A year ago, the first phase of the county’s Groundwater Quality Study of the Upper Black Squirrel Groundwater Basin found almost no data for the Falcon area. Because Falcon is the most urbanized area and relies heavily on the basin, the all-volunteer committee recommended a second phase to include well monitoring in areas where there is no data.The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners asked the committee to continue to meet and develop the scope of a monitoring program ñ and determine a source for funding the second phase.The committee has since developed a multi-year monitoring plan, solicited contributions from interested parties and applied for grants.In March, the Arkansas Basin Roundtable, one of nine roundtables in Colorado that provides a forum where interested parties can discuss water issues, awarded the committee a $35,000 grant.Sean Chambers, committee chair of the UBSGB study, said members of the Arkansas Basin Roundtable believe it is important to prevent the gap in the water supply from increasing. Chambers referenced the statewide initiative that calculates future water deficiencies. In 2050, even with construction of the Southern Delivery System, El Paso County’s gap is about 10,000-acre feet.ìAnd the majority of that gap is in Cherokee (Metropolitan District), Woodmen Hills, Paint Brush Hills and 4-Way Ranch, the east side of town (Colorado Springs) and in Falcon,î Chambers said.The committee is also pursuing a $60,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board Severance Tax Trust Fund, said committee member Elaine Kleckner, who also is the planning manager for the county’s community services department.So far, the Upper Black Squirrel Groundwater Management District, Cherokee Metropolitan District, Colorado Springs Utilities, the Colorado State Land Board, Meridian Services Metropolitan District and the U.S. Geological Survey have tentatively pledged $189,800 in money and in-kind services for the second phase of the study, which is estimated to cost $343,350 and continue through 2014.The committee has also approached the oil and gas industry ìbut they weren’t too receptive,î Kleckner said.Chambers said he has contacted Ultra Petroleum, which is involved with the undeveloped part of the Banning Lewis Ranch, but no one has returned his phone calls.The multi-year nature of the study means the committee has time to find more funding.ìIf we could round up small contributions of less than $500 from a handful of entities, we could chisel away several thousand dollars of the outstanding balance,î Chambers said.The second phase is expected to start this summer, but for the first year they are short $3,700.Michael Rupert, representing the USGS on the committee, said USGS employees will do most of the monitoring work, but initially they will work with the UBSGB to analyze well logs and determine a list of wells for sampling. Then, they will inspect the wells for sampling ports, collect GPS data and measure water levels.Over the winter and next spring, the teams will decide where to drill new monitoring wells. Actual groundwater sampling will begin in the summer of 2013.It will take six to eight months to get the lab results, especially the groundwater age-dating samples. ìBy that time (January 2014), we’ll know the hydro-geologic system really well and then we could develop a groundwater monitoring plan,î Rupert said.ìI’ve always thought the protection of private property rights is an element of this study,î Chambers said. ìBaseline data protects my private property from whatever impairment or claimed impairment might occur, whether it’s from septic systems or oil and gas drilling or fracking.îThe BOCC has tentatively scheduled a workshop on the second phase of the groundwater quality study April 17 at Centennial Hall, 200 South Cascade Ave. in Colorado Springs. The public is invited. Check the countyís Web site to confirm date and time.
