The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (District) and the Upper Eagle Regional Water Authority (Authority) treat ground and surface water to provide safe, reliable drinking water for local communities. The high quality groundwater in the Eagle River and Gore Creek watersheds requires minimal treatment while surface water requires more treatment in order to remove impurities.
The District and Authority use a variety of drinking water treatment processes most effective for the type and quality of the source waters treated. Once water is treated in one of our state-of-the-art facilities, it travels to your home or business for your use and enjoyment.
DRINKING WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES
The Eagle River Water & Sanitation District (District) operates two of the most complex public water systems in Colorado . Our location poses many challenges to treating and distributing water to customers, including wide variations in seasonal water demands, limited space for facilities, and rugged topography. The District and Authority provide drinking water to customers in Vail, EagleVail, 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. 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 under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Guidelines.
Water used for processing drinking water is drawn from surface sources and subsurface aquifers. Finished water, or water treated for human consumption, enters the distribution system and is delivered to tanks by pumps located throughout the valley. From there, water is distributed to residences and businesses throughout the valley.
DRINKING WATER SOURCES
Eagle River – provides surface water for the Avon Drinking Water Facility and Edwards Drinking Water Facility.
Gore Creek – supplies surface water to the Gore Valley Drinking Water Facility in east Vail.
Alluvial Aquifer of Gore Creek – the source water supply for all of the District groundwater wells.
Fenno Well Field – a seasonal and emergency back-up supply to groundwater wells in the Cordillera Development.
Eagle River Aquifer – a seasonal groundwater source to the Authority groundwater well system.
