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City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
Making More Water Available
HistoryWe stand on the shoulders of giants
o Delph Carpenter: father of Colorado River Compact
o W.D. Farr: Northern Water chairmanAgriculture is in our blood
o Founded in 1870 as an agricultural utopiao Weld is 4th or 5th most productive county in the country
Greeley is in a semi-arid climate; we only get 12-14 inches of precipitation each year.
Today: Greeley serves 122,944 customers; city projected to grow to 250,000 by 2050
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
ChallengesGrowth
o Our children and grandchildren will over half of our growth.
Need for additional water supplieso Desire to develop supplies in collaboration with agricultural communityo Increasing competition for limited supplies
Need for more storage for additional water supplieso Haven’t significantly expanded storage since 1960o Challenges of permitting
Challenging economic climate: budget conscious customersPlanning uncertainties: climate change, drought
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
Our Four-Point PlanMaking more water available Improving Conservation Strengthening Infrastructure Continuing Water Acquisition Expanding Water Storage
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
ConservationStep #1: Maximize the use of what we haveWatering restrictions every summer for 109 yearsConservation program one most successful in ColoradoBetween 1990 and 2007, universal metering and other
conservation programs dropped water demand > 20% What do you do with this “made” water?
Sell taps against it?Keep it to improve system reliability?
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
Water Budget Based Rates● Rate innovation — a “water budget” pilot program:
all you need at the lowest rate; waste becomes expensive● A simple tiered rate structure would be unfair in Greeley
because:o Wide variation in lot sizes, and o Historic raw water dedication policies
● Water budget takes into account the customer’s lot size, family size, and monthly irrigation demand
● Will be informational first year
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
InfrastructureStep #2: Maintain your system. Keep it working efficiently &
effectivelyGreeley has a fully-funded extensive rehabilitation program
Lining all pre-1950 pipe with cement mortar to improve life and improve water pressure throughout downtown.
Water loss rate about 5%; lower than industry standard of 10%Build infrastructure to stretch what you have the right to use
Extensive use of ditch water for non-potable irrigationReuse of all wastewater effluent legally permitted
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
Continued Water Acquisition● Step #3: Look ahead and plan for future needs● The South Platte basin in 2050 is estimated to be short 360,000 acre-feet,
even if all proposed projects are completed● All eyes are looking north: threat to irrigated agriculture● Greeley has a history of purchasing water in advance of need
● 1947 Poudre Reservoirs; 1955 C-BT; 1991-92 Greeley & Loveland Irrigation● Completing 6,000 ac-ft purchase in multiple parts: storage and water stock ● Plans to purchase additional 10,000 ac-ft of ag water
But we do so with a commitment to cooperate with the agricultural community
Greeley will continue to lease back the water to farmers, allowing them to continue farming while ensuring a secure future supply
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
New StorageStep #4: Storage must be sufficient to protect the City against
drought and to hold spring runoff for use in the summerPermitting process underway to expand Milton Seaman
Reservoir from 5,000 AF to 53,000 AFo Traditional vs. Innovative permitting process: Shared Vision Planning
Participants: The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, Division of Wildlife, US Forest Service, and others
Goal: Determine if expansion of Seaman and Halligan can meet ag, industrial, environmental and municipal needs while improving stream flows on the North Fork and main stem of the Poudre
The first time SVP has been used during the permitting phase of a water storage project
City of Greeley Water & Sewer Department ● 1100 10th Street, Suite 300 Greeley, CO 80631 www.greeleygov.com/water ● (970) 350-9811
To SummarizeGreeley’s water system and supply has a strong
foundation built by visionary leaders.Collaboration with the agricultural and other regional
communities has been key to our success in the past and will be key to our future.
Several challenges lay ahead, but our 4-Point Plan utilizes the best of our pass successes and new innovative programs to make more water available and secure our water future.