SPROWG
South Platte Regional Opportunities Working
Group

Presentation to Interbasin Compact
Committee
May 2018

 Who is SPROWG?
Small group of water suppliers occupying leadership
roles in the RTs when BIP was completed in mid2015
Group came together following BIP publication to
investigate some of the regional water supply
concepts outlined in the BIP
Group members took off agency “hats” to examine
potential responses to SP/Metro gap holistically
Why?
◦ Maximize use and effectiveness of available water on South
Platte
◦ Minimize traditional agricultural “buy and dry”
◦ Define and evaluate cooperative, multi-purpose/user supply
projects to fill Ag and M&I gap.

  

SPROWG Project Concepts

 

 

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South Platte Regional Opportunities Working Group A

Concept

Date Mm2018



Any and all information developed in comedian the in?ormal working initiative referred to as the South Platte Regonal
Opponunices Wortng Grow is solely the work product technical constitants. This vrotlt is mended to
support informal joint inquiry molving some water provrders in the South Platte Basin in their efforts to begn panning for

long-term water supply needs of the Basni As such. this work produa has not yet considered many important legal.

hyaological. fnmoa. and governance issues that any viable water development emerpnse must consider The absence 0!

any consideration of these and other factors geaty constrains. a present. the practicable nature 0? the water supply
These discussions are not ntenoed therefore. to supplant or serve as an alternative to

bein no
so-called IPPs indmdual water providers may be pusumg. And Mile the SPROWG technical consutans have been in

conmunication oertan water :n the early development stages of this work product. the water supply
concepts currentty being explored do not have a specific end-user in mind. not have these concepts been endorsed by
any water provrderi

 

Map Legend

Concept Features
Concept Exchange Reach
Concept Pipeline

A Concept Storage
- Concept Demand Gateway
Municipal and Irrigation Features

Irrigation Ditch Service Areas

Existing Reservoirs

Streamflow Gages

 

Municipal Pipelines

Aurora Water Service Area
Denver Water Service Area
SMWSA Service Area
Water Availability Indicators
. Dry-up Points/Exchange Bottienecks

Relative Exchange Potential
(Red Low. Green High)

 

 

Single Storage Facility
Concept

Three Storage Facilities
Concept

Project Supplies

Legally reusable
supplies
Unappropriated
natural flow
ATMs/Recharge
credits excess to
augmentation
requirements
Total Supplies = 47,000 AF
Annually on Average

Denver Basin
non-tributary ground
water supplies

Total Supplies = 62,500 AF
Annually on Average

50,000

30,000
20,000
10,000
0

24,600 AF
Firm Yield

Firm Yield doubles with
Three Storage Facilities
Concept

Project Yield

40,000

50,000 AF
Firm Yield
Goal

 Some Initial Lessons Learned
Storage Facility/Conveyance
Infrastructure combination exists that
feasibly could provide 50,000 AF firm yield

Upstream storage is critical, as is
addressing constraints on exchange
capacity, unless willing to rely exclusively
on pumps/pipelines
Capacity is key:

◦ Large intake capacity to capture Free River
flows
◦ Sufficient storage facility carry-over for fiveyear drought period (2003-2008)

Reusable supplies are critical for firm yield

 Recommendations Addressed by SPROWG Effort…
South Platte/Metro BIP

Conservation and reuse
Maximize use of native
South Platte River Basin
supplies
Minimize buy-and-dry and
maximize ATMs
Manage risk of increased
demands and reduced
supplies
Promote multi-purpose
storage projects

South Platte Storage Study

Refine hydrology and
exchange potential
Cooperative storage
projects with multiple
users
Storage that supports
ATMs

Storage upstream of
Greeley
Consider water sources
other than free river

 Next Steps
Conduct educational Workshops on SPROWG
concept – May 10 (DW) and May 15
(NCWCD)
Form SPROWG Task Force (South Platte &
Metro BRT members and interested
stakeholders)
Develop Work Plan for 2018-2019
Secure Funding to further evaluate the
Concept, focusing on:

◦ Develop Options for Organizational Framework
required to implement
◦ Perform Additional Technical Analysis
◦ Integrate with South Platte Storage Study