Full Description

In 1996, Colorado Springs completed its long term integrated water supply plan. This effort culminated many years of studies and planning to outline the City's water needs and supply alternatives until the year 2040. The plan projected the population served by Colorado Springs Utilities in 2040 to be about 900,000 people, and the corresponding water demand was projected to be 181,700 acre feet. This Plan outlined ways for Colorado Springs to get the most out of it's existing supplies, including nonpotable water. The Water Resource Plan identified four components of supply (delivery capacity) to meet those demands. The first component is Conservation. The plan recognized that Colorado Springs has already implemented the most effective conservation measure in that it has been fully metered since the 1940's, and has a very active conservation program. These existing measures in combination with future conservation efforts are projected to reduce future demand by 24.5%, or 25,100 acre feet. The second component of future supply is Nonpotable Development. The goal is to double the use of nonpotable water (the plan assumed a baseline level of 2500 acre feet per year). This component will provide 2.5% of the future supply, or approximately another 2500 acre feet. The third component is Existing System Improvements. This is the optimization of operation and expansion of existing facilities to realize the greatest amount of yield possible. This includes expansion of the Otero Pump Station and Pipeline capacity, as well as capital projects to capture more water for potable use from it's local collection system. This is projected to supply 18%, or about 18,500 acre feet of the additional need. The final component of the Plan is a major delivery system. The preferred alternative is the Southern Delivery System. This is a pump and pipeline system extending from Pueblo Reservoir to terminal storage on the eastern edge of Colorado Springs. It is projected to deliver 55% of the future need, which equates to about 56,500 acre feet. One alternative evaluated in the Plan which did not become the preferred alternative at this time was direct potable reuse of wastewater. There are numerous advantages to pursuing this over a overly large nonpotable water system. These include reduced infrastructure costs for dual distribution systems, the convergence of water quality requirements and treatment technology between drinking water and wastewater effluent, and the easy availability of a firm supply. Colorado Springs expects that the next major increment of supply, after implementation of the current Water Resources Plan, will be direct potable reuse. The Water Resource Plan spawned several other integrated planning studies: the Existing System Improvement Study; the Operations and Yield Model Study; the Local Water Use Study; the Rosemont Water Delivery System Study; the Conservation Master Plan; the Otero Expansion Study; the Preferred Storage Options Plan; and, the Nonpotable Master Plan, among others. The Plan also influenced and provided a basis for the Wastewater Infrastructure Strategic Plan and Distribution System Master Plan. Includes table, figures.

Product Details

Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 01/01/2002 Number of Pages: 12File Size: 1 file , 250 KB