Dwindling availability of water, combined with increases and competition in demand, climate change impacts, trends toward true cost water pricing, among other “drivers,” necessitates that urban water planning incorporate consideration of strategies for use, conservation, and reuse of treated wastewater and stormwater. Three innovative initiatives will be discussed as illustrations of “win-win” approaches that achieve effective water management (urban water security/sustainability) while facilitating economic development.

1. Lessons From the Field:
Aurora’s Approach to Sustainable Water Supply
Planning
Urban Water Sustainability Leadership
Conference
October 16, 2012
Lisa G. Darling, South Platte Program Manager

2. Today’s Presentation Objectives
• To Understand the City of Aurora, Colorado’s
History and Water Development
• To Discuss Aurora Water’s Post-2002 Plan -
Project Alternatives & Integrated Resource
Planning Process
• Selected Alternative
– Prairie Waters Project Overview
• To Look Ahead to Partnerships and our
Future

3. Aurora, Colorado
Aurora

4. City of Aurora, Colorado
• 3rd largest city in the state – for now
• Population 325,000 (2010 census)
• Home to Buckley Air Force Base and the
Gateway to the Rockies!

5. Aurora’s History
• Founded in 1891, the city of Aurora was
originally named Fletcher by its founder,
former Chicago resident Donald Fletcher.
• 1929 - Colorado's Secretary of State recognized Aurora—with 2,000
residents—as a city, and tax revenues were appropriated for sewers,
roads and fire stations. Today, Aurora generates over $140 million in
revenues.
•1954 - Denver Water Board imposes a ―Blue Line‖ in the suburbs
beyond which it will no longer grant permits for new water taps. Parts of
Aurora fall out of the Denver Water Board service area.
•1958 - Aurora enters into an agreement with the City of Colorado
Springs to construct the ―Homestake Project,‖ designed to use water
rights purchased on the Western Slope and bring that water to the two
cities.

6. Homestake Dam Construction
• Photo of the homestake construction
something historic…?

9. 2002’s Water Supply Crisis
26% of System Storage

11. Drought Effects on
Water Reservoirs
• Every drop counts
Homestake Reservoir

12. A New Reality?

13. Aurora Conducted Comprehensive
Integrated Resource Planning
• 50 potential projects
• Range of individual project yields:
- 2,000 to 48,000 acre-feet/year
• Basins of Origin:
- Colorado River
- Arkansas River
- South Platte River
• Demand Management Included
with Water Supply Forecasts

14. Integrated Resource Plan Considered Key
Criteria in Evaluation of Water Supply
Options
Sustainability
Capital/Operating Costs
Institutional/Government/Public Issues
Environmental/Permitting
Expandability
Yield
Schedule Risk

15. Prairie Waters Project – The Selected Alternative
 34 miles of 60-inch pipeline
 3 pumping stations
 North Campus (bank filtration and aquifer recharge and recovery)
 50-mgd water purification facility

16. Why Was This the Right Sustainable Project
for Aurora?
• Responsible Use of Resources
– Reduces the need for trans-basin diversions from Western Slope
– Maximizing use of an in-basin renewable resource
– Uses water rights already owned by the City of Aurora
• River Water Quality Benefits
– Minimizes need for waste discharges such as brine from RO
– Uses natural treatment systems
• Environmental Benefits
– Avoids the impacts to wilderness landscapes
– Maintains rural open space and river corridor habitat
• Protects Public Health
– Improves reliability of Aurora’s purification processes
– Exceeds current regulations and meets Aurora’s high standards
– Can respond to changes in water quality
• Cost Effective and Practical
– Reduces cost of purification
– Maximizes use of $300 million in water rights already owned by the city

17. Prairie Waters Project Provides Drought Hardening
and Meets Long-Term Capacity Needs
Today's System
Prairie Waters Project - Core Project
Prairie Waters Project (with Future Additions)
130
120
System Yield and System Demand
110 105,500 AF/YR
(1000's acre-feet/year)
100
90
`
80
70 65,500 AF/YR
60
50 55,500 AF/YR
40
2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050

18. PWP Sources of Supply
• Previously Decreed Reusable Return
Flows – 10,000 ac-ft in 2011
• New Supplies
– Agricultural Transfers/ Leases
– Storage Development
– Other Supply Development Projects

19. Plan for Augmentation
• Decreed water sources under Colorado’s
prior appropriation doctrine
• Filed on the augmentation of return flows
from pumping tributary groundwater
• Replaced in time, quantity and location
• Modeled depletive effects to the river
• Ability to add new water sources as
―substitute supplies‖ under notice provisions
• Storage firms yield and increases operational
efficiencies

20. Construction
Pipeline Route
Bid Packages E-470 Easement
Bid Package G
Segment 1
(13 miles)
Bid Package J
North Campus
Bid Package H
Segment 2
(9 miles)
Bid Package E
Pump Stations
Bid Package I
Segment 3
(11 miles) Bid Package F
Binney Water
Purification Facility
Bid Package N
Robertsdale Tank
and Pump Station

21. North Campus
17 riverbank
filtration wells
along the river.
Pilot testing of aquifer recharge
and recovery basins.

22. Prairie Waters Project
Natural Purification Systems
Riverbank Filtration (RBF)
(10 days travel time) Aquifer Recharge & Recovery (ARR)
(30 days travel time)

29. The Cost of a Reliable Water Supply
• Cost of residential water usage
– 2002 - $2.02 per thousand gallons
– 2008 - $4.54 per thousand gallons (3 tier)
• Cost of a tap for a house (10% of cost)
– 2002 - $6,711 per residence
– 2008 - $20,875 per residence
• Capitalization Cost
– $600 million in revenue debt issued

30. Combining the Best of Natural and
Engineered Purification Steps
Challenges
Taste and Odor
Color
TDS
Nitrate
Pathogens
Organics
Micro-Pollutants

31. Pumping Stations
Pumps and motors
Pump stations nearly complete.
undergoing testing.
Forebay tank
1.5 million gallons.

32. Pump Station 2
May 2010 Aerial View

33. Peter D. Binney Water Purification Facility
Control building completed April 12.
Water being delivered to forebay.
Building façades complete. Site overview.

34. Binney Water Purification Facility
May 2010 Aerial View Robertsdale Tank
and Pump Station
Softening/ Control
Pretreatment Building
Flocculation/
Sedimentation Basins
Clearwell
Pump Station
Ultraviolet
Disinfection
Filtration/Adsorption
Chemical
Storage

35. Budget Status
Estimate at
Project Element Current Budget
Completion
A Storm Drain Bypass Extension $2,245,119 $2,245,119
E Pumping Stations 1, 2, and 3 $65,461,920 $59,923,758
F PDB Water Purification Facility $232,076,786 $215,012,592
G Conveyance Pipeline Segment 1 $65,580,576 $59,294,303
H Conveyance Pipeline Segment 2 $19,973,028 $19,935,261
I Conveyance Pipeline Segment 3 $38,943,516 $34,863,000
J1 North Campus $68,236,542 $62,780,194
L Access Road for Binney Purification Facility $4,849,174 $4,759,433
N Zone 4 Tanks / Zone 5 Pump Station $17,916,251 $17,027,309
OCIP, System Security, Utility Installs $18,631,652 $17,144,298
Engineering, Legal, Program Mgmt. $110,536,819 $106,145,525
Land Acquisition and ROW $49,000,000 $46,970,584
Reserve Funds $61,348,617 $7,898,624
Total Core Project $754,800,000 $653,000,000
Estimated Cost Below Budget ($101,800,000)

36. Success Factors
• Quality plans and specifications
• Close coordination with interested third parties
(regulatory and non-regulatory)
• Pre-qualified, experienced contractors
• Partnering among the owner, designer, construction
manager, and contractors to resolve problems
equitably and promptly
• Careful budget management by Aurora Water Project
Engineers and the Program Team
• Continuous value engineering reviews

37. Now what?

38. WISE Partnership
• Three-way partnership – Aurora Denver, South
Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA)
• Regional project creating efficiencies, maximizing
existing water supplies, and cooperating on
agricultural water acquisitions
• Cooperative sharing of infrastructure and water
that promotes conservation through reuse

39. WISE Partnership Chronology
• ADW2/ADW2—Denver Water and Aurora begin to evaluate joint
opportunities (Cooperative IGA)
2007 • Denver Water and South Metro Pilot Study
• ADW2+ MOU to include SMWSA
2008
• ADW2+ MOU Amendment - Agreement to fund additional
studies
2009 • WISE Partnership Joint Acquisition IGA
• Completion of Pricing Model
• Negotiation of Interim Agreement
2010

40. WISE Partnership
Metro WWTP
Denver Aurora
Binney Water Purification Facility
Aurora Reservoir
Conduit 27
Potential WTP
Rueter-Hess Reservoir
"
Foothills WTP
South Metro

41. Hypothetical Wet, Normal and Dry Year Operations
Wet Year Normal Year
Dry Year / DW use of
System

42. Preliminary Water Supply Results
2012 Plan:
 AW: firm yield met in all years
 DWB: 0 ac-ft/yr
 SMWSA: 8,500 ac-ft/yr (on average)*
* Annual yields range from 5,000 – 11,000 ac-ft in any one year
Long-Term Plan:
 AW: firm yield met in all years
 DWB: 15,000 ac-ft/yr (when needed)
 SMWSA: Up to 60,000 ac-ft/yr (on average) **
**Annual yields range from 0 – 96,000 ac-ft in any one year

43. WISE Joint Acquisition IGA
• In July 2009, Aurora Water, Denver Water
and the South Metro Water Supply Authority
entered into an Intergovernmental
Agreement to facilitate the joint acquisition of
water rights and development of water
infrastructure, as part of the WISE
Partnership process.

44. Goals?
• Provide a framework for sharing water acquisition and
infrastructure opportunities within certain regions of the South
Platte River basin.
• Encourage cost savings and other efficiencies with respect to
the joint investigation and acquisition of water rights as well as
the change of use for those water rights.
• Permit the joint development and use of water infrastructure
facilities for a more efficient use (and reuse) of water within the
participant's respective service areas.

45. Benefits to Aurora
 Efficient utilization of the Prairie Waters Project
(PWP) system
- Offset PWP costs
- Share in the cost of future expansion and water
rights purchases
- Protects current and future firm yield of water
supply system

46. Benefits to Denver
 3-way new supply for Denver
- Access to unused supplies
- May be used to replace ―Strategic
Water Reserve‖
- New ―system feed‖ from lower
South Platte

47. Benefits to South Metro
 Greater regional cohesion
 Efficient utilization of regional infrastructure
 Opportunity to meet midterm goals most
efficiently
 Reduces reliance on groundwater
 Minimizes the need to purchase water rights

48. Benefits to Partnership
 Connected systems and a cooperative
atmosphere will provide added options and
redundancy during emergencies
 A regional solution to best utilize existing
water and infrastructure resources to meet
future water supply needs in a regionally
sustainable manner
 Reducing legal fees and water rights disputes
between parties

49. Strategic Planning Program
• Long and short-range water resources
planning
• Planning support for the Basin Programs
• Development and maintenance of planning
models and tools
• Regional planning
• Integrated resources planning
• CIP development – supplies, storage,
conveyance/treatment
• Demand forecasting / water conservation

50. Water Resources Planning Process
Existing
System
Finalize Demand
CIP Projections
Projects vs. Identify
Revenue Shortages
Identify
Draft CIP
Projects
Evaluate
Projects

51. Strategic Issues to be Addressed
 Climate Change
 Training/Compensation/Succession Planning
 Customer Service
 Financial Sustainability
 Regional Partnerships and Other Cooperative
Operating Agreements

53. Questions?
Please contact me at
ldarling@auroragov.org
(303) 739-7384

54. Peter J. Frost
Executive Director
Douglasville-Douglas County
Water and Sewer Authority

66. TIMETABLE OF EVENTS
o January 2004: Google acquires 101 Aquilla Way
o August 2006: Google submits data center plans
o September 2006: Data center plans approved
o October 2006: Data center construction begins
o December 2006: Re-use contract negotiations commence
o August 2007: Data center operations commence
o December 2007: Google submits re-use plant plans
o January 2008: Re-use contract executed
o February 2008: Google re-use plans approved
o March 2008: Re-use plant construction begins
o November 2008: WSA begins operations
o October 2009: Project formally accepted

67. Contract Terms
 Confidentiality
 Initial construction
 Ownership
 Operation and maintenance
 Expansion
 Charges and fees
 Guarantees

68. MaryLynn
Lodor,
Environmental
Program
Manager,
MSDGC
69

69. A new paradigm of urban drainage and used
water reuse with resource recovery needs to be
developed and implemented.
70

70. resource recovery: urban drainage
• View and Use Water as a
Resource
• Integrated approaches
(previously siloed) to
technology, planning, policy,
construction, economics, etc.
• Water in the urban
environment must be
approached as a single resource
that can be continuously
reused and recycled.
71

71. • 4 Rs – Reduce, Reclaim, Reuse, Restore
– Reduce – water & energy conservation
– Reclaim - Treat for safe discharge into environment &
Reclaim energy (heat), nutrients
– Reuse after additional treatment
– Restore water bodies as a resource
• 3 Ss – Separate, Sequester and Store
– Separate Blue, White, Gray, Yellow & Black Water
– Sequester GHGs & remove/detoxify toxics
– Store reclaimed water on the surface or underground
• 2 Ts – Toilet to Tap
– Reclamation with or without 3Ss for potable reuse

72. MSD’s Operational System
resource recovery

73. Operational & Environmental Performance
resource recovery

74. resource recovery
• Fats, Oils & Grease Program
 Estimated 10 MG grease trap “waste”
discharged into MSDGC annually.
• Working with University of Cincinnati to
characterize the content of trap grease
collected from WWTP
• Based on the oil content and the trap
grease production each year, the
estimated production of biodiesel could be
20,000 gallons/year.
A new paradigm of urban drainage and used water reuse with resource
recovery needs to be developed and implemented.
75

75. water reuse
MetroWest Commerce
Park – Community
Development
industrial redevelopment
site, minutes from
downtown & adjacent to
Mill Creek WRF
Mill Creek Water
 ~18-acre clean Reclamation
site/Ohio DOD approved
land for redevelopment Facility
 Could be supplied with
industrial grade water
processed from
reclaimed wastewater.
⁄
76

76. resource recovery: urban drainage
• Centralized Wastewater Disposal – flow deprived
streams
• Urbanized effects
• Habitat loss and degradation
• Increases to peak flow
• Decreased base flow
• Loss of Streams - conversion to sewers
77

78. resource recovery: urban drainage
The goal is to manage the water so that an areas’ natural water
balance is the same after development as it was before.
Next generation developments maximize the value
of water:
– Use water features to form or preserve the landscape, and as
recreational and ecological preservation areas.
– Incorporate water resource features that are aesthetically
pleasing and serve a function in the water cycle.
– Engineer features or restore or incorporate ponds, creeks and
waterways otherwise into the urban design.
79

79. GOAL resource recovery: urban drainage
Reduce stormwater inflow into the combined sewer
system and out of the treatment plant
• Locate streams, ditches, and swales that flow directly into
the combined sewer system
• Divert the flow to a “green” feature to help restore nature
drainage and keep the water within the natural hydrologic
cycle

80. • Waste reduction/ resource
Direct recovery
Impact • Owned and operated by MSD
Projects to support its core mission
• Remove liability of
stormwater
• Incorporate GI with public &
Enabled private partners
Impact • Bioinfiltration practices,
Projects green roofs, pervious/porous
paving
• Programmatic Elements to
support sustainable
infrastructure solutions
Inform & • Integrated Planning
Influence • Advisory Committee
• Community Engagement

82. CSO Contributions within Watershed
Who contributes = who pays
/
¼ acre =
Residential is 0.1MG/
contributing annual
less than 1%
of the flow
tributary to
a CSO
Need for true 18 acre big box
costing to 23 acre big box 16 MG/annual
incentivize 21MG/annual
onsite
management Large Box Sites (2)
of reduced 18 – 23 acre sites
inflow
83

83. CSO Contributions within Watershed
Who contributes = who pays
/
¼ acre =
Residential is 0.1MG/
contributing annual
less than 1%
of the flow
tributary to
a CSO
Need for true 15 acre big box
costing to Water Billing based on 18 acre big box 16 MG/annual
incentivize Consumption (cubic feet/month) 21MG/annual
onsite
management ¼ acre w/ 1 bath $22.33 Large Box Sites (2)
of reduced 15 – 18 acre sites
23 acres of
inflow impervious &
6 toilets $48.37
18 acres of
impervious & 6
toilets $22.00
84

84. – Water conservation, reuse, and recycle
reduces GHG emissions
– WWTPs –as renewable resource recovery
facilities that produce clean water, recover e
nergy and generate nutrients.
85

85. 86