The Town of Bennett, as a member of the BennT Creek Regional Water Authority, is a participant in a recent water court filing for the BennT Creek water project to secure access to renewable water supplies to best serve the current and future residents of the Town.
For over ten years, the Town has been exploring options for long-term water sustainability. The Town is currently reliant on Denver Basin groundwater, which is nonrenewable and unsustainable. As stated by Mayor Royce Pindell, “this water project for new, renewable supplies is a critical step in the ongoing process to secure the Town’s long-term water supply.”
In January 2020, the Town of Bennett became a member of the BennT Creek Regional Water Authority alongside the Todd Creek Village Metropolitan District. A primary purpose of creating the Water Authority is to allow the Town and Todd Creek to collaborate in a regional water project—the BennT Creek Project—that would be beyond the financial reach of either of them individually. The Water Authority is partnering with the South Platte Regional Water Company (SPCo), a private Colorado limited liability company, who will be primarily responsible for developing, financing, and constructing the BennT Creek Project. This public-private partnership is the type of collaboration encouraged by the 2015 Colorado Water Plan.
The Water Authority officially filed for the surface water rights and water storage rights on December 31, 2020. The BennT Creek Project is comprised of junior water rights to be diverted from the lower South Platte River and delivered through a series of pumps and pipelines back to the service areas of the Town and Todd Creek. Because the junior rights will not always be available, including during times of drought, the Project incorporates several surface and subsurface storage facilities that allow water to be stored when available and carried over from year to year and delivered during dry periods. In this way, the Water Authority is avoiding the need to buy senior irrigation rights, which would be expensive and would require drying up farmland and removing the irrigation water and transferring it to municipal use. The Colorado Water Plan recommends against such “buy and dry” practices.
Town Staff is currently evaluating the technical aspects of the Project to prepare for the necessary Town-owned water infrastructure required for the successful delivery of this renewable resource. The Town anticipates this Project to take several years before completion.
The Town is committed and looking forward to working with the Water Authority and SPCo towards the successful pursuit of the water rights application and development of the BennT Creek Project to economically serve the Town’s long-range water needs.
If you would like more information or have further questions, please contact Town Administrator, Trish Stiles at (303)644-3249 ext. 1009 or tstiles@bennett.co.us.