Join Manufacturers in Making Safe Drinking Water a Priority

There’s perhaps nothing more important for our health and well-being than access to safe drinking water. 

And there are devastating consequences when we neglect our water infrastructure, as we’ve sadly seen in places like Flint. But right now, you and I have a chance to help fix things. 

Please join Alliance for American Manufacturing in urging Congress to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 with strong Buy America provisions.

The infrastructure that brings water to our homes is essential for our quality of life. When water systems fail, people get sick – and some even die.

America’s overall water infrastructure is in bad shape. Many water systems are failing, and recent drought and flooding are pushing even more systems to the brink.

We’ve got to do something about it. The good news is that investing won’t just safeguard our health – it also will help America’s bottom line, as one-fifth of the U.S. economy depends on clean water. 

Every $1 we spend on water infrastructure improvements generates $6 in returns. And if we ensure taxpayer dollars are spent on American-made materials like iron and steel, we will create new jobs and invest even more in the American economy! 

Tell Congress to pass this crucial legislation to ensure there is a safe, dependable drinking water system for all Americans.
 

South Metro Denver on Path to Sustainable Water Future

Key Take-Aways

  • SMWSA Master Plan shows tremendous progress transitioning to renewable water
  • South Metro region now a state leader in conservation, efficiency and reuse
  • Hecox: ‘More to be done, but there is no question we are on the right path’


Greenwood Village, Colo. –- The South Denver Metro region has made tremendous progress securing a sustainable water future over the past 12 years thanks to aggressive efforts to conserve water, maximize efficiency and invest in renewable water supplies, according to the results of the 2016 South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA) Master Plan Update, released on August 9, 2016.

“A remarkable transformation is happening in the South Metro region,” said James Eklund, director of the state's water agency and architect of Colorado's Water Plan. “Colorado's Water Plan calls for innovative water management and this study demonstrates how this important region is transitioning to a more sustainable water supply.”

The report, produced by SMWSA and its technical consultant, CH2M, is the most definitive study of water demand and supplies of the region in nearly a decade.

“The study confirms our region’s tremendous progress toward securing a sustainable water future,” said Eric Hecox, executive director of SMWSA. “There is more to be done, but there is no question we are on the right path.”

Historically many communities in the region relied on nonrenewable groundwater from the Denver Basin Aquifer system for much of their water supply. For some, it was their only water supply as recently as 12 years ago. The significant decline in groundwater levels was unsustainable and threatened to undermine the region’s economic vitality and overall quality of life.

Recognizing the challenge, water providers joined forces in 2004 to create SMWSA and develop a plan. The result of that work to date is outlined in the Master Plan update:

  • Transition to renewable water: In 2004, less than half of the region’s water supply came from renewable sources. By 2020, more than three-fourths (78 percent) of the region’s water supply will come from renewable water supplies, according to the study. This marks a significant transformation of the region’s water supply. By 2065, a full 85 percent of the region’s supplies will come from renewable sources, according to the study. Notably, this progress is being made despite a projected 130 percent increase in total water demand over the same period.
  • Investment in renewable water projects: This transition to renewable water is the result of a number of regional projects that communities throughout the region have invested in, including WISE, the Chatfield Reallocation Project, Reuter Hess Reservoir, the ACCWA/ECCV Northern Project, Castle Rock’s Plum Creek Water Purification Facility and many more.
  • Leading in conservation: The South Metro region has established itself as a leader in conservation and water stewardship with some of the strongest and most effective conservation efforts of any region in the state. Per capita water demand in the region decreased by 30 percent since 2000. The region now boasts among the lowest consumption rates in the state.
  • Maximizing efficiency: SMWSA and its members are maximizing water efficiency by reusing water to the fullest extent possible.

“This is tremendous progress given the immense water challenges the region faced just 12
years ago,” said Mike Fitzgerald, president and CEO of the Denver South Economic
Development Partnership. “We are on a path to a secure and sustainable water supply, which is
critical to maintaining our region’s excellent quality of life and economic vitality for future
generations.”

More Work Ahead
While the region is on track to meet projected demand as far out as 2065, more work is needed to ensure that happens, Hecox said.

Future possible projects and plans include adding new supply and storage, groundwater
management, conservation and efficiency.

“We must execute on current plans, continue our conservation efforts, build our renewable
supplies and maximize what we have through reuse,” Hecox said. “If we continue the course,
we will deliver on our promise of a secure water future for the region.”

About South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA)
The South Metro Water Supply Authority is a regional water authority comprised of 13 water
provider members that collectively serve about 80 percent of the population of Douglas County and 10 percent of Arapahoe County. SMWSA was established in 2004 to develop and execute a plan to provide a secure and sustainable water future for the region.

Through increased negotiating power and collaborative support for new projects, SMWSA is
transforming the region’s water supply and creating a sustainable future for generations to
come. For more information, visit: southmetrowater.org.

Media Contact:
Russ Rizzo
303-825-6100
[email protected]

Denver Regional Council of Governments Honors The WISE Project With a 2016 Metro Vision Award

DENVER (April 28, 2016) – The South Metro WISE Authority received a 2016 Metro Vision Award from the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) for The WISE project. The award was presented by Elise Jones, DRCOG Chair and Chair of the Boulder County Board of Commissioners, at DRCOG’s Annual Awards celebration, held April 27 at the Westin DIA.

The Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency Partnership (WISE) is a regional water supply project between Aurora Water, Denver Water and members of the South Metro Water Supply Authority. First conceived in 2008, the partnership combines water supplies and system capacities to create a sustainable new water supply for the region.

According to Rick Marsicek, Director of Engineering for the South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA), “this project is one of the first of its kind in the country and it has broad support from across the State of Colorado. The WISE Partnership will benefit roughly two million people and it will bring a sustainable water supply to south metro communities.” When water deliveries begin in early 2017, some of Colorado’s fastest-growing communities will be able to partially replace non-renewable groundwater.

At the same time, Denver Water will receive a new back-up supply, and Aurora Water will receive funding to help offset costs of its Prairie Waters project and the West Slope will receive new funding for water supply, watershed and water quality projects.

WISE is one part of South Metro Water’s broader plan for a sustainable water future. The plan focuses on three areas: conservation and efficiency; infrastructure investment; and partnership among local and regional water suppliers. The region has made tremendous progress over the past decade, reducing per capita water use by more than 30 percent and making significant investments in water infrastructure.

DRCOG’s Metro Vision awards are presented to individuals and programs who contribute outstanding efforts to the Denver region and its communities, and to DRCOG’s programs and activities. The regional council has been honoring outstanding achievements for more than 30 years.

The Denver Regional Council of Governments is a planning organization where local governments collaborate to establish guidelines, set policy and allocation finding in the areas of:

• Transportation and personal mobility
• Growth and development
• Aging and disability resources

Securing South Metro Denver’s Water Future – With Statewide Support

A guest op-ed by Eric Hecox

A massive shift is underway in how the South Metro Denver area gets its water, with implications for communities across the state.

After decades of drawing down nonrenewable groundwater aquifers, the region of 300,000 people spanning most of Douglas County and some of Arapahoe County is transitioning to sustainable supplies. This provides much-needed security to future generations hoping to call south Denver home.

The Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) project is a major component of that plan. Underway now, WISE is notable for the first-of-its kind collaboration among the Denver Metro area’s three major water entities and for the unprecedented statewide the project has received.

Taken together, WISE provides a model for the type of regional and statewide cooperation called for in the recently finalized statewide water plan.

WISE is a partnership among Aurora Water, Denver Water and South Metro Water to combine available water supplies and system capacities to create a sustainable new water supply. When water deliveries begin in 2016, Aurora and Denver will provide fully treated water to South Metro Water on a permanent basis. At the same time, Denver Water will receive a new back-up supply, and Aurora Water will receive funding to help offset costs of its Prairie Waters project.

Recently, WISE received financial support from basin roundtables across the state, making it the first water project in Colorado to receive such broad support. The Colorado Water Conservation Board, the state of Colorado’s lead agency on water, also provided grant money in support of the project.

The reason for the statewide support lies in the collaborative approach that has been the hallmark of South Metro’s plans. WISE is widely seen as a way for a growing part of the metro area to cooperatively help solve some of its own water supply issues.

WISE maximizes efficiency of supplies through reuse and reduces the need for future agriculture transfers or trans-mountain diversions. It removes some pressure off irrigated agriculture in the South Platte basin, one of the most highly productive and economically important agriculture regions in Colorado. What’s more, it provides funding to the West Slope for water supply, watershed and water quality projects.

When WISE water deliveries begin in 2016, some of Colorado’s fastest-growing communities will receive a new sustainable water supply. Participating South Metro members include Highlands Ranch (served by Centennial Water), Cottonwood, Dominion, Inverness, Meridian, Parker, Pinery Water, Rangeview, Stonegate and Castle Rock.

Combined with other infrastructure investments in supply, storage and reuse, and aggressive conservation efforts that have seen per capita use drop by 30 percent in the past decade, we are witnessing a seismic transition in the South Metro area.

In 2003, The Rocky Mountain News ran an explosive three-day series, “Running Dry,” on what many perceived as a looming water crisis in the South Metro region. At the time, aquifers in some parts of the region were being drawn down at a rate of about 30 feet per year and the vast majority of the region’s water came from nonrenewable sources. A year later, local water providers joined together to create the South Metro Water Supply Authority and started creating the plan that is being executed now.

Today, annual aquifer declines are one-sixth of what they used to be and continue to decrease.  And while areas such as Highlands Ranch are already mostly renewable, the region as a whole is on track to receive the majority of its supplies from renewable sources by 2020.

That’s remarkable headway in a very short period of time given the complexities of water planning.

The region still has more work ahead. With continuing support for South Metro’s plans and projects on the local, regional and statewide level, we can feel confident in predicting that the days of alarming headlines around the South Metro region’s water future are in the past.

About the author:
Eric Hecox is the director of the South Metro Water Supply Authority, which represents 13 water suppliers encompassing most of Douglas County and parts of Arapahoe County. 

Reuter Hess Reservoir

Reuter Hess Reservoir