HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - PURCHASE ORDER - 9191228City of Fort Collins
Scope of Work
SWSP Request for East Rigden Pit Property
Introduction The City of Fort Collins is the operator responsible for a gravel mine located
just east of the city near the intersection of Drake Road and Ziegler Road, known as the East
Rigden Pit Property. A portion of this site has been converted by the City to a lined water storage
facility known as Rigden Reservoir. It is our understanding that the remaining portions of this pit
are located on lands owned by the City and by others, with the City remaining the named operator
by DRMS. The property contains exposed ground water areas that have previously been
considered exempt from administration under SB-120. The Colorado Division of Reclamation,
Mining and Safety (DRMS) recently inspected the site and determined that portions of the
remaining exposed ground water areas had increased beyond the exempt size, and notified the City
that the pit was in violation. The Violation Notice requires the City to show evidence that the City
is taking measures to bring the site into compliance that replaces the evaporative losses from the
increase in exposed ground water in order to prevent injury to other water rights.
This proposed Scope of Work summarizes the work tasks required to prepare and submit a
Substitute Water Supply Plan (SWSP) request to the Colorado Division of Water Resources
(DWR) that would replace the evaporative depletions to the Cache la Poudre River from the
increased exposed ground water areas. An approval of the SWSP will ensure that the City is
preventing injury to other water rights, however the submittal of a SWSP request should address
the Corrective Action included with the DRMS notice.
Scope of Work Tasks
To complete this evaluation, we propose to complete the following tasks. We are not anticipating
any site visits or meetings with City staff at this time related to the completion of this work.
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1. Background Information Review
This task will include the review of available information regarding the DRMS Notice of
Violation, prior SWSP information, if available, and other information from the City staff.
2. Evaluate Exposed Ground Water Areas
We will obtain and review current and historical aerial imagery to evaluate any changes in
exposed ground water, outside of the boundary of the Rigden Reservoir lined area. We will
compare this evaluation with the DRMS Notice and any prior SWSP mapping. The goal
of this task will be to confirm the DRMS findings. We will report these findings to the
City, and potentially to the DRMS inspector for further consideration.
3. Prepare and Submit a SWSP Request
We will prepare a SWSP request under C.R.S. Section 37-90-137 (11) for gravel pits,
which will include a presentation of any increased surface area, an estimate of the net
evaporative depletion volume and lagged timing affects to the Cache la Poudre River. The
SWSP request will identify the City’s augmentation water supplies available to replace the
increased evaporative depletions and propose a plan of operation for the SWSP period.
This SWSP request will also include any appropriate tables, maps, and other related
information necessary for the DWR to evaluate the request.
Following the submittal of the SWSP request, the DWR may require additional information
or analysis prior to issuing an approval. We will work with the DWR staff to address any
questions or concerns that they may have. We will also review any approvals issued to
confirm consistency with the request and to summarize any operational requirements for
the City.
4. Well Permits
The DWR requires a valid well permit for any ground water exposed as a part of gravel
mining. We will obtain and review any well permit records maintained by the City or may
be available from the DWR database. Depending upon the specifics of any existing well
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permits, additional well permits may be needed. We will recommend to the City any
additional permits needed and assist the City the preparation and submittal of any necessary
permit applications. Such applications may require an evaluation of other nearby well
permits that may need to be notified of the SWSP request and the well permit application.
Total SOW Cost Estimate: $ 10,000