Mission accomplished. The Pueblo Board of Water Works increased its storage levels by 10,000 acre-feet after cutting off spot-market water leases this year.
“It was a good year for recovery of our storage reserves,” Water Resources Manager Alan Ward told the board Tuesday.
At the end of the October, the water board had 37,500 acre-feet of water stored in four reservoirs, up from 27,500 acre-feet the previous year at the same time. Pueblo has long-term storage in Lake Pueblo, Clear Creek Reservoir, Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake.
“Our spot market leases typically total about 10,000 acre-feet,” Ward said.
There were other factors to the quick recovery, but they played a smaller role, he said. After drenching rains in August and September, water customers cut back use by about 1 billion gallons — roughly 3,000 acre-feet. But most of the water supplied to the city’s potable system comes from direct-flow water rights on the Arkansas River, rather than storage, Ward explained. Part of the reduction also came from reduced use in city parks, water that is provided at no charge. Water use was down at the Xcel Energy’s Comanche power plant, and good snows late in the season aided natural storage levels, he added.
The new water year is looking more promising than the past two, with 93 percent snowpack in the Arkansas River basin and 123 percent in the Colorado River basin.
“It’s still early in the season, and you can’t draw conclusions,” Ward said. “But it’s encouraging that we are near average and the Colorado is above average.”
Click here for this morning’s snowpack report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
More coverage of the board meeting from Chris Woodka writing for The Pueblo Chieftain:
Tastes great, less money. That was Tuesday’s mantra at the Pueblo Board of Water Works monthly meeting as the board approved its 2014 budget. The board was slightly distracted because it was basking in the glory of capturing second place in an American Water Works Association regional water quality taste test earlier this year. But it was also proud of maintaining the lowest water rate among Front Range cities. Only Louisville has a lower base rate, but charges more as use increases.
“Our rates are reasonable compared to surrounding communities, and it’s a heck of a buy,” said board member Nick Gradisar. “The average household will spend about $400 per year on water, and that is among the lowest on the Front Range,” said Seth Clayton, director of administrative services. “With all this, we’re still able to produce a product that is among the best in the state.”
Pueblo rates will increase 3 percent next year, funding about 70 percent of the $34 million budget. Metered sales are expected to total $23 million, and will be supplemented by $8.2 million in leases of raw water. The remainder of the revenue will be generated by various fees and a transfer of $1 million from reserves. The bottom line for water users will be an average $1.02 increase per month for strictly indoor use, and $2.63 per month more during lawn irrigation periods, Clayton said.
On the expenditure side of the ledger, 41 percent will go toward personnel services, 30 percent to operation and maintenance, 17 percent to capital projects and 12 percent to debt service. Major expenses include $3.37 million for utilities, mostly electricity; $1.03 million for the next round of automated meters; $2.4 million for main improvement and expansion; and nearly $1 million for water tank improvements.
In other business, the board re-elected Mike Cafasso as president and Nick Gradisar as secretarytreasurer for the coming year.