Colorado Has Water Reuse Ambitions, But Can It Get There?

Colorado has big ambitions for water reuse, but many obstacles stand in the way.

Governor John Hickenlooper unveiled the first draft of a sweeping water plan for his state on December 10, charting out a path for water management in Colorado, where shortfalls are expected to hit by 2050.

"The gap between municipal water supply and demand is growing, and conservation and the completion of proposed water projects are likely insufficient to address projected 2050 shortfalls that could total more than 500,000 acre-feet statewide," the report said.

Water reuse is a prominent part of the proposal, which draws on nine years of discussions around this issue.

"We need to go as far and as fast as we can on water-reuse projects," Colorado Water Conservation Board director James Eklund recently told the Denver Post.

The leaders of Colorado river basins submitted water plans to aid with the draft, and five out of eight of them advocated for reuse, according to the report.

The plan for the South Platte River Basin, which includes metro Denver, said "Front Range utilities will'push the practical limit' in reusing water," according to the news report.

The Arkansas River Basin plan said it will draw on reuse "to the maximum potential," the report said.

But despite the enthusiasm for water reuse, there are many obstacles to wider adoption in Colorado: "Huge costs of cleaning, legal obligations in Colorado to deliver water downstream, disposal of contaminants purged from wastewater, and safety," the report said.

Denver Water CEO Jim Lochhead explained to the Denver Post editorial board that the challenges are sizable.

"It's actually not that easy to develop a reuse, recycling conservation-oriented green strategy moving into the future given the intricacies of Colorado water law," Lochhead said.

The editorial board called for clearer specifics as the plan continues to develop.

"In order for the water plan to carry the weight it should...officials will need to bore in more precisely not only on what should be done, but also recommend laws to facilitate the work," the board said.

Along with water reuse, the plan emphasizes other strategies including conservation.

Check out Water Online's Water Reuse Solution Center.