Lisa Darling, Executive Director, South Metro Water Supply Authority (SMWSA), introduced herself to the committee and distributed a copy of her presentation (Attachment C). She gave a brief background of SMWSA and the SMWSA master plan update. Ms. Darling explained that in the updated plan, the authority has shifted its focus to renewable supply and conservation and efficiency. Ms. Darling discussed the Water Infrastructure and Supply Efficiency (WISE) Project and gave a brief background of the project. WISE utilizes water supplies from Denver Water and Aurora Water combined with the Prairie Waters Project (PWP) infrastructure provided by Aurora Water to provide water delivery to Denver, Aurora, and SMWA. She discussed the benefits of WISE, including an offset of costs for Aurora Water's PWP, a renewable supply for SMWSA, and the drought and emergency supplies for Denver Water.
Rick Marsicek, Director of Engineering, SMWSA, introduced himself to the committee. Mr. Marsicek discussed the timeline of the WISE project and stated that the first deliveries for WISE customers began in June of 2017, and the remaining customers will begin receiving WISE water in 2018. He also discussed the agreements between water providers and the infrastructure of the project. Mr. Marsicek discussed the management of the project and summarized the WISE construction costs. He explained that 4 WISE members received a total of $35 million in State Revolving Fund Loans to help pay for the pipeline purchase and infrastructure.
Ms. Darling discussed the future of the WISE project and how SMWSA plans to handle water challenges in the future. Ms. Darling responded to questions from the committee.