Planning Commission approves Rangeview Metro District discharge pipeline for Box Elder Creek, 4-1

The Arapahoe County Planning Commission on Sept. 16 approved Case LE25-002, a location-and-extent application to construct a reclaimed-water pipeline and outfall from the Sky Ranch Water Reclamation Facility to Box Elder Creek, on a 4 to 1 vote.

The project—proposed by Rangeview Metro District and presented by engineer Brent of Pure Cycle—would place a buried, 12-inch pipeline roughly 4.5 miles from the Sky Ranch treatment plant to a planned outfall in Box Elder Creek. The pipeline is described in the application as being buried at least 6 feet below grade, placed primarily in easements and county right-of-way, with directional boring to cross roadways and floodplain areas. Rangeview and Pure Cycle told the commission the outfall is intended to manage times when treated wastewater storage and irrigation demand do not match, particularly in wetter springs.

Staff said the application conforms to the Arapahoe County Comprehensive Plan and the Arapahoe County Land Development Code Section 5-7.3 and recommended approval with one condition. County counsel confirmed the Planning Commission had jurisdiction and that required notice had been provided under Chapter 5, Section 2 of the Arapahoe County Land Development Code.

Rangeview and Pure Cycle representatives presented technical and operational details. Pure Cycle’s engineer said the site was selected because Box Elder Creek contains wide, permeable alluvial sand beds where discharged water quickly infiltrates, and because Rangeview holds surface water rights in that drainage basin. The applicant described the pipeline route as using an existing utility corridor across private agricultural property and said most of the route will be open-trenched construction while crossings of creeks, flood plains and roads will be bored.

On monitoring and water quality, the applicant said Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) standards will apply. Brent said the Sky Ranch facility already conducts frequent monitoring for irrigation discharges and that discharging to Box Elder Creek would require testing for roughly 40 water-quality constituents plus periodic effluent toxicity tests. “We are already conducted that test. There is no toxicity found for our wastewater, and we have to continue to do that in perpetuity,” he told the commission.

Public comment included statements from nearby property owners raising two principal concerns: (1) that pipeline construction and discharges could injure shallow wells and reduce the water table used for irrigation and livestock; and (2) potential flood impacts and property access where the line crosses private property. Bill Coyle, who said he holds decreed water rights on Box Elder Creek, told the commission he did not receive written notice and asked the commission to deny approval until his asserted injuries were addressed. “I did not receive written notice of this meeting and, I think it’s deliberate,” Coyle said.

Applicant and project representatives responded that the project is a discharge (not a diversion) and that they have secured required permits. Mark Harding, president of Rangeview (and identified as working with Pure Cycle), told the commission, “To be perfectly clear, this is not a water right. This is a discharge to the creek. We are not withdrawing water as part of this application.” He said the team has site-location approval from CDPHE (May 2025) and a nationwide permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (June 2025). The applicant also said operators could stop discharge and divert treated water back to storage ponds during forecasted heavy precipitation events.

Adjacent rancher Anthony Verucci described agricultural impacts he said would follow lower groundwater levels and repeated localized flooding that damages fence lines. The applicant said the proposed outfall is located on private property where easements have been obtained; project staff offered to follow up with aerial imagery and property-line data for concerned landowners.

Commission discussion focused on flood risk, technical coordination with existing subsurface oil-and-gas pipelines crossed by the alignment, the ability to stop flows in heavy storms, and outreach to affected property owners. Commissioner Sawe moved to approve the application based on the findings in the staff report, subject to the single condition shown in the staff packet; Commissioner Latsis seconded. The motion passed on a roll-call vote of 4 to 1 (Commissioner Miller opposed; Commissioners Saul, Sauve, Latsis and Chair Morehouse voted aye). The meeting record shows Commissioner Howe was absent and excused.

Next steps: the approval grants the Planning Commission location-and-extent authorization under the Land Development Code. The applicant stated it has received other state and federal permits needed for construction; the project will proceed to construction scheduling and coordination with easement holders and utility owners. The record does not specify the text of the condition attached to approval beyond the staff packet reference.