 Timeline
It has taken seven years to date to complete permitting, design and construction (completion expected in late 2008) of the Stevens Reservoir enlargement project. Land acquisition, financing and preliminary engineering began a decade earlier in 1989. This project is raising the dam on an existing reservoir a mere 10 feet.
The lead time to permit, design and construct a new reservoir is typically twenty years or more. Therefore, it is prudent to plan for the largest reservoir size in terms of securing permits, land and water rights so that every option is available when the critical decisions are made on the reservoir size. If the reservoir is built in phases, and all land and permits are not already in place to accommodate the later phases of enlargement, future phases will be delayed years or decades.
The following major benchmarks have been set for the Dry Gulch Reservoir Project:
| Funding for private land aquisition (in place) |
2008 |
| Water rights (in place) |
2008 |
| Private land acquisition completed |
2009 |
| Project team (staff/consultants) in place |
2010 |
| USFS Special Use permit in place |
2014 |
| Environmental studies / EIS completed |
2015 |
| Reservoir size finalized |
2016 |
| Dam design finalized |
2016 |
| Corps of Engineers permit |
2017 |
| Pump design finalized |
2017 |
| Project cost estimate |
2017 |
| Develop Financial Plan |
2018 |
| Bond Authorization election |
2018 |
| Bond funds available |
2019 |
| Begin construction |
2020 |
 Future Decisions
“The path to our destination is not always a straight one. We go down the wrong road, we get lost, we turn back. Maybe it doesn't matter which road we embark on. Maybe what matters is that we embark.”
-Barbara Hall, Northern Exposure, 1993
Building a reservoir is not a straight path; it can be a years or decades-long process, always with several points of decision along the way.
The timeline above indicates tentative calendar benchmarks for the Dry Gulch project. Each of these benchmarks, however, is the product of several decisions and thus the timeline may slide and morph accordingly. Even the history of this project to date has shown how best laid plans can be modified or protracted. Some influencing factors that will affect future decisions and thus plans for this project are community growth patterns and demographics, economic fluctuations, legal actions pertaining to water rights, financial considerations and general community support.
Many decisions that will need to be made over the next twenty years are unknown; points of decision unfold as projects unfold. However, the following are some of the known major decisions with tentative projected decision dates:
Decision 2010: Forest Service Special Use Permit or Land Exchange?
A significant portion of the Dry Gulch site is on National Forest lands. There are two mechanisms to use public lands for water storage. The first is to outright acquire the property through an exchange with other property owned by the District. Because the District does not currently own any property that could be exchanged, the District would have to locate and then purchase this property or enter into a three-party agreement prior to or contemporaneous with the exchange. The second mechanism is for the District to obtain a Special Use Permit. There are pros and cons to each option; please refer to Reservoir Economics – Land Acquisition for a more thorough discussion.
Currently, both mechanisms are being pursued with the Forest Service and the decision will be made as more information is available and the cost/benefit analysis of each option is carefully considered.
Decision 2014: How will the new Dry Gulch Water Treatment Plant, pipeline and pumping station be funded?
This portion of the project is already necessary. The Snowball plant, which serves the north and east side of the District from Putt Hill down to Loma Linda, is at capacity now. A moratorium on PAWSD inclusions (those who wish to be included within the District boundaries) has allowed the Snowball to handle existing water demands. It is anticipated that the moratorium will be lifted when the Stevens Enlargement is completed and the reservoir refilled because, although costly, water can be distributed down Putt Hill from the Hatcher and San Juan treatment plants.
Currently, CIF and WRF funds as well as Town impact fees for the reservoir portion of the project are being collected to put towards this project. However, this is an estimated $32 million+ project and if these funds are not sufficient, the community will have to decide how to pay for this necessary improvement: a property tax-backed general obligation bond, or an increase to monthly service fees?
Decision 2016: What will be the size of the Dry Gulch Reservoir?
This decision will be based upon water demand projections, detailed project cost estimates and the financial position of the District at this time.
Decision 2016: Will the reservoir be built in one or multiple phases?
Depending on the decision made above, the District will decide if it is more cost effective to build a larger-than-currently-needed reservoir or to anticipate a larger reservoir but build a smaller size initially due to the District’s financial position. It may also turn out that this decision is moot: the largest reservoir size (35,000 AF) may be the one that is needed immediately.
Decision 2018: How will the Dry Gulch Reservoir construction be funded?
This decision is interwoven with the two decisions above, the results of which will dictate the final reservoir and dam design and project cost. The current plan is to collect enough Capital Investment Fee and Water Resource Fee component to offset approximately 44% of the cost of the project. Another portion of the cost may be offset by state and federal grants. A portion of the cost will be paid by impact fees assessed on behalf of the San Juan Water Conservancy District by the Town and possibly the County. The remainder will require a decision by the voters similar to Decision 2014: approval of a property tax-backed general obligation bond, or an increase to monthly service fees.
Decision 2020: When will reservoir construction begin?
Actual construction is a culminating result of all the decisions made to date, which in turn are based on elastic projections, financing capabilities and the other factors previously mentioned. This decision will be made after all of the above decisions are made and acted upon.
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