County proposes 25 acre‑foot cap and higher lease rate for Mount Massive Golf Course

Bryce Olrich told the board Mount Massive Golf Course is the county enterprise's largest historical water user and that, given low snowpack, the county cannot continue to treat the golf course as the sole priority. To balance supply, Olrich proposed allocating roughly 25 acre‑feet of Aurora firm yield to the golf course and imposing monthly and seasonal pumping limits.

"What I'd like to do is give them the ability to pump 25 acre feet of the Aurora water," Olrich said. He said the figure represents about three‑quarters of the course's average use and that Dairy Ditch No. 3 would be a contingency-only source if it comes in priority. Olrich planned to meet the golf course the following day to present the same proposal and discuss operational details.

On pricing, Olrich said the county charged the golf course $22,950 last year and that moving to market rate — roughly $850 per acre‑foot and comparable with PBLO rates — would increase the charge to about $29,750, an increase of roughly $7,000. He said the county could phase in a market rate and described a prior year in which the course absorbed a doubling of water costs via a $1 green‑fee increase.

Commissioners voiced general support for proceeding with the proposed allocation and asked staff to continue coordination with the golf course; staff sought direction to finalize the lease proposal and return with cost and contract language.