees
Collection (Surcharge) Treatment Plant
Base Fee $720 .00 $845 .00
Dwelling Unit Fee
(per dwelling unit)
First 12 units $160 .00 $185.00
Next 22 units $125.00 $150.00
Over 34 units $75.00 $85 .00
Note: For multi family sewer connections, fees shall be the greater of the
following:
1) The sum of the multifamily connection fees or
2) Meter size based connection fee.
H:\JBock\General Spread Sheets\ Water and mixed use sewer Tap Fees New 2011.xls
denverpost .c om
denver and the west
D enver Water board to v o te on 5 .5 percent r ate hike
By The Denver Post
Denver Water's board will vote on a 5.5 percent rate hike next month to pay for
improvements and repairs to its system.
If approved, the rates would increase for the 21st year in a row. Last year, the board
raised rates by 5 percent.
The increase would take effect in January, costing the average residential Denver
customer another $19.43 a year, about $1.62 a month, according to Denver Water.
Suburban customers pay more: The average bill there would rise about $2 .84 a month, or
$34.11 a year.
The five-member utility board will vote on the increase at its Sept. 28 meeting. Public
comments can be sent to dbwc @ denverwater.org or phoned in to 303 -628-6320 . The
board also will take comments at the Sept. 28 meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. at its
headquarters at 1600 W. 12th Ave . in Denver.
The increase will help pay for a watershed protection initiative, expanding the utility's
recycled water system and a pipe rehabilitation and replacement program.
"We are keenly aware of our need to spend our customers' dollars wisely," Angela
Bricmont, Denver Water's finance director, said in a news release. "That 's why we've
reduced our budget for 2012 and have launched an organization-wide efficiency initiative
to keep us as lean as possible."
Denver Water serves about 1.3 million customers in Denver and many of its suburbs.
Customers who use more would pay more, the utility noted. The 5.5 percent increase also
would apply to commercial and government customers.
The utility, which is funded solely through rates and customer fees, owns and maintains
more than 3 , 000 miles of pipes, 12 reservoirs, 22 pump stations and four treatment plants.
Denver Water cited the system's upkeep and improvements for its increase last year.
Rates rose 1 7 percent between 2007 and 2009.
I
I
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ii
it
I
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. ~u!des say that relea si ng water from the res ervoi r in August
-~ creates an artificial flow-and a danger. "The Fryingpan itself
would never have that much water in August were it not for the
dam," says Will Sands of Taylor Creek Flyfishing. At 150 to 250
cfs, the natural flows of August, clients can stand in the water.
Flows of 400 and 600 cfs hurt fishing quality and chall enge even
sturdy young anglers. "A t 800," h e says, "it's kind of a whitewa-
ter tunnel." Clients go elsewhere , impacting restaurants, lodges
and o ther businesses in Basalt.
Kremmling and Glenwood Springs, a few of them in the stee p
chasm of Gore Canyon. ln the 1970s , only a few brave kayakers
ventured into the canyon. Then, rafters arrived, soon accompa-
nied by paying customers.
ln the Grand Valley, such notions are sure to ruffle feathers .
Technological upgrades and moxie combined to produce the
ch ange . Se lf-bailing boa ts allow greater maneuverability, and
hand grips offer more stability for paddlers . Another factor,
says Darryl Bangert , one of the canyon 's pion ee ring rafters, was
simple brazenness . Af ter a trip in 1985 in which h e saw boaters
in New Zea land and elsewhere, he returned with new ambitions .
"I sai d , 'What wussie boys we were in Colorado."' "So metimes fishing becomes more important than releasing
water for senior water rights," Richard "Dick" Proctor, manager
of the Grand Valley Water Users Association, notes dryly.
The evolving, more complicated nature of Colorado River
water can also be found among whitewa ter boaters. Some
50,000 boater days were record ed in 2010 in the area between
In Gore Canyon, it's still not a big business . Timberline Tours ,
an Eagle-based company, has about 100 customers per year for the
$175 adventure-provided the water levels are right. They raft only
when the river is running between 750 cfs and 1,250 cfs. And they
take what they can get. But members on the Phone Call have been
In what has been heralded as an historic
peace accord , Denver Water and 34 West
Slope entities have proposed a Colorado
River Cooperative Agreement to settle long-
time water disputes . What was previously
referred to as "the global negotiations "
lasted five years, required the help of a
professional mediator, and was "painful all
around ," according to David Little , Denver
Water's planning director. And yet, despite
the expectation that they would not find
common ground, as noted by Gov. John
Hickenlooper at the April 28 , 2011 press
conference where the agreement was made
public, the parties have reached what he
called "more than a truce ."
"For too long people who had so many
interests in common saw each other almost
as enemies . The relationships built here will
have an enduring impact ," the governor said .
Indeed, the proposed agreement rep-
resents a new way of doing business , says
attorney David Taussig , who represents the
Grand County Board of Commissioners .
"lt cements or changes a culture that
future development on the Colorado River
will be accomplished through cooperation
rather than confrontation ," said Colorado
River District general manager Eric Kuhn at
the press conference.
The agreement was spurred in part by
Denver Water's proposed Moffat Firming
Project , a plan to add storage on the East
Slope that would give the utility opera-
tional flexibility and enable it to add 18,000
acre feet to the annual yield of its Moffat
Collection System, which diverts from the
Fraser and Williams Fork rivers as well as
South Boulder Creek This supply would
buffer Denver Water's northern service area ,
which it says is critically water-short in dry
By )ayla Poppl eton
years. In the give-and-take of the agreement,
West Slope signatories pledge not to oppose
the proposed project , which wouldn't be
completed until 2017 and is still awaiting a
federal permit to proceed .
ln exchange , Denver Water will work to
improve the health of headwaters streams .
This goes beyond any actions required to
mitigate the Moffat Firming Project's impacts
by the federal permitting process . Because
of the added flexibility the project will give
the utility, Denver Water agrees to contribute
up to 2,000 acre feet of water annually for
release during low flow periods or for other
environmental benefits in the Fraser and
Colorado rivers . "It's water that they could
have otherwise diverted," says Taussig . "We
can put 5 or 6 cubic feet per second in the
upper Fraser Basin. Up in those streams , 1
or 2 cfs can make a huge difference ." Denver
Water will also give the county $4 million
for improvement of aquatic habitat and
other environmental enhancements . And
Denver Water is committed to partnering
with the Colorado River Basin entities in a
process called Leaming by Doing , or adap-
tive management , says Taussig . "We will all
watch what happens and adapt to make the
river better."
The agreement also resolves a decades-
old disagreement in Summit County over
how Denver Water is legally entitled to use
water diverted through the Roberts Tunnel
per the 1955 Blue River Decree . The Blue
River Decree requires Denver Water to
use its Blue River water, stored in Dillon
Reservoir , within the utility's combined
service area . From the West Slope's point of
view, that stipulation referenced the service
area as it was defined in 1955 when the
decree was issued, effectively setting an
upper limit on how much water the utility
could ultimately divert. Denver Water has
countered that the decree allowed its ser-
vice area to grow, and as the utility annexed
new areas , expanding, as Little put it , "like
an amoeba on steroids," it has served an
ever-growing customer base . Now, Denver
Water agrees it will not expand its service
again after receiving West Slope support in
its effort to share water with South Metro
communities through its WISE project.
Those communities face a looming crisis
if they don't move beyond non-renewable
groundwater as their primary water source.
For water received through the WISE
project-where re-useable water would be
re-routed via Aurora's Prairie Waters recy-
cling project to the Rueter-Hess Reservoir
in Parker-the South Metro communities
will incur a 12.5 percent surcharge . The
money will go into a fund , to be adminis-
tered by the Colorado River District , with
20 percent stipulated for forest health and
restoration projects in Grand and Summit
counties and the rest for environmental and
water supply projects along the Colorado
River from the headwaters to the state line .
In exchange, South Metro beneficiaries will
agree not to go to the Colorado River main-
stem basin upstream of its confluence with
the Gunnison River for a transbasin diver-
sion project. And Denver Water will only
develop additional Colorado Basin water in
cooperation with West Slope entities. Denver
Water has also agreed to pursue more aggres-
sive conservation measures and to use more
of its re-useable water itself. In Colorado ,
diverted water can generally be used only
once before it is allowed to return to the
stream . In the case of water transported from
another bas in, however, water can legall y be
l 6 COLORADO FOUNDATION FOR WATER EDUCATION
reminded of an annual boating festival , the Gore Canyon Race, and
hnVr-releases from Green Mountain might adversely affect it. "If
they are going to do something funky, they work around our races ,"
says Lisa Reeder , a part-owner of Timberline .
laws for admini stration of water were institutionalized. It 's still
first in time , first in right-but now there may be asterisks .
Eric Kuhn , manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation
District, sees the weekly teleconference as reflective of the
changes he has observed since the late 1970s . "In 1977 , Denver's
demands were not what they are today, because they were serv-
ing 700,000 to 800 ,000 people , not 1.4 million . Things were
not as tight."
Another new twist is a recommendation by a group of fed-
eral, state and local agencies , along with environmental and
recreational interests, that would affect 54 .4 miles of the river,
from Gore Canyon through Glenwood Canyon. The group pro-
poses this segment be managed to protect and perhaps enh ance
the existing "outstandingly remarkable values " as defined by the
federal Wild and Scenic River Act, but without formal designa-
tion . Instead , they 're suggest in g something similar to the model
used to ensure wa ter for endangered fish while retaining flex-
ibility for water users and yields for water projects .
True, these are far more complex times for the Colorado
River than in the 1860s and 1870s, when Co lorado 's original
The future , as Kuhn points out, will be on e of greater finesse
yet. "It is continually evolving , but those [phone] calls have
been very, very helpful in having the various parties understand
the limitatio n s and the problems they face-and really lead ing
to a lot of cooperative effort on an annual basis, not in the sense
of agreements and decrees, but in the operational sense . I actu-
ally see them becoming more valuab le as things get a little more
complicated and a little tighter in the future." D
Eric Kuhn heads the Glenwood Springs-based
Colorado River Water Conservation District,
comprising 15 West Slope counties .
used again and again "to extinction ."
In addition to water offered to Summit
and Grand counties for environmental ,
municipal and snowmaking purpos-
es , Denver Water will provide use of its
vast collection system, including Dillon
Reservoir, as a means of storing and mov-
ing water for headwater communities . "This
makes it possible to have water for future
growth here ," says attorney Barney White,
who represented Summit County in the
negotiations . "Without this agreement , it's
difficult [for Summit County] to get any
firm yield above Dillon ."
With Denvers help , the yield in Clinton
Reservoir on Freemont pass will be enhanced,
providing additional snowmaking water for
the major ski resorts in the area. And in
Eagle County, Denver agrees not to pursue
any water supply project without the express
support of the county and the various water
entities operating there.
Another $8 million will go into a pot
to subsidize projects for West Slope water
users . And there will be another $10 mil-
lion for wastewater treatment improve-
ments to address nutrient-loading in water
bodies throughout the river basin.
For both the middle river near
Glenwood Springs and the lower rivers
Grand Valley, the most important element
of the agreement revolves around protect-
ing the Shoshone hydroelectric plant's his-
toric call for water. The Xcel Energy-owned
plant, which has a senior right for 1,250
cubic feet per second, pulls relatively clean
water steadily down from the headwaters,
says Mark Hermundstad , who represented
several Grand Valley entities in the negotia-
tions . Shoshone outages have temporarily
affected the river-when the plant is out,
it can't call for water-with greater fre -
quency, and those who rely on it fear the
possibility that it could go out of business
or that Denver could ultimately buy the
water right, though Xcel has said it is not
for presently for sale. In the agreement,
all parties consent to mimic the Shoshone
call as though it is always on except under
extreme drought circumstances-if Denver
were forced to ban outdoor watering.
An additional operational agreement
is being developed for Green Mountain
Reservoir that would ensure water that is
supposed to be stored there for West Slope
users is actually accounted for and available
through the reservoirs releases. In some years,
under certain conditions, Denver Water stores
water in Dillon Reservoir, which sits upstream
of but has a junior water right to Green
Mountain, that should have been released to
fill Green Mountain , says Hermundstad . "We
want to make sure [Green Mountain] gets its
legal fill every year."
In September 2010 , the proposed agree-
ment was filed with the federal court where
the case is pending . The agreement has yet to
pass review by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
and the Colorado State Engineers Office ,
two organizations critical to its implementa-
tion . According to Little, as it is currently
structured , the agreement will either be 100
percent successful or 100 percent failure .
As those sitting outside the confidential
negotiating room, including the Colorado
Basin Roundtable, worried from the side-
lines , they were assured that their concerns
were being represented . Those of the "not
one more drop " camp may, however, be
disappointed by the outcome, says Jim
Pokrandt , who chairs the Colorado Basin
Roundtable and works as the Colorado
River District 's communication and edu-
cation specialist. But failing to negotiate
a settlement could have cost the West
Slope much more than agreeing to support
Denver's plan to take more water from the
headwaters of the Colorado River and to
expand its service area one last time .
Little believes the long-term relationship
that has been fostered through more peaceful
negotiations--as well as the environmental
improvements that are part of the deal-
would have lost out if litigation ensued .
At the end of the April press confer-
ence, Grand County Commissioner James
Newberry said, "We talked about trying to
get peace in our time . This is a great step
toward that." D
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