The last time Denver Water updated its master plan for its recycled water system was in 2004 — the same year the recycled water treatment plant opened.
“We’ve gathered a lot of information since then,” said Abigail Holmquist, Denver Water’s recycled water program manager.
Denver Water recently revised its Recycled Water Master Plan, a document that helps plan for future growth. It outlines potential customers, details what infrastructure should be installed and its respective timing, and analyzes the expense of adding different customers to the system.
“It’s a working tool for us,” Holmquist said.
The master plan identifies almost 300 potential customers, up from 100 in the 2004 update, which will help Denver Water reach its goal of delivering 17,500 acre-feet of recycled water each year.
Recycled water is treated wastewater used for irrigation, commercial and industrial use, freeing up drinking water for other purposes.
Once the recycled water distribution system is complete, expected in the next decade, it will produce 17,500 acre-feet of water — the equivalent to the amount of water used by about 43,000 households each year.
So far, Denver Water is about one-third of the way toward its goal.
“It’s going to have to continue to grow because of general water supply issues,” Holmquist said.
In 2010, Denver Water and its customers expanded the recycled water system to serve irrigation customers, including:
- East High School grounds
- Sixth Avenue median, between Uinta Parkway and Roslyn Street
- Ulaanbaatar Park in Lowry
- Fifth Avenue median, from Roslyn Street to Quebec Street
- Stanley British Primary Soccer Field in Lowry
- Montclair Recreation Center Playing Fields
- Westerly Creek School grounds
- Stapleton Central Park Recreation Center
In 2011, Denver Water will add the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to its recycled water system. The arsenal, now a natural area, needs the water to fill lakes and to mitigate wetlands. The Denver Zoo also will increase its recycled water use in 2011.
And in the years following, Denver Water plans to add parks and schools in the Montbello neighborhood and irrigation customers near Peña Boulevard and Interstate 70, as the utility works its way toward serving recycled water to Denver International Airport. In the next decade, Denver Water plans to extend service to areas that include the University of Denver, Observatory Park and industrial facilities along the Brighton Boulevard corridor.
It’s a major document, but the master plan will help the various departments at Denver Water — the engineers, planners and construction crews, among others — plan for the recycled water system’s future growth and successfully build new infrastructure.
“It will keep us aligned internally,” Holmquist said. “And it’s something we can use to make sure we’re all working for the same goal.”