Royal Gorge has released information about the water supply and demand requirements for their proposed development. The documents include a brief cover letter sent to the SLCWD along with two reports, one on water supply and another on water demand prepared for Royal Gorge by the CDM consulting agency.

These documents detail how much water the new development will require (~235 acre-feet per year, compared to the 110-120 AFY currently used by Serene Lakes) and how this water could be provisioned by SLCWD. The documents include a quantitative analysis of the water demand, including a breakdown of the number and types of units in the proposed development (286 single family, 724 condos, and additional shared facilities). The analysis attempts a conservative estimate of the water needs based on a 46% occupancy rate.

Royal Gorge proposes that the primary source of water will be surface water from Ice Lakes. The documents confirm that the drilling sites did "not locate groundwater or were drilled into areas considered to be of very low potential productivity" and that, as a result, "groundwater supply identified by the exploratory drilling was deemed infeasible." Royal Gorge proposes building a new water treatment facility for SLCWD and dredging about half of the Ice Lakes perimeter.

The DSAA will be meeting with Royal Gorge on Thursday, May 24th, to hear more details and discuss the proposed water supply and demand requirements for the proposed development project. If you have questions or input for this meeting, please let us know by sending mail to info@donnersummitareaassociation.