From The Chaffee County Times (Kathy Davis):
Town engineer Rachel Friedman said the town has 2,270 available taps. There are 1,490 existing taps, leaving 780 additional taps the town’s existing water rights can support, she said. The town has a commitment of an additional 500 taps for infill on town lots. The projected number of taps needed for proposed subdivisions and other proposed development is 976 taps. The total projected demand is approximately 1,476 taps. Friedman said the average water usage is 400 gallons per tap per day. This is a high average, she said. In some places, the average usage is 200 gallons per tap per day…
Regarding new water sources, the town has been measuring for a dry-up on 63 acres in the big meadow on Crossman Avenue. The dry-up is required by the water court decree for the town to convert Leesmaugh Ditch agriculture water rights to municipal use. If the town completes the dry-up of the meadow, it could get an additional 120 to 200 taps, town engineer Patricia Flood said. A maximum dry-up of the meadow could take another two years, she said. Trustee Jerry Steinauer asked if there were a way to hasten the dry up. Drains could be installed, Flood said.
Also discussed was an exchange of water proposed by the John Cogswell, developer of the Villages at Cottonwood Meadows, a proposed subdivision in the meadow on Crossman Avenue. Town administrator Sue Boyd said it would require Cogswell’s commitment to paying the fees for analysis of the exchange…
The town needs to think about additional sources of supply to meet needs, Covell said. The town’s water master plan recommends acquisition of additional water from a new well on the Arkansas River. Other recommended sources would be from the town’s well, well #3, and the purchase of additional water rights.
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