To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Mark Marlowe, P.E., Director of Castle Rock Water
Title
Resolution Adopting the Source Water Protection Plan
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The purpose of this memorandum is to request Town Council approval of a resolution (see Attachment A) adopting of the Source Water Protection Plan (SWPP). The main objective of source water protection planning is to minimize potential contamination threats to public drinking water supplies. Castle Rock Water formed a community-wide steering committee to develop a plan ensuring that issues across the County are addressed. This is achieved throughout the planning process by identifying and implementing “best management practices” that will protect Castle Rock’s specific source water area. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), in conjunction with the Colorado Rural Water Association (CRWA), offers guidance, assistance and grants to Colorado communities in preparing Source Water Protection Plans (SWPP). Attachment B shows a fact sheet about Colorado’s source water protection program. The plan has been reviewed by Castle Rock Water staff, the steering committee members and the Castle Rock Water Commission, and it is now in final form (see Exhibit 1.)
The main thrust behind a SWPP is public awareness to protect our watershed and that is done through education. Best management practices mainly consist of education, coordination and sharing information to raise awareness within the community. The Town already carries out many activities that support our SWPP.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
The SWPP included outreach to various stakeholders within the source water protection area (see pp. 23 - 25 of the SWPP for a list of steering committee members and stakeholders). Review by the Castle Rock Water Commission was the first step in public outreach and more outreach was conducted with the community in combination with the Drought Management Plan and Water Use Management Plan update in the first quarter of 2018. Castle Rock Water conducted an Open House on February 7, 2018 to provide a water update to the community, including the Source Water Protection Plan. Approximately 75 residents attended the open house, asked questions and toured the Plum Creek Water Purification Facility. There were no further revisions to the plan after the open house. Education of our citizens on the importance of source water protection and what each of us can do to assist with this effort, will be an ongoing process.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
The Castle Rock Water Commission recommended approval of the plan at their February 2018 meeting, and it was discussed at the December 2017, January 2018 and February 2018 Commission meetings.
Discussion
Developing and implementing a Source Water Protection Plan is a voluntary activity encouraged by CDPHE for the purpose of minimizing potential contaminant threats to public drinking water supplies. Castle Rock Water developed a SWPP in 2017 with assistance from the Colorado Rural Water Association for this purpose. The plan was developed with stakeholder involvement and staff support, and was presented to the community in an open house event conducted on February 7, 2018. Writing the SWPP is just the beginning as implementing source water protection measures (best management practices) is what will truly protect our drinking water supplies. Castle Rock depends largely on deep groundwater for water supply, but is moving toward renewable supplies, including surface water and alluvial groundwater found in the East Plum Creek watershed, as the major source of drinking water. These renewable water supplies are more susceptible to influence by human activities and other environmental threats. Protecting these sources is in the best interest of our community.
The protection planning process includes:
• Stakeholder involvement.
• A steering committee to develop and implement the plan.
• An inventory of all ground and surface water intakes.
• Reviewing our state-approved source water assessment for potential sources of contamination.
• An inventory of potential sources of contamination and local issues of concern.
• A map outlining the source water protection area.
• Best management practices that address each of the potential sources of contamination and issues of possible threats to our source water.
• A contingency plan to ensure a safe drinking water supply in the event of an emergency.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) in conjunction with the Colorado Rural Water Association (CRWA) offers guidance, assistance and grants to Colorado communities in preparing Source Water Protection Plans (SWPP). Although a SWPP is not required, Castle Rock Water chose to develop this plan and began the process in December 2016 by soliciting help from CRWA and applying for a grant from CDPHE. A $5,000 grant was approved in January 2017 and the planning process kicked off in that same month. An internal steering committee was formed with Castle Rock Water staff and a stakeholder list was developed, contact was made with potential stakeholders and a stakeholder committee was formed. A series of monthly stakeholder workshops was held from March through July 2017 to gather stakeholder input and then the Source Water Specialist with CWRA compiled all information and drafted a SWPP. The plan has been reviewed by Castle Rock Water staff and the steering committee members.
Budget Impact
Preparing the SWPP had minimal budget impact as it only involved staff time and no additional expenses. CRWA provided assistance at no charge to Castle Rock Water since they are funded through grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and CDPHE to help rural communities with Source Water Protection. Their role is to provide technical assistance in order to coordinate and facilitate the process of developing a Source Water Protection Plan and to promote communication and collaboration between communities and government agencies. Implementation of best management practices will include some expenditures associated with public education, coordination and information sharing with other agencies and response to any human caused or natural disasters that may affect our drinking water supplies. The education, coordination and information sharing activities should incur minimal costs (<$10,000) while responses to human caused or natural disasters will vary depending on the severity of the situation.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends adoption of the Source Water Protection Plan and it is supported by the Castle Rock Water Commission in this recommendation.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution
Exhibit 1: Source Water Protection Plan
Attachment B: Fact Sheet