Metro District to partner with Centennial for Interconnect Pipeline Project
by Elizabeth Wood West
“Whiskey is for drinking, but water is for fighting,” is an old west saying that could ring true today. Ask any water expert familiar with the Denver Basin and they will tell you that its long-term ability to provide water is limited. Many large water providers, including Castle Pines North Metro District (CPNMD), have relied on the Denver Basin as its primary water source for years.
CPNMD’s Call to Action
In 2006, CPNMD conducted an extensive study on the current and future water demands of Castle Pines North (CPN). The study determined that by the year 2022, CPNMD would not be able to meet its peak water demand supplies. The study provided CPNMD the direction it needed to take a proactive stance in finding renewable water solutions.
Interconnect Pipeline Partnership
In January 2010, CPNMD and Centennial Water and Sanitation District (CWSD) approved an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) that allows CPNMD to transmit its water through CWSD’s infrastructure (e.g. reservoirs, treatment plant, pipelines, and pump stations) from Chatfield Reservoir to CWSD’s water storage tank, which is just south of Rocky Heights Middle School near Monarch Boulevard.
By utilizing a diversion structure on the South Platte River and sharing CWSD’s infrastructure, this significantly reduced CPNMD’s expense. The next phase will be to get the water from the CWSD storage tank over Monarch Boulevard to CPNMD’s water distribution infrastructure and on to Rueter Hess Reservoir, where it will eventually be stored (estimated completion date 2012).
When will the project be finished?
To date, preliminary design work has been completed to ensure the viability of the project. In February, the final design contract was released to the project’s engineering firm to proceed and complete this effort. This is expected to be completed by June 2010, at which time the construction project will commence with a completion date in June 2011.
CPNMD board member Dwight Zemp said “CPNMD appreciates the support and cooperation of Centennial Water and Sanitation District in working with CPNMD in putting together the IGA for the Interconnect Pipeline Project. By moving ahead with these efforts, in cooperation with Centennial Water and Sanitation District, CPNMD has advanced the renewable efforts for our
community, ensuring the long-term availability of water for CPN.”
For more information, please contact the Castle Pines North Metropolitan District at 303-688-8550 or www.cpnmd.org. Or, visit their office at 7404 Yorkshire Drive in Castle Pines North.
