Download 1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: Sandra Laws Eric

1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Sandra Laws
Lawscomm
303-324-3732
[email protected]
Eric Hecox
SMWSA
303-409-7747
[email protected]
SMWSA Members Take Significant Steps Forward with WISE Partnership
Six SMWSA Members Sign Agreement to Participate in WISE
Englewood, CO, March 27, 2013 -- Six members of South Metro Water Supply Authority
(SMWSA) have signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) committing their entities to
participation in the WISE Partnership. The six water entities are Centennial Water & Sanitation
District, Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District, Meridian Metropolitan District, Pinery Water &
Wastewater District, Rangeview Metropolitan District and Stonegate Village Metropolitan District.
The Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) Partnership is a regional water
supply project between Aurora Water, Denver Water and SMWSA to combine available water
supplies and system capacities to create a sustainable new water supply for the South Metro area and
a drought supply for Denver Water.
“The commitment by a majority of the participating SMWSA members to the IGA is a
significant step forward for the WISE Partnership. We expect that five additional SMWSA members
will sign over the coming weeks. Together, the 11 members will be committing to an average of
7,000 acre-feet of renewable water to be annually delivered from WISE,” says Eric Hecox,
Executive Director of SMWSA.
2
Through WISE, Aurora Water and Denver Water will provide fully treated water to South
Metro for distribution to participating members on a permanent basis. The WISE Partnership is one
of the first of its kind in the country and will bolster water supplies to the South Metro area while
maximizing the use of existing water assets belonging to Aurora and Denver Water.
Water will be delivered in phases, beginning in 2016. To receive the water, SMWSA
participating members will fund new infrastructure that moves the water from Aurora’s Binney
Water Purification Facility to where it is needed. In approving the IGA, these six entities also
approved the WISE Water Delivery Agreement (WDA). The WDA is an overarching agreement that
defines the terms for water delivery. It is the three-party agreement between Denver, Aurora and the
South Metro WISE Participants that defines the terms of the project.
“The signing of the IGA by these six members and ultimately by 11 of our 14 members is a
continued endorsement of the idea behind the WISE Partnership, that a region-wide water solution
makes more sense than having each water entity fending for themselves to source, treat and deliver
renewable water to customers,” says Hecox. “We’re excited about the progress we’re making
through WISE towards transitioning the region from nonrenewable groundwater to renewable water
supplies.”
About SMWSA
South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA) is the south-metro region’s leader in water
development and distribution. Formed in August 2004, SMWSA is a regional water supply entity
that plans, develops and sources renewable water for Douglas and Arapahoe Counties in Colorado.
SMWSA’s mission is to foster long-term reliable and affordable water supplies in the South Denvermetro region through water conservation, reuse, renewable source acquisitions, regional structural
and non-structural projects, funding mechanisms and integrated use of resources.
3
SMWSA’s members include: Arapahoe County Water & Wastewater Authority, Castle Pines
Metropolitan District, Castle Pines North Metropolitan District, Centennial Water & Sanitation
District, Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District, East Cherry Creek Valley Water & Sanitation
District, Dominion Water & Sanitation District, Inverness Water & Sanitation District, Meridian
Metropolitan District, Parker Water & Sanitation District, Pinery Water & Wastewater District,
Rangeview Metropolitan District, Stonegate Village Metropolitan District and the Town of Castle
Rock.
Statements from WISE Partnership IGA Participants
“Six of the nine Fortune 500 Headquarters in Colorado are located in the South Metro area. WISE
represents the kind of public cooperation that helps support this kind of private sector development
which diversifies the economy in the region in turn benefiting the whole State. WISE is part of a
modern infrastructure that helps position the region as a national and global center of excellence."
-Peter A. Culshaw, Chairman, Meridian Metropolitan District, and Chairman, Denver South
Economic Development Partnership
“Over the past forty years, efforts to obtain a reliable long term water supply in Douglas County
have become increasingly more urgent. The successful joint effort by the South Metro Water Supply
Authority participants to secure an agreement with Denver and Aurora, the regions largest water
providers, has culminated in an agreement which I believe to be the very best thing that we in
Douglas County can do to secure our long term water future.”
-Robert W. Chapman, Chairman, Pinery Water & Wastewater District
“The approval of the WISE Partnership is a tremendous step forward for the customers of
Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District, and for the residents and businesses of Douglas County.
Cottonwood has long recognized the need to reduce ground water pumping by importing additional
renewable water for supplies to be sustainable. WISE represents the type of collaboration that is
needed to secure long-term water solutions.”
-Scott Lamond, President, Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District
“One of the Stonegate Village Metropolitan District goals is to provide a high quality and reliable
water supply for our district at the lowest possible costs. As we look at current and future water
supply operations, transitioning to a renewable water supply will be extremely important and
beneficial for our community. The approval of the WISE Partnership is a tremendous step forward
and will allow the district to expand and strengthen its relationship and operations with our regional
partners.”
4
-Norman Shaw, President and Board Member, Stonegate Village Metropolitan District
"The WISE partnership has assembled a collaborative, forward-thinking group of water providers.
As a WISE partner, Centennial Water and Sanitation District applauds the effort to integrate
resources that will bring more renewable water to Douglas County. This type of long-term solution
is the result of visionary local leaders working together to benefit the region."
- John Hendrick, General Manager, Centennial Water and Sanitation District
"Rangeview is pleased to participate in the regional water development effort known as the WISE
Partnership. WISE epitomizes the benefits of cooperation among area water providers to solve the
pressing water supply issues we all face. Our investment in WISE highlights Rangeview's
commitment to grow its portfolio of clean, renewable water available to our customers."
- Mark Harding, President, Pure Cycle Corporation
###