What Is The Primary Purpose?

Protect Our Wells is proposing a local network of existing and new monitoring wells to measure water levels and monitor changes in the bedrock aquifers of the southern portion of the Denver Basin and identify areas that are likely to be subject to depletions.

Why Is It Needed?

One of the major findings from SWSI identified that an "increased reliance on nonrenewable, nontributary groundwater for permanent water supply brings serious reliability and sustainability concerns to some areas, particularly along the Front Range." There is little information available on the available water within the bedrock aquifers or the degree at which it is being depleted in rural areas.

Who Will Benefit?

The data will be available for water resource managers and planners to develop strategies to optimize existing water supplies. Agencies that will directly benefit include: Denver Museum of Nature and Science (DMNS), Colorado Geological Survey (CGS) and United Stated Geological Survey (USGS) and the Colorado Division of Water Resources (DWR).

What Will It Cost?

The proposed budget is $225,000, $110,000 of which is the construction of new monitoring wells.

How Is It Funded ?

Protect Our Wells submitted a grant proposal to acquire funds from the Water Supply Reserve Account managed by the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB). To be considered by CWCB, the proposal first needed approval from one of the roundtables. El Paso County falls within the boundaries of the Arkansas Basin Roundtable (ABRT). POW presented the proposal to the ABRT on May 14, 2008, requesting $25K each from the ABRT and the Metro Roundtable, with the CWCB making up the difference of $175K. A concensus vote was not received and a 75% majority did not vote to have POW return for a second vote.

		POW Directors and Julia Murphy, Groundwater Investigations, presented the Monitoring Plan to the Arkansas Basin Roundtable on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.
Click on icons above to go directly to the Colorado Water Conservation Board or the Arkansas Basin Roundtable site.		For a flow chart of the process, click here.   (See our August 2007 Newsletter for more information about the Arkansas Basin Roundtable.)