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Old 12-10-2014, 11:28 AM
 
5,089 posts, read 15,401,935 times
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For those who are thinking about moving to Parker, Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock, you better be aware of a very severe issue with water supplies. The Denver Post has just published this article
Denver suburbs drawing down groundwater aim for renewable supply - The Denver Post

It is apparent that many want to move to Douglas County. area to live near Denver. We constantly see inquiries on this forum about the cities in this county. This area is touted and bragged about as the riches and the best in the media and consequently more people want to stream into these cities. Yet, these cities are facing a severe problem with water resources. The idiotic county commissioners are not too responsible and are continually approving huge development to suck up more water.

If you move to these cities be warned that the acquisition of water rights that is talked about in this article will cost much and you will be taxed more. In addition, money is not enough to buy Douglas County out of this problem without severe conservation. However, conservation is a difficult problem because of the types of residents, who have more money than brains, and the insane demanding need to have big sprawling green lawns; thinking that they are still back in lush eastern states. I would ask the question what will your big expensive house be worth when there is no more water?

It is interesting to note that Douglas County is many times viewed superior to the other counties. However, Water is King in the arid West and it is the foolish act of the jester to think that Douglas County sits on the throne of being supreme. Adams County, Jefferson County and the some other cities of the northern and western suburbs, on the other hand, are viewed by the same myopic opinions to be less acceptable place to live but has more water resources. Also, as in my city of Arvada in Jefferson and Adams County, we are tied into Denver Water, and has minimal reliance on the groundwater aquifer.

If you look at the maps, you will see that the northern areas are historically home to agriculture because of the availability of water and the southern areas of the suburbs, Douglas County, was historically grazing because of the lack of water. It is all natural geography with many water resources flowing north and east out of the mountain into Denver, which sits in a bowl. Douglas County was not a natural place to have large settlements and that is why cities and towns did not grow up historically in the south of Denver but were settled more north and west of Denver.

Are we pushing too much against the natural resources and building homes and expanding cities where they should not be built?

Livecontent

Last edited by livecontent; 12-10-2014 at 12:50 PM..
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Old 12-10-2014, 12:22 PM
 
170 posts, read 246,264 times
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Isn't Highlands Ranch connected to Denver Water as well? Since I had a friend that lives there and says there bill is from Denver Water. Although their bill is higher than living in the city. I am assuming that this mostly applies to Castle Rock and Parker in Douglas County. I heard this water issue also applies to the eastern part of Arapahoe County as well as Adams County.
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Old 12-10-2014, 12:34 PM
 
977 posts, read 1,328,246 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pesare View Post
Isn't Highlands Ranch connected to Denver Water as well? Since I had a friend that lives there and says there bill is from Denver Water. Although their bill is higher than living in the city. I am assuming that this mostly applies to Castle Rock and Parker in Douglas County. I heard this water issue also applies to the eastern part of Arapahoe County as well as Adams County.
Only a small portion of Highlands Ranch is covered by Denver Water, the rest of it is screwed. Other areas that are covered by Denver Water include parts of Centennial and Lone Tree. Other than those places, Douglas County is on the short-end of the stick when it comes to water supply and the County knows it. If I was a resident, I would expect my water bill to at least triple over the next ten years. Though that's probably being grossly optimistic.
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Old 12-10-2014, 12:40 PM
 
5,089 posts, read 15,401,935 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pesare View Post
Isn't Highlands Ranch connected to Denver Water as well? Since I had a friend that lives there and says there bill is from Denver Water. Although their bill is higher than living in the city. I am assuming that this mostly applies to Castle Rock and Parker in Douglas County. I heard this water issue also applies to the eastern part of Arapahoe County as well as Adams County.
This is the link available from the Highland Ranch District Highlands Ranch Metro District | Highlands Ranch, Colorado indicates
Centennial Water District which indicates taking water from the aquifer and the Platte.

Understand that Highlands Ranch is not a city but a development in Douglas County. There are homes in and around Highlands Ranch that are not actually part of Highlands Ranch and may get their water from other sources--I know someone in a development that you would assume would be Highlands Ranch but was actually unincorporated Douglas County. She found out she was not in the Highland Ranch District when she could not get resident rates at the recreation center.

Adams county is a very large county, running west to east with the most settlement in the western part, in and near the Platte as it runs north through Adams County. You will notice that far toward the east in Adams County, there is very little settlement and just some very small towns because of the lack of water. In those area, it is mostly dry land farming or grazing and water is taken from the aquifer. The most populated cities are in and around the western part of the county.

However, not like crazy Douglas County, Adams County is not building huge housing development in these eastern regions and probably will never be largely populated; these areas of eastern Adams county are more in the arid great plains which are actually loosing population because of the lack of water.

Arapahoe County also has some sparsely settled areas to the east and again less water resources.

Livecontent

Last edited by livecontent; 12-10-2014 at 02:01 PM..
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Old 12-10-2014, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Just south of Denver since 1989
11,826 posts, read 34,433,423 times
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Centennial is the water provider for the Highlands Ranch subdivision.

Rate sheet for 2015 http://highlandsranch.org/wp-content...es-UPDATED.pdf

Castle Rock rate sheet http://www.crgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/7553

Denver water has a rate comparison page 2015 water rates | Denver Water

Highlands Ranch has an aquifer. Douglas County has two reservoirs Surface Water Reservoirs | Douglas County Water Resources | Douglas County, Colorado

Water will always be an issue. You cannot build a new subdivision without securing water for your project.
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Old 12-10-2014, 01:51 PM
 
5,089 posts, read 15,401,935 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2bindenver View Post
Centennial is the water provider for the Highlands Ranch subdivision.

Rate sheet for 2015 http://highlandsranch.org/wp-content...es-UPDATED.pdf

Castle Rock rate sheet http://www.crgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/7553

Denver water has a rate comparison page 2015 water rates | Denver Water

Highlands Ranch has an aquifer. Douglas County has two reservoirs Surface Water Reservoirs | Douglas County Water Resources | Douglas County, Colorado

Water will always be an issue. You cannot build a new subdivision without securing water for your project.
You really think that the all the fanciful studies and alleged water that the developers say will be available is accurate or even critically evaluated by competent authorities?

If the past studies and evaluations in Douglas County to allow developments were so accurate in the past, why are there critical problems today with water supplies?

What do you do when the developers are long gone and retired in Florida with their riches; what then do you do as a homeowner?

Livecontent

Last edited by livecontent; 12-10-2014 at 02:02 PM..
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Old 12-10-2014, 02:07 PM
 
170 posts, read 246,264 times
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With the fast growing population in the Denver area especially in Douglas County which is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation there is a lot of incentives for developers to pay money for these studies showing there is an adequate amount of water for further subdivision development. As the saying goes money talks and when developers can make millions with these subdivisions especially when people have a desire to live in huge new homes with large yards this causes the problems we are having with water.
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Old 12-10-2014, 02:07 PM
 
Location: Just south of Denver since 1989
11,826 posts, read 34,433,423 times
Reputation: 8971
For your reading pleasure:

Sterling Ranch again wins approval by Douglas County - The Denver Post
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Old 12-10-2014, 03:46 PM
 
Location: CO
2,453 posts, read 3,606,216 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 2bindenver View Post
Centennial is the water provider for the Highlands Ranch subdivision.

Rate sheet for 2015 http://highlandsranch.org/wp-content...es-UPDATED.pdf

Castle Rock rate sheet http://www.crgov.com/DocumentCenter/View/7553

Denver water has a rate comparison page 2015 water rates | Denver Water

Highlands Ranch has an aquifer. Douglas County has two reservoirs Surface Water Reservoirs | Douglas County Water Resources | Douglas County, Colorado

Water will always be an issue. You cannot build a new subdivision without securing water for your project.
And Centennial gets their water from Denver. Though Englewood provides Centennial's sewer service and that bill comes yearly, always at Christmas. Yikes! If you never want to worry about water, move to old Englewood. They have the earliest water rights in the area and McClelland Reservoir is all theirs.
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Old 12-10-2014, 03:58 PM
 
Location: Just south of Denver since 1989
11,826 posts, read 34,433,423 times
Reputation: 8971
Not the City of Centennial, the Company called Centennial Water.
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