Project

Two new deep groundwater wells, one Arapahoe Aquifer well and one Denver Aquifer well, are being built to supply raw water to the Ray Waterman Water Treatment Plant. The wells will add new water capacity from the existing Denver Basin aquifers, store excess WISE supplies (when available) and generate power during ASR operations. When complete, the wells will supply approximately 1.0 to 1.2 million gallons of water per day (mgd).

These wells will also have the capability for aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) and down-hole power generation. With the variability of imported WISE deliveries, a storage option is needed when WISE supply is higher than demand. One of the solutions is ASR, which is the ability to store water in the aquifer and recover the water through pumping when needed. Storing this clean, treated water underground is an ideal avenue over storage in nearby reservoirs as there is no loss to evaporation nor contact with surface runoff pollution. The design of an ASR well is slightly modified to take into consideration the water that will be delivered into the aquifer through the well which will cause the water level in the well to increase.

The down-hole power generation allows for the water being pumped back down to create power, reducing energy costs for this operation.

Cost

The drilling contract was awarded to Hydro Resources – Rocky Mountain Inc. for $2.9 million. The well facility construction contract was awarded to T. Lowell Construction Inc. for $659,000.