It’s not a secret that Fort Lupton is growing. More houses are under construction or on target for development in several sections of town, including areas west of the Platte River.
Enter the Todd Creek Village Metropolitan District in Brighton and its general manager, Don Summers. It serves a bit more than 2,000 residential and business accounts that cover about 13,000 acres, according to its website. During a March 29 town hall with Fort Lupton City Council, Summers said his district has “a huge reservoir.”
“There aren’t a lot of your neighbors that have a good supply of water,” he told Fort Lupton City Council during a town hall March 29. “For something our size, we have more water than some of these others. We have enough in reserve for 2 ½ years. That’s not normal for most cities that have to go down the path of junior water rights.”
The age of a city determines its rights to water from streams and/or underground aquifers. The older the city, the more senior the water rights.
“There is an amazing portfolio of water sources,” Mayor Zo Stieber said. “AS we grow, we’ll need more water.”
Summers told council his district and city staff talked about several approaches for supplying water to Fort Lupton. The two entities and the city of Brighton signed an intergovernmental agreement in 2019 to take care of growth and planning areas. Summers said the metro district and the town of Bennett entered into an IGA for water needs.
“We are still committed to doing work with you, even if there is a formal exit,” Summers said. “We handle the water side. We think the most efficient way to use water is to retreat it. We’re talking with a number of entities for a regional water deal. We are ready to work with you however you and staff direct.”
Because of the meeting’s format, council did not make a decision.
“Our plant worries more about the pressure to get the water here,” Summers said. “We have the capacity. We’re aware that you are on the edge of another district service area. We would never put Fort Lupton in the position of disagreeing between two districts. We can be of help to you. We would be glad to help.”