Water Study Information 2022

Report from Alan J. Leak at RESPEC - Consultants

Per the Board of Director’s request at the February 14, 2022 Board Meeting I have evaluated PWs current water supply and have developed my recommendation for the number of Taps (EQRs) Pueblo West can support with its current water supply.  I have taken a very conservative approach to this analysis with the following assumptions:

• The next four of five years will replicate the lowest four year water yield of the Twin Lakes shares in the 85 year history of the Twin Lakes project;
• The next four of five years will replicate the lowest yield of Pueblo West’s Pioneer Ditch shares in the past 70 years (these are not the same years as the four lowest year of Twin Lakes share yield);
• No Wildhorse Pipeline;
• No water from Part B (non-point source return flows) from Case No. 85CW134;
• No yield from PW’s Colorado Canal shares;
• Only 50% return on reusable return flows delivered to Lake Meredith due to low flow conditions below 100 cfs below Pueblo Reservoir;
• No yield to PW from PW’s Willowdale and Bowen Ditch shares;
• 5 AF/year from the Wheel Ranch Ditch water;
• No water from the temporary lease of water from the PBWW;
• Water conservation in PW the same as in the previous 2 to 3 years.
• One of the next five years will provide an average water supply (Twin Lakes and Pioneer Ditch shares).

Based upon these assumption, PW can support 14,000 total taps (14,800 EQRs) without a significant reduction in water stored in PW’s accounts in Pueblo Reservoir and Twin Lakes over the next 5 years.  This evaluation should be updated on a yearly basis to account for added water supplies from water purchases and improvements made by PW to allow use of water not accounted for in the above analysis.