Guest Post by Bruce Brian, discussion of water issues in Black Forest.
Developers are working to increase the density of housing developments in rural El Paso County. These rural areas depend on well water. These developments will deplete the already stressed aquifers that rural residents depend on for water for their houses and farms.
The best example of this development trend is in Black Forest. The current County Master Plan, which the Board of County Commissioners approved unanimously in 2021 to guide development, states that each building lot in Black Forest must be a minimum of 2 1/2 acres. The previous Master Plan required 5 acres for each home site. The residents wanted the 5-acre requirement preserved because of the well water and to preserve the rural lifestyle.
Mark Gebhart of the County staff argued for the smaller lot size and assured the residents that there would be enough water. This is in contradiction of a study done for the County in 2020 that reported, “El Paso County could face an annual water shortage of nearly 18 billion gallons in 2060 if it doesn’t increase its supply of water by more than a third. The staggering statistic is one takeaway from the county’s recently approved 237-page water master plan, a tool meant for public officials, county staff, and planning commissioners to reference as they review development plans for approval.”
The plan was prepared by Englewood-based engineering firm, Forsgren Associates Inc. The county spent more than $312,000 on the plan, which the Planning Commission voted unanimously to adopt on December 18, 2019. The document also says the county’s current water supply is about 146,000 acre-feet per year, but demand is expected to increase to about 160,000 acre-feet per year by 2040 and 206,000 acre-feet per year by 2060.
Another study done by UCCS in March 2006 Titled “Running on Empty?” states, “The northern part of El Paso County with its rapid population growth and reliance on aquifer-based (Denver Basin) water is rapidly depleting its water supply.”
This study projects that demand will outstrip supply by 2040. And “After depletion of water from the Denver Basin, much of northern El Paso County may be unable to finance the infrastructure for the water it needs. People living in these water districts will depend on neighboring districts for water. Despite this, potential home buyers receive little or no information about the long-term water supply situation. Problems with long-term water supply are exacerbated by lack of planning for long-term sustainability and by an inefficient allocation of water property rights.”
A government study by the USGS found that from 2011 through 2019, “The upper Dawson, lower Dawson, Denver, and Arapahoe aquifers had median significant trends of −0.23, −0.31, −0.92, and −2.26 feet per year, respectively. ” The aquifers cannot keep up with the drawdown, and the aquifers take centuries to recharge.
The planners for the County, the County Commissioners, and the developers are ignoring the facts and barreling ahead blindly, not caring what the long-term impact is on the people who buy the houses. The County Commissioners only require that developers show ON PAPER that there is sufficient water for the number of houses that they are proposing. The County Commissioners approve these plans saying that a study done in 1987 is all the proof that they require for approval. This study was theoretical and only shows ON PAPER that there is enough water. And the county population has almost doubled in size. Shouldn’t we know based on real data how long our water will last?
The County Commissioners should require the developers to show water yield studies. We can’t drink paper water. But developers don’t follow the rules when it comes to profit. Jeff Smith in the Flying Horse North development even wants to build a commercial hotel in the Forest and that is not allowed by the Master Plan. And he is proposing another development in the Black Forest that would put houses on less than a half-acre. Both developments would use well water.
That would deplete the aquifers that Black Forest residents already depend on. To make matters worse, the city just passed a requirement that developers have 128% of the water required for their city developments. That will mean that developments in the County will increasingly tap into the aquifers for their developments.
We are in a 22-year drought and the aquifers are being depleted. The UCCS study states “The effect of these numerous small wells is much like punching a hole in a hose. If multiple holes are punched, the amount of water coming out of each hole decreases with the static amount of pressure that is in the hose coming from the water faucet. The hose, however, has a constant rate of renewable pressure coming from the faucet, while an aquifer has a limited amount of pressure that releases at a faster rate if multiple holes are punched. As the pressure decreases, the water available for pumping decreases. This is what will happen to current well owners when the aquifers are depleted. “
The County Commissioners, Williams, Geitner, VanderWerf, and Bremer support the developers’ rights over the residents’ rights. Geitner and Bremer said in a hearing regarding the sketch plan for hotel development in Black Forest that they believe that a property owner (developer) should be able to do whatever they want to with the land. Geitner also said that she didn’t write the Master Plan (which took years and millions of dollars to develop) and didn’t feel she needed to follow it.
Will the County Commissioners protect their constituents, or will they protect the big-money developers? Residents have come out in huge numbers to oppose these developments. It remains to be seen. If their voting record so far is any indication, the Commissioners will go with the big money.
Sad. Bruce Brian, Black Forest.
