New video highlights Colorado—s water history and the United Water System

DENVER — United Water and Sanitation District’s 10-year history of delivering innovative and sustainable solutions to Front Range water providers and communities are chronicled in a new video released this week. The video covers Colorado’s water history, highlighting the state’s scarce water resources that ultimately led to the incorporation of water rights into the state’s constitution as a protected property right.

Based on this history, the video follows the formation of United Water and Sanitation District and its goal of delivering Front Range water providers with renewable water. United’s regional approach to water, coupled with its ability to use either public or private financing, have resulted in the successful delivery of water to a variety of water providers serving thousands of residents, businesses, and industries.

"We enjoy showing our system to interested parties, but not everyone has the 10 hours it takes to physically tour a part of our system. With that in mind, we have developed this video to provide a first-hand look at United Water and Sanitation’s history, resources and vision,” said Bob Lembke, president of United Water and Sanitation District.

The 13-minute video covers how, in 2002, United drafted a first-of-its-kind multi-governmental agreement with the Farmer’s Reservoir and Irrigation Company and the East Cherry Creek Water and Sanitation District to acquire, capture, and deliver renewable water to the east metro-Denver area.

In what is now known as the “Northern Project,” this ambitious enterprise included the acquisition of over 6,000 acre-feet of renewable water from the South Platte River basin; the construction of a 31-mile pipeline from Barr Lake in Adams County to the South Metro Denver area; and the construction of a state-of-the-art reverse osmosis water treatment facility.

The project, along with a similar project with Arapahoe Water and Wastewater Authority, brings 10,000 acre-feet of renewable water to residents and businesses in south metro Denver.

These and other projects highlighted in the video are examples of United’s ability to engage in innovative, customized and collaborative long-term water projects with public and private partners.