Dove Creek may use untreated water for lawns

Dove Creek may use untreated water for lawns

Sept. 27 2001

By Jim Mimiaga
Journal Staff Writer

Ever ponder how wasteful it is to irrigate the lawn with treated water?

Dove Creek town officials have considered the matter. And, to solve the problem, they are considering implementing a secondary watering system to freshen up lawns and lower water bills within town limits.

Under a proposal offered by the Dolores Water Conservancy District, Dove Creek would receive 320 residential taps for delivery of non-potable irrigation water to lawns and gardens. The $1 million project would initially be funded by 200 tap fees paid up front, at $3,000 per tap.

The water district would gamble on the remaining costs, assuming once the project is on-line, another 120 residents will pay the $3,000 tap fee to meet the total costs. One acre-foot of water (plenty to water a lawn for a year) would be available in the growing season at a price of $190 per year.

"It is a common-sense use of water already allocated to us," said Irvin Frazier, town supervisor for Dove Creek. "Putting treated water on lawns is expensive and strains the capacity of our water-system filters in the summer."

Under the current proposal, the district would deliver 500 acre-feet of water to the residents via the Monument Canal, construct the pumping plant and five miles of delivery lines, and manage the system for the town, said District Manager John Porter.

"We would use a small reservoir they have for storage and a small pump station would have to be installed, but a lot of Dove Creek is positioned well for a gravity feed," Porter said. An intergovernmental agreement would need to be negotiated between the district and the town to determine operations and maintenance parameters and billing systems.

Fifteen homes southeast of the Dove Creek town limits already have a secondary system in place. The service has been well received and translates into greener landscapes.

"We knew it would happen eventually, because when people of Dove Creek see all those sprinklers going all the time on that system, it sure looks like a good way to go," Porter said.

Cahone, Pleasant View and subdivisions south of McPhee Reservoir are also communities well-positioned to receive secondary water-delivery systems from the district.

"The idea has good support, but we will see for sure when it comes time to pay the tap fee," Frazier said.