In the foothills, there’s only so much water to go around.
Jefferson County officials have been studying for more than three years how best to ensure not only the quantity of water in its mountainous areas but the quality of water.
A proposed “mountain groundwater overlay district” – which the county planning commission began considering Wednesday night – would require proof of sufficient well water or water storage before a building permit is issued or a rezoning is granted.
The district would include land above 6,400 feet elevation and west of the Dakota Hogback, the fastest-growing area of the county and home to about 67,000 people.
Mountain wells draw water from fractures in rock, a less- reliable source than aquifers on the plains.
“Water resources are limited and can be profoundly affected by human activity,” said Roy Laws of the county health department. “This would help us do a better job of doing an assessment.”
The rezoning process would require an aquifer pump test and a hydrogeologic report – which could add thousands of dollars to the cost of building.
Robert Longenbaugh, a water engineer for 45 years including in the state engineer’s office, advised county staff on the proposal. Until the draft is cleaned up and good criteria are set, he said, “these regulations are not necessarily needed for the administration of water.”
Mountain residents disagree about plans for the district.
“No one is out of water,” said Robert Tonsing, president of the Hilldale Pines Homeowners Association in South Turkey Creek. Wells may need to be “cracked” or redrilled, he said, which is the responsibility of an individual, not the government.
The district won’t do anything to promote public health, Tonsing said, won’t save or provide more water and won’t promote safety or general welfare.
Others argued the district is needed to help address critical water problems.
“This should have been done years ago,” said Jim Peterson, president of the Bear Mountain Homeowners Association in Evergreen.
About 40 percent of Bear Mountain’s 190 homes have had serious water problems, he said, including some homeowners drilling their third wells up to 1,100 feet deep.
Since May, Mary and Jordan Gibbs have been traveling every two days from Indian Hills to buy 200 gallons of water at 3 cents a gallon from the Evergreen Metro District’s water station in Kittredge.
“That’s when my well went from 5 1/2 gallons a minute, which is what it had been for 25 years, to less than 5 gallons an hour,” Mary Gibbs said.
The only thing that changed over that quarter-century, she said, was construction of two homes across the road.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
