AWWA SOURCES59271

During the last ten years, the suburban area south of Denver, Colorado has experienced some of the fastest population growth in the U.S. This growth has resulted in significant challenges for The Arapahoe Water and Wastewater Authority (ACWWA) and the Cottonwood Water and Sanitation Districts (CWSD) in providing water and wastewater service to their communities. Both ACWWA and CWSD rely on deep groundwater beneath their service areas for their water supplies. They also have limited surface and shallow alluvial water rights in Cherry Creek which flows through their communities. However, due to a combination of aquifer water levels dropping, water quality issues, drought conditions, and Cherry Creek Water Rights, this paper discusses how ACWWA and CWSD have evaluated four alternatives to meet their future water needs. These include full use of deep groundwater, full non-potable water reuse, importation of other deep groundwater, and indirect potable reuse. As a result of these evaluations, ACWWA and CWSD began developing plans for implementing an 18 million gallons per day indirect potable reuse system to serve their communities. The system, adopting the name "Joint Water Purification Project" (JWPP) will increase their water supplies, produce safe drinking water from Cherry Creek, and reduce reliance on deep groundwater, thus extending the life of that source. The paper discusses the institutional, financial technical and public acceptance issues that JWPP encountered. Includes figures.