Members of the Castle Pines North Metro District gather at the Community Center for an open house in June.

Information provided by the Castle Pines North Metro District

The Castle Pines North Metropolitan District hosted an open house on June 24th for customers to meet and become acquainted with staff members and to view an extensive exhibit of the District’s overall operations and services.

The community center was divided into areas for each District department, including water, wastewater, storm water, District finances and billing, parks, trails and open space. Displays of charts and photographs provided visual aids for guests to more easily see, for example, how water is pumped from the ground, treated and distributed to customers.

Many visitors had a specific question in mind when they arrived and department heads provided information about their special area of service.

The largest area, and of keen interest, was solutions for renewable water. The topic of renewable water is multi-faceted and complex. CPNMD began with a study in 2006 to identify the future water needs of the Castle Pines North Community. The Integrated Water Resource Plan (IWRP) has served as a guideline since that time in putting together the many components of renewable water sources.

Why is the District pursuing renewable water with such vigor?

Castle Pines North’s only source of supply is deep Denver Basin wells, some of which are 2,400 feet deep. Given the fact that the water is locked in very hard sandstone and are so deep, these wells are not recharging. Over time, the production from these wells will drop to a point where we are unable to meet the District’s daily demand. While we are not running out of water, the time to act is now.

Why should the District act now to obtain renewable water?

The reason we should act now is that many different partnerships are being created. Examples of these include partnerships between the Castle Pines North Metro District and Castle Rock, Castle Pines North Metro District and Centennial, Castle Pines North Metro District and South Metro Water Supply Authority, and a partnership between South Metro Water Supply Authority, Denver, and Aurora and the Chatfield Reallocation Committee.

Acquiring water rights is a highly competitive process. Given the fact that there is a finite amount of water rights that can be acquired, the sooner one acts the closer the supply.

In order to convert agricultural water rights to municipal use, one must go through a change of use water rights case in the Colorado Water Court. This process alone takes a minimum of 5 years.

What is the total cost of a renewable water supply?

The total cost of a renewable water supply is estimated to be 71.8 million dollars.

What components* make up a “renewable water solution”?

Rueter Hess Reservoir $8,300,000
Interconnect Pipeline $4,000,000
ECCV Pipeline N/S $3,000,000
ECCV Pipeline E/W $3,000,000
ECCV Treatment & Pump Stations $5,000,000
Water Rights (1,500 AF) $30,000,000
Chatfield Storage $4,500,000
Rueter Hess Treatment $7,500,000
Regulatory Storage $2,000,000
Various Transmission Pipelines $4,500,000

Total Cost  $71,800,000

* This list of projects may be adjusted in the future as new partnerships and new opportunities present themselves. The District is working diligently to ensure that every opportunity is investigated and the District is an active participant in all regional meetings.

How will the District pay for renewable water?

•Certificates of Participation funded from
the 19 mill operating mill levy $35,000,000
•Revenue Bonds from the Utility Enterprise $25,000,000
•Existing cash on hand $10,000,000
•New growth water tap fees $1,800,000

Total  $71,800,000

Contact James McGrady, District Manager, 303-242-3262 with any questions.