Douglas County consultants propose zoning and conservation tools to reduce future water demand

Douglas County's ongoing water plan work moved from technical groundwater analysis to land-use policy on Aug. 25, when Michael Baker International and county consultants outlined draft approaches to reduce long-term water demand and align growth with available supplies.

"Conducting some research and presenting some findings to assist the commission in really developing draft policies" that could be used in the water plan and for regulatory updates, Ted Hyde of Michael Baker International told the commission. "The critical nexus ... the form and function of future land uses in the county ' we know is going to significantly affect water demand."

Hyde and colleagues described several policy levers the county could pursue: zoning amendments to steer new development toward areas served by established water providers, minimum-lot-size limits for irrigation using private wells (they cited an Alamosa County example of 35+ acres for private outdoor irrigation), stricter landscaping and irrigation standards, incentives or requirements for rainwater…