There is a continued need to invest in municipal and regional water supply solutions that don’t look like the dams and river diversions of the early 20th century. Modern water supply solutions often involve water recycling and reuse, groundwater storage and banking, and advanced water treatment technologies. Some examples of these alternative water supply investments were seen in the press this past month: ·
- In Colorado, the Fort Collins Loveland Water District entered into an agreement with the Vita H20 Project to fund the development of an aquifer storage and recovery project in Northern Colorado. The District plans to utilize the Vita Project as both a water source and a water storage reserve.
- In Utah, the Washington County Water Conservancy District is planning to invest roughly $1 billion in a regional water recycling and reuse system to help address the growing demand for water and alleviate water stress. The District estimates that the system will yield approximately 24,000 AF of new supply, or a unit cost of about $42,000 per AF of new supply.
- In Texas, state legislative efforts to fund water supply infrastructure projects across the state are underway. Texas has teed up a $20 billion ballot initiative ($1 billion per year for 20 years) to increase state sales tax for water projects and has also invested $2.5 billion as a one-time payment into the Texas Water Fund. The projects to generate new water supplies are varied but are likely to include desalination, wastewater reuse, and groundwater storage.
Take Home Point:
Water supply strategies of the 21st century are dealing with a reality of fully-appropriated water sources across much of the Western U.S., which requires creative new ideas like wastewater recycling, groundwater banking and storage, and advanced treatment of low-quality water sources. Part of these strategies can and should include water supply acquisitions from existing uses. These water supply investments will look a little different than projects of the past, and we should expect that they will cost much more too. WestWater helps private and public water providers look at the financial feasibility of water supply strategies to ensure that informed decisions are made around water supply investments. If you are considering a new water supply project, reach out to WestWater to help with your water project planning and feasibility needs.