Introduction
Nestlé Waters North America (Nestlé Waters) proposes to develop sources for bottled spring water at the Ruby Mountain site in Chaffee County, Colorado.
The demand for bottled water has experienced rapid growth over the last decade, due largely to health-minded people switching from sugared sodas and sports drinks to water. Currently, Nestlé Waters transports all of its bottled spring water to Colorado and surrounding states from Southern California. To reduce truck miles, fuel consumption, carbon emissions, and cost, the company is seeking regional spring sources, to be bottled in Denver. Nestlé Waters initially identified and explored two potential spring sources, Ruby Mountain Springs and Bighorn Springs in Chaffee County, Colorado that may help meet this need.
Since May 2007, Nestlé Waters has performed extensive quality and quantity testing of the springs and the source aquifer. The results indicate an abundant and high-quality water source that can be carefully managed to sustainably harvest spring water with no significant effect on the aquifer, other water users, or the adjacent Arkansas River.
The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the spring development project to the public.
Location & Site History
The Ruby Mountain and Bighorn Springs are located northeast of Nathrop on the east side of The Arkansas River. Nestlé Waters purchased the Bighorn Springs Site and optioned the Ruby Mountain Springs Site properties, and proposes to sustainably develop the Ruby Mountain springs to supply its new bottling facility in Denver, Colorado.
Ground Water Monitoring Wells
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Aerial photo showing Ruby Mountain and Bighorn Springs in Chaffee County, Colorado, location of monitoring
wells,
water table contours and flow direction.
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The Ruby Mountain Springs have provided water for a local private fish hatchery for approximately 40 years. The existing collection system currently supplies an average of approximately 1,460 gallons per minute (gpm) to the inactive hatchery.
The Bighorn Spring flows on average approximately 290 gpm, and historically has been used for livestock watering.
Proposed Operations
The Project contemplates extracting an annual average of approximately 125 gpm of spring water through up to two production wells at the Ruby Mountain Spring Site. An initial production well will be installed at the beginning of construction to immediately serve the Project. An additional well may be added at a later date to provide for operational redundancy and efficiency. Spring water extracted from these wells will be conveyed through a buried pipeline to a Truck Loading Facility, where up to 25 trucks per day will be loaded for transport to the Denver bottling plant. The Truck Loading Facility will be a small, well-screened and architecturally attractive building with direct access to U.S. Highway 24/285 (U.S. Hwy 24/285) in Johnson Village.
Spring Water Sources
The Ruby Mountain Springs have been measured to discharge between approximately 950 and 2,350 gpm, with an average flow rate of 1,460 gpm. The Bighorn Spring produces an average of 290 gpm, ranging from about 90 to 700 gpm depending upon time of year.
Based on pumping tests completed in both low- and high-flow conditions, the estimated sustainable combined production rate of 210 to 220 gpm will not exceed 10% of the average total spring flow. The total water to be extracted annually is approximately 200 acre-feet (= 124 gpm), which represents average flow rate of less than 0.3 cubic feet per second (cfs).
Flow and Extraction Chart
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Measured spring discharge compared to proposed average spring water withdrawals.
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On-site Operations
Nestlé Waters has installed a production well at the Ruby Mountain Springs Site to harvest spring water. Small, architecturally attractive well houses of approximately 200 square feet with 8-foot walls will be constructed over the wells to secure the wellheads and associated equipment. Electrical power will be underground. The only on-site activity related to the Project would be periodic security and maintenance visits.
Wellhouse
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Example of a typical well house.
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Off-site Operations
With the intent of minimizing truck miles on roads within Chaffee County, and to avoid operation of heavy trucks in the spring Site Area, Nestlé Waters will locate its Truck Loading Facility adjacent to a U.S. Highway, at a commercially developed site. No truck traffic is proposed on County roads. A water transmission pipeline buried a minimum of 6-feet below grade will convey water 5 miles from the well buildings to an unmanned Truck Loading Facility located in Johnson Village with direct access to U.S. Hwy 24/285. The pipeline will be High Density Polyethylene plastic continuously welded and will have an inside diameter of no more than 6 inches. To avoid impact to The Arkansas River and viewshed, the pipeline will cross beneath the river using directional drilling methods.
Pipeline map
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Aerial photo showing proposed pipeline route from the Springs Site to Truck Loading Facility.
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Nestlé Waters will construct an approximately 1,800-square foot Truck Loading Facility on a 1.4 acre site at an existing commercial truck stop. The height of the building at the peak is planned to be 24 feet. The Truck Loading Facility will house enclosed pumping equipment and two covered or screened storage silos of 30,000-gallon capacity each. Nestlé Waters has developed an architectural concept for the Chaffee County Truck Loading Facility which is based on local architectural precedent relying on attractive muted color schemes and non-glare textures and finishes. The area surrounding the building will be aesthetically landscaped using local water conserving plant species.
Load Station Final Rendering
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Artistic rendering of conceptual design for Chaffee County Truck Loading Facility showing landscaping in mature condition.
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Ingress to and egress from the highway will be designed, and permitted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), for efficient operation and improved traffic safety. On-site driveways will be paved to inhibit dust and noise. The frontage of the site will be landscaped for attractive appearance from the highway.
A maximum of 25 trucks would be filled daily at the Truck Loading Facility, and will transport water to the Denver bottling plant via U.S. Highway 285. To more evenly distribute traffic, the trucks will be scheduled to operate 24 hours per day. The trucks are filled in approximately 30 minutes. During filling operations the engines and headlamps are turned off.
Nestlé Waters commissioned a traffic impact study (available in full on www.chaffeecounty.org and in the Buena Vista and Salida public libraries with our 1041 permit application) which showed the increase in truck traffic and emissions associated with the Project to be negligible. CDOT reported that in 2007, the Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for US Highway 24/285 at Johnson Village was 5,600 trips. Of those, 540 were trucks. Therefore, the 25 truck trips per day generated by the Project represent less than 1% of the overall traffic on Trout Creek Pass.
Environmental Restoration, Protection and Monitoring
Nestlé Waters desires to restore the Ruby Mountain Springs Site to a more natural condition, and plans to pursue this restoration project once it has exercised its purchase option of the property. Nestlé Water’s option agreement must be exercised prior to May 2010. At that time, Nestlé Waters will obtain all applicable permits.
Once it owns the property, Nestlé Waters plans to remove all structures and infrastructure associated with the existing residences and fish hatchery in order to naturalize the Ruby Mountain Springs Site. A significant benefit of the project would be to restore the hatchery site along The Arkansas River to a more natural state, enhancing the riparian and wetland features and habitat. Nestlé Waters is committed to working closely with stakeholders in the restoration project, including the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW), Trout Unlimited (TU), the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA), and other local specialists.
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View of existing conditions at
Ruby Mountain Springs Site.
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Illustrative concept of site following
riparian habitat restoration.
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In addition to protecting the water source, protected watershed lands provide for open space and wildlife habitat. Nestlé Waters owns the Bighorn Springs Site Property and anticipates holistically managing it for continued cattle grazing and protection of Bighorn Sheep habitat, as suggested by CDOW. In the future, Nestlé Waters may provide educational and passive recreational opportunities.
Comprehensive hydrogeologic studies have been conducted to assess aquifer characteristics, determine the safe yield of the aquifer feeding the springs, evaluate potential impacts on nearby streams and water supplies, and to ensure the springs are stable, abundant and yield high-quality water. To verify the sustainability of the resource, several extended pumping tests were conducted on wells at each of the sites during high and low water table periods.
The conclusion of these tests is that the proposed spring development is sustainable with no significant impact to the springs, other water users, or The Arkansas River. The proposed spring water withdrawals are a small fraction, less than 10%, of the available spring water, even during low flow conditions.
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Scientists monitoring spring flows in
Ruby Mountain Springs.
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Since early 2008, water table levels and water quality have been monitored using 10 small-diameter monitoring wells located between the spring site and Johnson Village. Preliminary results are being used to evaluate the sources of aquifer recharge and potential influences on spring quality and quantity. Long-term monitoring of hydrologic and environmental conditions ensures spring water withdrawals are sustainable and cause no adverse impact.
Once the Project is permitted and in operation, long-term monitoring will continue in support of proper management of the resource. The preservation and management of open space near the spring sites is essential to maintaining the quality and yield of the springs.
Permitting
The proposed project involves review and approval by a variety of agencies including but not limited to:
- Chaffee County
- Colorado Division of Wildlife
- Colorado Department of Transportation
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE)
- Colorado State Engineer’s Office (SEO)
- United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Nestlé Waters has engaged these permitting agencies and other stakeholders early on in the project feasibility study. The CDOW and ACOE, have preliminarily reviewed the project scope and have no objections to the project as proposed.
Nestlé Waters has completed sustained pumping tests and extensive ground water quantity and quality monitoring. In support of its Chaffee County Special Land Use Permit and 1041 Permit applications, Nestlé Waters has prepared reports addressing hydrologic, environmental, traffic, and economic impacts.
To satisfy the requirement for the project not to injure senior water rights owners on the Arkansas River, Nestlé Waters is exploring alternatives for water augmentation for its spring withdrawals. Augmentation water is essentially 100% replacement of water back into the Arkansas River for any water withdrawn by Nestlé Waters. Any augmentation plan must be approved by SEO. Nestlé Waters has proposed leasing out-of-basin municipal-use water from Aurora, Colorado, for a ten-year timeframe while continuing to explore long-term augmentation options in Chaffee County.
Subsequent to approval of Special Use and 1041 permits, Chaffee County building permits would need to be secured for all infrastructure and structures required for the project.
Summary
The Project is consistent with the current vision of Chaffee County as a rural recreation and agricultural area with preserved natural resources.
Nestlé Waters intends to preserve the majority of the land as open space at the springs properties.
The proposed water withdrawal is very sustainable, and will have no negative impact on springs, the aquifer, or surface waters.
The withdrawal of 0.3 CFS is not a measurable reduction in the flow of the adjacent Arkansas River, even under low flow conditions. Nevertheless, Nestlé Waters will fully augment all withdrawals, ensuring no net loss in the river and protecting downstream water users.
According to the CDOW, the Project would not have any detrimental effect on wildlife or habitat.
The Project represents no reduction in tillable land or existing agricultural activities. Nestlé Waters is working with agricultural interests within the recharge area of the springs, including the Colorado Department of Corrections and private landowners to protect, preserve and enhance existing agricultural practices.
On the Ruby Mountain Springs Property, the existing residences and fish hatchery will be removed and naturalized, improving the overall viewshed, especially along the banks of the river in the AHRA State Park. The naturalization of the hatchery property will focus on the restoration of the springs, an improved riparian habitat and the creation of wetland to maximize the functions and values of the springs discharging along the river. The restoration will be significant, and conducted under an USACE Nationwide Restoration permit, and in collaboration with CDOW, Colorado Mountain College, AHRA, and others. The site restoration project represents a unique educational opportunity and Nestlé Waters has already received interest in partnerships and educational opportunities from area learning institutions.
On the Bighorn Springs Property, approximately 40 acres of land on Sugarloaf Mountain will be protected and preserved for bighorn sheep habitat. On much of the remaining Bighorn Springs Property, continued cattle grazing is proposed under an improved grazing management plan.
Nestlé Waters has committed to work with the CDOW provide in-stream public fishing access to The Arkansas River on its properties, while protecting the security and integrity of the natural springs and associated aquifer.
To minimize any impact due to truck traffic at the Springs Sites, Nestlé Waters chose to bury a pipeline and locate the Truck Loading Facility at the existing Gunsmoke truck stop in Johnson Village. A traffic study indicates the traffic associated with the Truck Loading Facility will be an increase of less than 1% of the overall traffic on Trout Creek Pass. Improvements to the existing truck plaza area will include the removal of curb cuts and paving and landscaping of the Truck Loading Facility property, thereby improving safety and reducing dust.
The Truck Loading Facility and well houses will be constructed for minimum visual impact and designed to fit architecturally within the existing rural environment.
Nestlé Waters is committed to being a good corporate neighbor and seeks opportunities to sponsor and contribute meaningful to civic causes, including events, education and recycling in Chaffee County.
The proposed spring water development Project provides a net positive economic benefit to Chaffee County and some of its businesses in both the short and long-term. |
