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Residents press Boulder council over bulk water sales to private contractor
Summary
At the Sept. 16 meeting, residents urged the City of Boulder to pause or review bulk water sales after the city reported selling 949,700 gallons to Bullock Contracting LLC; residents warned sales could lower local water tables, affect cemetery irrigation and that pricing and oversight need review.
On Sept. 16, 2025, the City of Boulder City Council heard sustained public comment and staff responses over the sale of city groundwater to Bullock Contracting LLC, a private contractor that has purchased 949,700 gallons so far.
Several residents urged the council to reconsider or more tightly regulate bulk water sales. "If the water is trucked 150 miles away it permanently leaves the local basin and could lower the water table," said Brady Smith, a Boulder resident who opposed selling water for off‑site irrigation. Pat Alverson and Jason Parke said water is the community's most important resource and asked that a citizen advisory committee be formed to guide future sales.
City Administrator Brian Bullock told the council the sales have averaged about 28,000 gallons per day to date. Bullock read an email from monitoring data showing static water levels "had not significantly changed" since sales began. City Engineer Elly Goebel, representing consultant Morrison‑Maierle, said the wells in use and those being drilled are within the aquifer's capacity and therefore do not require immediate additional study, according to the consultants' assessment.
Several commenters raised localized concerns. Residents said the community where the proposed golf course is being built opposes its location, and Christine McCabe asked why the golf course could not source water elsewhere. Ray Cordiero and others asked why a previous static water levels study had not been consulted; Cordiero also complained about a separate construction impact (a long‑open hole in a road) left by a contractor. Residents questioned whether cemetery irrigation could be sustained after the DNRC told the city it no longer had a water right to use a previously used irrigation well. Mayor Russell Giulio said the city would attempt to restore that water right and in the meantime could operate at limited rates; he added that the cemetery will be connected to the city water system when the water improvements are complete.
Some residents also criticized the city’s sale price, saying $0.01 per gallon is too low. Mayor Giulio responded that revenues from sales are being used to fund practical needs such as replacing broken meters — "the money from the water would go to purchasing water meters for people when they break," he said, noting meters currently cost about $400 and are the customer's responsibility under existing rules.
Bullock said he did not expect sales to continue long term if the golf course successfully amends its water right to use river water for irrigation. The council did not take a formal vote to change the city's bulk water policy during the meeting; after public comment the mayor closed the discussion and the council proceeded to other agenda items.
