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Carbondale officials outline $2M water-resiliency push, seek DOLA match
Summary
Town staff and trustees told the Carbondale Environmental Board they submitted a capital plan and a DOLA grant request to reinforce the Roaring Park treatment plant and backstop the municipal water system; the project could top $2 million with a potential DOLA match and local utility funds. Board members flagged drought risk and regional Colorado River EIS scenarios.
Carbondale town staff updated the Environmental Board on a multi-year plan to strengthen the town's water system and reduce operational vulnerability, including a request for state matching funds through the Department of Local Affairs.
Scott, speaking during the trustee/staff briefing, said the town packaged a capital framework aiming to spread upgrades over several years and submitted a DOLA application that could provide up to $1,000,000 in matching funds. "We put together this capital framework to build on this resiliency plan," Scott said. "It'd be a little over a $2,000,000 project that we're requesting to do with the million dollar match." The staff proposal also anticipates local utility fund contributions as part of the match.
Why it matters: Board members viewed the proposal in the context of a historically low snowpack and ongoing Colorado River operations negotiations. Scott told the board that SNOTEL readings above 9,000 feet were about 50'54% of normal on Feb. 6 and that lower-elevation sites were far lower, heightening the need to plan for possible curtailments. "The draft EIS has alternatives that would require water reductions," Scott said, urging the town to model multiple scenarios in its master plan.
Details and context: The plan includes several discrete projects intended to make treatment and distribution more robust, with one remaining major step (a well) to complete the backstop. Work also covers procurement refinements and phasing to fit budget cycles. Scott said the town's hydroelectric pilot is operating manually and contributing roughly 300'350 kilowatt-hours per day, but stressed that larger system efficiencies often come from seemingly smaller upgrades: staff replaced a main blower at the wastewater plant that saved around 550 kWh per day with a shorter ROI.
Operational risks noted at the meeting included limited generator coverage (two plants), exposure to extended electrical outages, and legal/regulatory risks tied to senior water rights and possible calls on the Crystal River. Scott said staff and the town attorney are engaging stakeholders to explore pre-drought management strategies and legal options to keep critical plants online.
What happens next: The board was asked to integrate potential EIS outcomes into local master planning and to monitor DOLA's review of the grant application. No formal vote was required of the E-board on the grant application at the meeting; staff said the trustees had already supported submitting the request. "Fingers crossed," Scott said of the pending award.
