From the Summit Daily News (Bob Berwyn):
A neighborly collaboration could help Bill’s Ranch property owners in their quest for supplemental water. A Front Range water provider plans to donate some storage rights in a Frisco-area pond to help Bill’s Ranch residents compensate for well water they use to water outdoor plants and lawns. The deal is still in the works, but it looks like it could meet state requirements that limit residential well-water use. Under a complicated formula, well users have to show that they can replace water that doesn’t return to local streams and lakes. The storage rights in the pond would give them that ability. The plan emerged about five years ago, when the Mountainside Homeowners Association decided to sell the land under Bill’s Ranch pond — but not the water — for $10 to an entity called United States Water and Sanitation District.
The deal was facilitated by Denver-area attorney Bob Lembke, who owns a home near the pond. The Mountainside homeowners association was concerned about liability issues associated with public use of the pond. Lembke and the water district are involved in various water development and storage projects on the Front Range. “We just did it because I live on the lake,” Lembke said, citing his personal motive as well as altruistic community values as the reason for his involvement.