One of the best kept secrets is out. Castle Rock is a pretty cool place to call home. In order to meet the needs of the new growth, that means residents will be enduring longer checkout lines and delays from roadwork and neighborhood construction as a result of the population boom. But what about resources like water? Should we be concerned of falling short?
With the help of the South Metro WISE Project and several state entities, Castle Rock started to put together a comprehensive Water Resources Strategic Master Plan in 2006. This not only identified current water supplies for residents but estimated water needs according to projected future growth. “One of the key goals of this plan was to transition the Town’s water supplies from just non-renewable deep groundwater to renewable surface water and other alluvial sources,” notes Mark Marlowe, Utilities Director for Castle Rock.
2010 later marked updating the plan and the first renewable water resource was brought on in 2013 with the opening of our Plum Creek Water Purification Facility. “Castle Rock has been working on long range water planning for over a decade to develop renewable water supplies that will ensure long term sustainability of both renewable and nonrenewable (groundwater) supplies for future generations.” And that’s reassuring news for us. “This Master Planning looks well out into the future to as far out as 2050.”
Our Water Sustainability Plan:
1. WISE Project: It will bring up to 1,000 acre-feet of renewable water annually to the Town. This project includes a large Western Pipeline that runs along E-470. The new pipeline will run from around E-470 and Chambers road to Castle Rock. Rueter-Hess Reservoir will provide storage of excess renewable water.
2. Northern Supplies (Box Elder Project): This involves a well field located in Weld County as well as purchased water rights on the South Platte River and plans for existing pipeline capacity that we own. The plan will bring 2,500 acre-feet of water each year to Castle Rock starting around 2030.
3. Development of local water rights owned by the Town: Castle Rock first drilled eight alluvial wells along East Plum Creek that allow us to capture and store renewable supplies based on current water rights. This will account for approximately 3,300 acre-feet of renewable water a year and nearly 6,000 acre-feet by 2050.
