Facilities
The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (District) operates two of the most complex public water systems in Colorado - the District and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority (Authority) systems. Our Central Rocky Mountain location poses many challenges to treating and distributing water to customers, which includes wide variations in seasonal water demands, limited space for facilities, and rugged topography.
The District and Authority provide drinking water to customers in Vail, Eagle-Vail, Arrowhead, Avon, Beaver Creek, Bachelor Gulch, Edwards and Cordillera. Drinking water is provided to customers via a complex network of pipes, tanks and pumping stations called a distribution system. The District's system consists of seven groundwater wells and one treatment facility - the Gore Valley Drinking Water Facility. The Authority's system consists of two groundwater wells and two treatment facilities - the Avon Drinking Water Facility and the Edwards Drinking Water Facility. An interconnecting pipeline connects the District's and Authority's systems and allows for water transfer between Vail and the communities west of Vail.
The District and Authority are staffed 24 hours per day, 365 days per year by Water Treatment Operators certified by the State of Colorado.
Groundwater Wells
Vail is primarily served by seven groundwater wells varying in depth from 70 to 200 feet which operate year-round. Combined, they produce approximately 1 billion gallons of drinking water per year.
The Authority system operates ten groundwater wells on a seasonal basis to serve the needs of the communities west of Vail. Well depths vary from 60 to over 500 feet and supplement the surface water sources within the Authority. These wells also provide drought protection for periods of lower flows in the Eagle River.
Gore Valley Drinking Water Facility
This facility was built in 1968 as a conventional treatment plant. It was converted to a microfiltration plant in 2002 and is capable of producing 1 million gallons of water per day. The raw water source for this facility is the Black Gore Creek.
Avon Drinking Water Facility
This facility was built in 1985 and expanded in 1996 from a 5 to a 10-million-gallon-per-day-plant, which operates year-round. The raw water source for this facility is the Eagle River.
Edwards Drinking Water Facility
This facility was built in 2001 and is a state-of-the-art 5-million-gallon-per-day microfiltration plant, which operates year-round. It is equipped with an irrigation system, which is capable of supplying untreated water to the nearby community for the non-potable uses. The raw water source for this facility is the Eagle River.
Distribution System
The District’s Distribution and Collection (D&C) Division is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the pipes (mains), storage tanks and pumps that convey water from water treatment facilities to customers.
These activities include:
Cross connection control and backflow prevention
Water main flushing
Water main repair/replacement
Storage tank maintenance
Pump maintenance
The D&C Division is faced with many operational challenges associated with the highly variable terrain found in mountains. For example, the District operates and maintains 73 different pressure zones. This requires 41 booster pumps stations (BPSs) which transfers water to 46 water tanks throughout the service area.
The D&C Division manages approximately 240 miles of distribution mains for the service area which extends from East Vail to Wolcott and includes activities associated with the following:
Eagle River Water & Sanitation District:
12 tanks
8 booster pump stations
7 wells
19 Pressure reducing valves
11 pressure zones
~80 miles of water mains
512 fire hydrants
1,106 gate valves
25 air vacuum valves
Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority:
34 tanks
33 booster pump stations
2 wells
61 Pressure reducing valves
62 pressure zones
~160 miles of water mains
1,291 fire hydrants
1,983 gate valves
111 air vacuum valves