A consolidated water treatment plant is needed

Editor:

I’ve been thinking about the issues and information surrounding the quality of our drinking water. Currently, our city water is supplied selectively by about a dozen wells that are treated by chlorine that is injected into each well. Some of the wells are in the middle of city streets, protected by nothing more than a guardrail. We need a consolidated water treatment plant (WTP).

We are currently marginally in compliance with federal water quality standards, but our aquifer, located under the Van Tuyl Ranch property, purchased in 1993 to provide clean water, could potentially be contaminated. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency are aware of these possibilities. The EPA’s 2025 testing data finds Gunnison’s aquifer water quality to be stable, but gives it a “C” grade. We need a water treatment plant.

In 2020, Ouray found itself noncompliant with Clean Water Act standards. The state gave Ouray 18 months to show progress toward resolution. The estimated cost was $12 million. We could find ourselves as Ouray finds itself.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised to see what seemed to be an alarmist email from the League of Women Voters of the Gunnison Valley that implied a lack of support for a water treatment plant for the City of Gunnison. 

As early as 2020, Gunnison’s Department of Public Works presented concepts for a WTP. Those concepts have evolved, and Gunnison has funded phase one of a three-phased development plan that consists of (1) water diversion and supply, (2) water delivery to the plant, and (3) construction of the plant itself.

The current “design-build” approach has funded phase one through grants and other mechanisms and expects to help fund development of phases two and three by a combination of similar instruments through various agencies consisting of, but not limited to, the USDA, EPA, CDPHE and WIFIA. The design-build contracting method uses a single contractor, responsible for end-to-end design and construction. We have a viable plan to provide safe drinking water, but we must accept there are some tradeoffs, compromises and costs.

While we all enjoy the rustic solitude of the Van Tuyl Ranch, the rushing river, and flora and fauna within the Ranch boundaries, we must remember that the purpose of the Ranch is to protect the aquifer and our access to clean water. There are several points that we would do well to consider. The term “previously disturbed,” in land development terms, includes agricultural use. The Gunnison Planned Unit Development document requires that the WTP be located within the ranch headquarters area. This designation resulted partly because of public input that advocated for a location away from school and residential areas. WTP design and construction are focused on minimal ranch impact. Funding for this fundamental need is being sought through state and federal sources, but we will most likely have to help pay. Perhaps we should have recognized some time ago that we needed to plan to protect our water. We did have a water treatment plant that ceased operation in 1967 because of filtration issues. The city’s water wells were even then intended as a stopgap with the intention to build another water treatment plant. But we didn’t. We need a water treatment plant.

Joe Dix

Gunnison