This is Parker Water
Parker Water and Sanitation District [PWSD] is a rapidly growing special district providing services to approximately 26,000 households. PWSD serves most of Parker, Castle Pines and Lone Tree east of I-25 and a few unincorporated parcels. At full build out, it is expected to serve more than 45,000 households.
PWSD is one of the strongest water providers in Colorado. It has all the water needed to full build-out, 35% more storage than it needs, an active reuse program that multiplies the life of owned water and a strong financial position. PWSD has more than $1 billion in book assets (page 16), compared to Douglas County government at $1.4 billion book assets (page 42). Denver Water at $4 billion and Aurora Utilities at $2 billion.
PWSD remains financially strong because it operates on several principles:
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Growth pays for growth
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Rates pays for operations
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Contracts require at least three bidders
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Debt is used as a tool to transfer cost of growth capital assets to residents who are not yet here.
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Staff and Manager have spend limits without Board approval.
PWSD is water strong because:
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Manager Frank Jaeger and his boards had the foresight, in 2004, to purchase 4,000 acres of high priority (some water rights from the 1800's), irrigated farm land adjacent to the South Platte River. Today the water rights on that $7.5 million investment may be worth $200 million or more (additional unbooked value).
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The 23,000 acre feet of South Platte water rights have been adjudicated for municipal use and alone more than meet PWSD needs to full build out.
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PWSD has water rights on Cherry Creek
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PWSD is a member in the WISE partnership with Denver, Aurora and ten South Metro water districts
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PWSD has substantial deep aquifer and alluvial rights
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PWSD uses Rueter Hess reservoir to store water when available to use when it isn't and to re-use return flows
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PWSD has partnered with 400,000 acres of agriculture to form the Platte Valley Water Partnership. PVWP will capture and retain water unnecessarily escaping to Nebraska. The project's 70,000 acre foot reservoir will assure adequate irrigation needs are met and provide more than 20,000 acre feet of water to Douglas County. The plan preserves farms and communities in contrast to buy and dry concepts used by Aurora and other water providers.
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PWSD target is 100% renewable/reuse water, eliminating dependence on depledting deep aquifers.
Rueter Hess is a 75,000 acre feet drinking water reservoir owned by Parker Water. Even at full build out, as much as 18,000 acre feet of storage is believed to be available to be leased to other water providers. Today, it’s 23,000 acre feet of stored water could alone meet the districts needs for about three years. This storage allows PWSD to recycle reclaimed return flows doubling the effective life of owned water and keeping the district on track for 100% renewable water.
PWSD is today working with agricultural interests and other water providers on the Platte Valley Water Partnership [PVWP]. PVWP plans to build several reservoirs to capture South Platte water in excess of required Nebraska flows. Contracts have been let for concept engineering design services for the 70,000 af Fremont Butte Reservoir. The storage and pipeline network would align seasonal South Platte flows with irrigation timing needs for agricultural partners, trade PWSD's adjudicated water rights along the Platte and surplus Platte water to Douglas county. This is projected as an $840 million project. Because costs like engineering and right of way are fixed, as this project is expandable, additional partners will reduce the unit cost for all participants.
Other than Denver that was acquiring water rights in the 1800’s, PWSD water rates are roughly in the middle of other South Metro providers. As long as there are wage increases and inflation, there must be annual rate increases. The district policy is to hold rate increase to less than Consumer Price Index.
PWSD's financial, storage, water and re-use strength allows it to be receptive to inclusion of smaller districts that remain at risk due to reliance on diminishing deep water aquifers. Because PWSD is a rapidly growing district, debt is used as a vehicle to allow those who are not yet here and will benefit from capital assets, to participate in payment for them. Today PWSD has the same credit rating as the US Government, AA+.
Due to good management, PWSD combined rate and property tax increases for 2024 were less than 1% in a year that most area water providers had increases of 5% or more.
As customer/owners, you have more than $30,000 equity in PWSD. The district’s financial liquidity prompted a group of water speculators invested $32,000 in the May 2023 election in an attempt to buy two seats on the board. Was it to force the San Luis Valley project down our throat? Was it to use $20 million of our money to buy the same $20 million down payment on the worthless San Luis Valley concept that Douglas County refused? Did these speculators want to buy our 23,000 af water rights for a song. Did they covet our Rueter Hess storage needed for their projects? One can only assume that their motives involve spending your money to their benefit, and that they will return.
PWSD's GIS team has assembled an awesome video on source and purification process. It is well worth the watch.
