Douglas County weighs mandating municipal water and sewer connections for new developments

Douglas County weighs mandating municipal water and sewer connections for new developmentsThe county's Water Commission is exploring policies to restrict urban-level density projects from relying on non-renewable groundwater, pushing developers to connect to nearby utilities to preserve aquifer levels and maximize wastewater reuse.

Commissioners debated a potential rule to deny water appeals for urban-level developments that refuse to connect to nearby renewable municipal water systems.

The policy push follows the proposed Crow's Nest development, which faces sole reliance on groundwater after failing to secure service from Parker Water and Castle Pines.

Commissioners recommended requiring commercial properties to connect to municipal sewer lines rather than using septic systems to boost indirect potable reuse.

A presentation on the Denver Basin aquifers highlighted the exponential capital costs of successive well replacements, urging a shift toward conjunctive water sources.

The Douglas County Water Commission in Colorado is exploring stricter infrastructure mandates for new developments to limit the region's reliance on non-renewable groundwater. During a July 27 meeting, commissioners debated policies that would force urban-density projects and commercial facilities to connect to centralized municipal water and wastewater networks when available. The push for centralized connections is heavily driven by a desire to maximize water reuse. While reviewing a rezoning application for a commercial equipment rental facility, Commissioner Harold Smettles argued that commercial properties built over alluvial drinking water supplies should be prohibited from using septic systems. Connecting to municipal sewer plants allows wastewater to be "reused to extinction," Smettles noted, whereas water discharged to commercial septic systems is effectively lost to the county's reuse portfolio. The commission is also grappling with how to handle large-scale residential developments that attempt to rely solely on groundwater. Smettles questioned why draft language for the county's 2050 Comprehensive Water Plan omitted a previously discussed provision that would deny water appeals—and thus prohibit urban-level density—for developments that do not connect to nearby renewable water systems. The policy discussion was framed around the proposed Crow's Nest development. Commissioner Tricia Bernhardt noted that the project's developers had previously failed to secure water service from nearby municipal providers, including Parker Water and Castle Pines. Bernhardt warned that without municipal connections, massive developments are left to rely entirely on groundwater, prompting calls for the commission to evaluate water source viability earlier in the county's referral process. The debate over development density was underscored by a presentation from local water expert Steve Bowen, who detailed the long-term infrastructure economics of the Denver Basin aquifers. Bowen presented historical data showing that while an initial municipal well might cost $12,000 per customer, successive replacement wells—required as aquifer yields inevitably decline—can cost upwards of $70,000, making long-term sole reliance on groundwater economically unviable. Bowen urged the county to treat groundwater strictly as a conjunctive backup source rather than a primary supply.