Douglas County Water Commission removes draft change to well lot-size, presses for stronger reuse policies

The Douglas County Water Commission on March 30 reviewed the draft implementation chapter (Chapter 10) of the county water plan and agreed to remove a consultant recommendation that would have lowered the minimum lot size allowed for individual wells from five acres to two in certain rural districts. Commissioners instead prioritized clearer, implementable policies encouraging clustering, connection to public water providers where feasible, and broad adoption of water‑reuse practices.

Commissioners opened the session with staff presenting the draft recommendations and a spreadsheet of comments from county departments and local water providers, Lauren Pulver said. "You should have all received the draft plan chapter 10," Pulver told the commission, and staff framed the meeting as an opportunity to walk through each recommendation and collect commission input.

One of the earliest debates focused on the draft language in Recommendation 1 that the consultant report characterized as allowing lots served by individual wells to be as small as two acres. "I believe the report is suggesting that the lot served by individual wells be a…