Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Supply topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Front Range H2O presents VITA groundwater project and outlines how Wellington could connect
Summary
Front Range H2O representatives described the Vida (VITA) nontributary groundwater project, its treatment and conveyance plan and the permitting and easement steps Wellington would need to join; trustees raised concerns about cost, uranium treatment and timing. Staff will return with reports and financial analysis; no action was taken tonight.
Brett Waller of Front Range H2O told the Wellington Board of Trustees that the VITA (Vida H2O) project is a regional, nontributary groundwater development based on the Upper Laramie Aquifer and could supply municipalities in northern Colorado.
The project team, Waller said, includes Connell Resources, Moltz Construction, Providence Infrastructure Consultants and Telesto Solutions. Phase 1 is designed as a roughly 6 million-gallon-a-day treatment plant (permitting filed for about 5,000 acre-feet/year) and a main trunk able to deliver water by gravity across long distances; the company is building its pipeline and has acquired easements for much of the alignment.
Why it matters: Wellington staff framed this as an informational work session intended to let trustees understand a possible alternative water source that would diversify the towns portfolio, improve long-term cost predictability and reduce dependence on a single supply. Front Range H2O said the project aims to serve as a drought-firming resource and can be operated conjunctively with surface supplies.
Waller said the VITA source is a long-lived, decreed nontributary groundwater resource and highlighted three operational elements: reuse, extension and storage (ASR) to improve multi-decadal yield. He described the treatment train as ion-exchange technology to remove uranium (the only constituent identified as needing treatment beyond disinfection), and said wells and treatment are being designed to support future aquifer storage and recovery.
On capacity and timing, Waller told trustees the company expects to deliver roughly 2,600 acre-feet a year to the Fort CollinsLehi Water District in an initial delivery scheduled for the first quarter of 2029. He said Wellington would most likely be served from the southern Lazy D Ranch section via an approximately 8-mile lateral; if easements were in place Wellingtoncould be connected in roughly 18 months, Waller estimated.
Trustees pressed the presenter on three main concerns: long-term unit cost, the need for uranium treatment and resource longevity if groundwater levels change. Trustee [name withheld as speaker list identifies as Trustee Blackstone] said private operation raised questions about price variability; Waller replied that the project is structured as cost-plus and that the operating agreement (including a fixed starting OPEX for the first five years) is public and would be shared with Wellington staff. On uranium, Waller said core sampling and gamma logs have identified shallow uranium zones and the team will avoid placing well screens in those zones; pilot testing of the chosen WRT ion-exchange technology and the project's water-quality reports are available and will be provided to the town.
Megan Smith, deputy public works director, and staff emphasized that the presentation was informational and that any Wellington participation would follow additional financial analysis and formal agreements. Trustees discussed potential funding sources, including use of cash-in-lieu or enterprise funds, and asked staff to return with modeling showing how VITA would fit into Wellingtons portfolio and the towns possible cost exposure.
No action was taken. Staff committed to share the VITA hydrology and pilot reports, the operating agreement and OPEX figures and to return with more detailed timing and financing options if the Board wishes to pursue participation.
