Need for a Douglas County Water Commission

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The 80% Factor

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Three water providers, Castle Rock utilities, Centennial (Highlands Ranch) and Parker Water (not part of Parker the town) provide more than 70% of Douglas County residents with their water. The Pinery Water and Sanitation District and Dominion (Sterling Ranch) serve perhaps another 10%. These five water providers, supplying 80% of Douglas County residents, have the water resources they need, storage and adequate financial strength. Combined their book assets are several times that of Douglas County government. They have plans for the future and are moving toward renewable water, away from dependence on deep aquifers.They do not need or want an overlord.

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The other 20%

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The other twenty 20% of water providers are comprised of more than twenty small districts or on independent wells. Generally, this segment lack financial strength, water resources, and any plan or ability to move to renewable water and away from dependence on a declining deep aquifers. The role of the Douglas County or a Water Commission with respect to this segment should be to encourage consolidation/inclusion with a larger provider and creation of a provider system such as the Iowa rural water authorities to mitigate the need for individual wells.

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As such the make up of such a board needs to be large and small water providers, individual well owners and personnel with technical expertise. There is no place on this board for water speculators with a self serving agenda appointed for political patronage. Unfortunately, the list of names under consideration for the board include multiple RWR Principals whose $1.6 billion San Luis Valley concept, even if adopted by much larger Parker Water would impact rates by more than $500 a month.