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Broomfield staff outline long-term water plan, warn of low snowpack and recommend continuing talks to sell Becky property
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Summary
Water utilities staff updated council on sources, reuse and drought contingencies; they flagged Colorado River pressures, Chimney Hollow's uranium discovery and recommended continuing conversations with the Town of Erie about selling the Becky property while retaining CBT water rights.
Broomfield's director and deputy director of water utilities told council the city is positioned with a diversified water portfolio but faces elevated near-term drought risk because mountain snowpack was tracked at roughly 40—45% below average. Staff said the community draws much of its supply from Colorado River'related sources (Colorado-Big Thompson, Windy Gap and purchased Denver Water), and that growth will increase reliance on Windy Gap deliveries in coming decades.
Deputy director Mark Lohrey gave a technical overview and highlighted reuse and storage tools: the city reuses about 700,000,000 gallons annually (roughly 18% of Broomfield's supply) for irrigation and other nonpotable needs, and staff is evaluating Height Pit gravel-pit storage and Great Western Reservoir alternatives to increase reuse capacity. He said the Windy Gap/Chimney Hollow partnership is intended to address storage constraints but reported a new complication: "Northern Water ... discovered naturally occurring mineralized uranium is in the rock that was used to build the dam," and the reservoir fill and operations will require mitigation and regulatory compliance before the storage can be used. Lohrey noted Broomfield will remain in compliance with Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment standards (CDPHE's uranium level noted at 30 parts per billion for regulatory thresholds) while participants evaluate options ranging from operational fill strategies to treatment, some of which could delay full use of Chimney Hollow by roughly two to three years depending on the agreed mitigation path.
On drought procedures, staff briefed council on the city's staged drought-response ordinance (adopted 2024): staff may declare a drought watch (primarily voluntary communication) with a potential recommendation to the city manager; Stage 1 would reduce turf irrigation from three to two days per week, Stage 2 to one day, and Stage 3 largely prohibits turf irrigation except for very limited critical exceptions. Lohrey said staff is planning an April enterprise update and may recommend a drought watch in February; if Northern Water sets a lower CBT quota in spring, staff may return with a recommendation for a Stage 1 declaration to be considered on May 12.
Lohrey also described the Becky property, land Broomfield purchased around 2000 that carried CBT water units. He said the CBT units would be retained by the city even if land ownership changes: "The CBT rights are fully separate." The staff recommendation was to continue discussions with the Town of Erie about potentially selling the Becky property while keeping the CBT units; council members supported continuing those conversations while clarifying that any future sale should exclude oil-and-gas-brine injection uses and that restrictions should run with the land.
What happens next: staff will present a more detailed enterprise update on April 21, return with materials related to potential drought declaration on May 12 if supply indications worsen, and will follow up with council on the Becky property conversations (council asked for a memo comparing interested parties and options).
