Aurora water planners warn of supply shortfalls, propose trimming planning boundary and costly capital programs

Aurora water staff told the Water Policy Committee on Oct. 15, 2025, that the city faces growing long‑term water supply deficits driven by climate impacts, expiring leases and increasing competition for lower‑quality sources. Staff asked the committee to advance policy recommendations including a targeted reduction of Aurora’s planning‑area boundary and restrictions on new extraterritorial service.

The presentation: Alex Davis, a city water planner, summarized the Integrated Water Master Plan (IWMP) and associated capital improvement plan. Staff said the IWMP assumes roughly 40% population growth in Aurora over 20 years and factors in aggressive conservation programs (including Aurora’s turf ordinance and nonfunctional turf ban), losses in the treatment and conveyance system, contractual commitments outside the city, and evaporation and stream losses that are increasing with warming climate patterns. Staff noted existing supplies are projected to decline and that supply gaps will require both demand reduction and major capital projects.

Scale and cost: Staff described a range of portfolios developed for the Lower South Platte Master Plan, with the most ambitious ("Portfolio E") intended to deliver the greatest supply but carrying very high costs. Staff provided order‑of‑magnitude estimates: $700 million for water rights acquisitions and roughly $1.22 billion for associated pumps, pipelines and augmentation infrastructure, producing a back‑of‑envelope total in the range of $1.5 billion to…