How It Would Work
The proposed Wild Horse Reservoir Project would be efficiently integrated into Aurora Water’s current infrastructure, use existing water rights, and honor existing stream flow agreements.
Current Systems
Because the city of Aurora is not located near major water sources, Aurora Water has always had to be creative, pioneering, and forward-thinking in our efforts to meet our community’s water needs. To ensure a diverse, resilient water supply, Aurora Water has a variety of water rights in the Colorado, Arkansas, and South Platte river basins (see adjacent map).
Aurora’s water from the Colorado and Arkansas River basins—which is about half of Aurora’s water supply—travels through Twin Lakes south of Leadville. From there, Aurora’s water is pumped over the mountains and through Park County via the Otero pipeline to Spinney Mountain Reservoir. Aurora’s water is stored in Spinney Mountain Reservoir before it is released down the South Platte River to Aurora’s drinking water system.
The proposed reservoir project would not change Aurora Water’s operation of the Homestake system in the Colorado River basin. Learn more about Aurora Water’s systems.
Aurora Water Supply Map. Click to view larger image.
New Storage
The proposed Wild Horse Reservoir Project would be integrated into Aurora’s existing system as a different storage location for the existing Colorado and Arkansas river water that is being conveyed to Spinney Mountain Reservoir today. This means no new water rights, just smarter storage, enhanced water reuse, and system reliability.
To make that work, a new inlet pipeline would connect the proposed Wild Horse Reservoir Project to the existing Otero pipeline, and a new outlet pipeline would convey releases to Spinney Mountain Reservoir as needed. From there, water would be released down the South Platte River before reaching Aurora for treatment and delivery—just as it does today. The proposed project would be an off-channel reservoir, meaning it would not block any rivers or streams.
Map of proposed Wild Horse Reservoir Project. Click to view larger image.
Existing Water Rights
The proposed project does not require new water rights, but would store water from our existing Colorado and Arkansas river water rights that is currently being stored in Spinney Mountain Reservoir. Park County groundwater would not be used to fill the reservoir.
Water Reuse
Aurora Water’s state-of-the-art Prairie Waters reuse system—and our planned expansion of these water reuse capabilities in the coming years—allows Aurora to fully reuse the water over and over again. Practically, this means that each drop of water going into the proposed reservoir would be equivalent to three drops of water.
As Aurora Water continues to enhance our water conservation and reuse efforts, this increased efficiency will allow more of our Colorado and Arkansas river water to be stored higher in the system in the proposed Wild Horse Reservoir and Spinney Mountain Reservoir as an emergency water reserve until that water is needed.
Honor Flow Agreements
The proposed project would allow Aurora Water to better manage our existing water rights from the South Platte River basin and enable greater flexibility for water releases from Spinney Mountain Reservoir into the stretch of the South Platte River known as the Dream Stream. With this project, Aurora Water will continue to follow all mandated and voluntary operational flow agreements for Spinney Mountain Reservoir as outlined in the 2003 South Platte Protection Plan.
For the Arkansas River, Aurora Water is a signatory to the Arkansas Voluntary Flow Management Program (VFMP)—which manages streamflow in the Arkansas River for recreational and environmental benefits—and will continue to work with Arkansas VFMP partners to meet streamflow goals.
In the Colorado River basin, Aurora Water would continue to be limited by existing streamflow requirements for several gages. The proposed project does not alter any of the existing streamflow constraints. Learn more about potential streamflow effects.
