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Colorado Utility Explores Storing Water Underground to Withstand Potential Climate Change Stresses

Colorado Utility Explores Storing Water Underground to Withstand Potential Climate Change Stresses

Created: Tuesday, October 5, 2021 - 13:38
Categories:
General Security and Resilience, Security Preparedness

Denver Water is planning an innovative water storage project to mitigate potential future impacts to its water supply due to climate change related stresses. The plan calls for an exploratory well to be dug a few hundred feet, near one of Denver Water’s facilities, to test if the idea of storing excess water underground is feasible. The concept is known as Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR). “Storing excess water underground in wet years would provide a savings account of sorts to help the community endure dry periods,” according to Bob Peters, water resource engineer for Denver Water. “It gives us another place to turn when supplies get tight.” The project is just one part of Denver Water’s “all of the above” strategy to guarantee that it can provide uninterrupted service to its customers, as future population growth and climate change induced dry seasons stress water supplies. Besides storing water underground, other measures include increasing conservation and efficiency, new reservoir storage, and water recycling. Still, storing water underground is no substitute for reservoir storage, but it is a complementary solution that provides utilities with further options for mitigating against potential future service disruptions. Read the full story at WaterOnline.