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Aurora water officials propose shrinking planning boundary, warn of multi‑billion dollar supply gap
Summary
City water staff told the Aurora City Water Policy Committee that projected population growth and shrinking supplies mean the city should trim its planning-area boundary, limit extraterritorial service and pursue aggressive conservation and supply projects that could cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.
Aurora City water officials on Wednesday told the Water Policy Committee that accelerating demand and shrinking water supplies leave the city facing a large future shortfall unless planners trim the area they expect to serve and press ahead with costly supply projects.
The presentation, billed “Growth with Intention,” summarized the Integrated Water Master Plan (IWMP). Staff said the IWMP projects population growth of roughly 40% over 20 years and estimates a future need of roughly 23,000–25,000 acre‑feet over 35 years driven by growth and system losses.
Why it matters: staff said rising evaporation and stream losses tied to warming are reducing usable supplies even where precipitation is unchanged, and regional competition for remaining supplies makes new large projects more expensive and uncertain.
Staff described current and future supplies in the city’s planning models: current treated withdrawals are shown near 93,000 acre‑feet (which includes system…
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