POW is an acronym for Protect Our Wells, the name of a citizen’s advocacy group for private well owners in the Black Forest and eastern El Paso County. The organization’s mission statement urges conservation of the Denver Basin aquifers, a non-renewable water supply, and represents the interests of private well owners at the state and local level.Thirty-five POW members and El Paso County Commissioner Douglas Bruce met on July 17 to discuss a presentation to be presented to the El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Aug. 4. POW’s presentation will cover declining water levels in both the Denver Basin and the Upper Black Squirrel alluvial aquifer, the necessity of a well monitoring program and the need for an independent hydro-geologist to review subdivision plans for the county.Larry Stanley, president of POW, pointed out that limited data is available for the Denver Basin aquifers, especially in the Dawson and Denver aquifers, the layers of the basin that contain the majority of private wells. Furthermore, he stated, while new homes are required to have water meters, few homeowners report their readings to the state, making it difficult to determine the actual amount of water being pumped from Denver Basin wells.Julia Murphy, a hydro-geologist and member of POW, presented her plan for monitoring wells in the Dawson and Denver aquifers. She told the audience the United States Geological Survey and the Colorado Division of Water Resources are monitoring only a few wells. Murphy believes at least 126 new monitoring points spread throughout the Denver Basin are needed to obtain current water levels and to predict the long-term reliability of these aquifers.She estimates the monitoring program will cost $74,500 to put in place and $42,625 a year to maintain. Murphy stated the county might be able to receive some matching funds from USGS if the monitoring program is implemented.Stanley pointed to the need for a hydro-geologist to review water plans for subdivisions because, he said, “The accuracy of developers’ proposals are difficult to judge.”The El Paso County Land-Use Development Code, available on the county’s Web site, states: “The County Hydro-geologist will, in consultation with the county attorney and the Development Services Department, prepare a recommendation that the water supply be found sufficient or insufficient in terms of quantity and dependability.” However, a search of the county’s organization chart shows the hydro-geologist position is not currently filled.Commissioner Bruce expressed his concern about water issues, saying the BOCC relies on reports from the state engineers’ office to determine if there is a sufficient water supply for a development. “In most cases,” he added, “the entire board follows the state engineers’ recommendations.”However, as reported in the April New Falcon Herald, on March 17 the BOCC approved a new development in Claremont Ranch even after “an insufficiency of water” finding by the state. Bruce was the only BOCC member to vote against the project and he told POW members he would continue to follow the state engineers’ office recommendations about water issues.Bruce urged POW members to focus on water factors the BOCC could control, such as the need for a hydro-geologist to review some subdivision plans.Members of POW made suggestions on how the presentation could be improved, and voiced their concerns about water issues.Anyone wishing to join POW can learn more about the organization through www.protectourwells.org.
