A state water judge has signed off on a deal between Denver Water and Grand County to leave 651 million gallons of water a year that otherwise would be diverted in headwaters of the Colorado River.
That water would be left each year for the purpose of improving stream health — habitat for fish and other wildlife — once Denver completes its Moffat Project to divert more water under the Continental Divide to the heavily populated Front Range.
Denver Water officials said the water, at least 2,000-acre feet, is enough to sustain 5,000 metro households each year.
State water judge James Boyd signed the decree last week.
The deal was done under the Colorado River Cooperative Agreement, finalized in 2013 between Denver and western slope communities, to try to balance growing urban demands with environmental needs.
Colorado’s Water Conservation Board would protect the water left in streams and use it to preserve natural conditions.
Denver Water manager Jim Lochhead said the deal shows Denver is prepared to fully implement the agreement.
Grand County authorities could not be reached for comment.
Under the agreement, Denver Water must conserve and recycle water and transfer up to 45,000 acre-feet a year in treated wastewater to suburbs on the condition that the suburbs agree not to pursue their own diversion projects and pay a surcharge. Western Slope communities, not including Grand County, would drop opposition to Denver’s Moffat Project.
The agreement also obligates Denver to contribute $25 million for projects including some designed to save mountain ecosystems.
Denver Water is awaiting federal approval on its diversion of an additional 10,000 acre-feet of water a year on average out of Colorado River headwaters, through the Moffat Tunnel, to an expanded Gross Reservoir southwest of Boulder.
Once that reservoir receives water, Denver Water would release 1,000 acre feet from its Williams Fork Reservoir into the Colorado River and 1,000 acre feet from various diversion points along the Fraser River. The decree also provides 375 acre-feet to Grand County users for municipal supplies and artificial snow-making.
Bruce Finley: 303-954-1700, bfinley@denverpost.com or @finleybruce
