Bolts Lake project will require years of planning and money from different sources

It’s hard to fully understand the complexity of state and federal bureaucracies without looking into what it takes to build a new reservoir.

The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District and Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority are currently working on planning a new, 1,200-acre-foot reservoir at Bolts Lake, a long-empty reservoir just south of Minturn. Even the start of planning has been expensive, so district and authority officials are looking for ways to take at least some of that financial burden off the shoulders of district customers.

The start of that process has been seeking grants that, in some cases, will pay to seek other, larger grants.

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The district earlier this year received a $250,000 Colorado Water Plan Grant for looking into water storage and supply solutions from the Colorado Water Conservation Board. That grant could lead to other applications from that state board as the work plan comes into focus.

Another application has been submitted to the state board for another water plan grant, this one for the development of a drought management plan.

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The district is currently readying an application to the Colorado River Water Conservation District for a $50,000 “accelerator grant” to help apply for money from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“There’s a lot of money out there,” said Jason Cowles, the director of engineering and water resources at the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District. The grants will help the district navigate the intricacies of just what money is available, and how it can be used.

“You learn as you go,” Cowles said.

A rare opportunity

Diane Johnson, the communications and public affairs manager for the water district, said the federal infrastructure law is a “once in a generation” opportunity to land federal funding for projects.

Part of finding funding for the project has involved going to Congress to amend current laws about what small reservoirs can be eligible for funding.

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Cowles noted that the current infrastructure law offers funding for reservoirs between 2,000 and 30,000 acre-feet. Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet have proposed an amendment dropping the lower threshold to 200 acre-feet. That lower limit could make the local project eligible for federal funds.

As is the case with most state and federal grants, Cowles said he expects “quite a bit” of competition for available funding.

Even if a big pot of money can be landed for the work, there’s a long way to go before federal and state agencies even approve the project. To help navigate that process, the district has hired a consultant.

“There’s a multitude of state and federal permits,” Cowles said. “There are permits you have to get to get other permits.”

Those permits include those for reservoir and dam design, environmental permits, construction permits and more.

Once those bureaucratic hoops have been jumped through, the job then is to figure out how to pay for the project. But, Cowles said, truly understanding the cost of the project won’t happen until much of the bureaucratic process is complete.  

It’ll be expensive

But the cost will be significant. Initial estimates show the project could cost as much as $100 million.

“We’ll get a firm cost, then figure out how to finance,” Cowles said.

The preliminary work will also determine just how to fill the reservoir, and whether to fill it from existing rights on the Eagle River or on Cross Creek. The old lake used Cross Creek, Johnson said, but more than just yields need to be determined.

Those decisions will also depend on how much water is legally available.

Most years, more than 1,200 acre-feet will be available. Dry years can be a different story.

While Bolts Lake could take a decade or more to complete, Johnson said the reservoir is key to the district’s future plan.

“For us, it’s long-term planning,” Johnson said. The district’s first 60 years provided a good start on serving customers between East Vail and Edwards. But, Johnson said, with a drying climate “there are real concerns about how much water is left to serve” current and future users.

But in addition to boosting supplies for future uses, Johnson said the district is also working with customers to cut domestic water use, particularly outdoor watering.

But both supply and lowered demand are needed, Johnson said.

“We can’t do this on conservation alone,” she said.