Colorado WISE Project Gets Green Light

US federal water authorities have given initial approval for the $558m water infrastructure supply efficiency (WISE) project, which will divert treated wastewater from Denver and Aurora, Colorado, to the 15 Douglas County entities that make up the South Metro Water Supply Authority through to 2030.

A US Bureau of Reclamation official said that rural water supply funds may be available for the project if it survives a detailed feasibility review, reports The Denver Post.

The WISE project will deliver 1.3 million to 2.7 million gallons of water per year for the first five years, then as much as ten million gallons a year.

Water from the Aurora Reservoir will be transported to an existing pipeline, from which suburban utilities will route the water through new and existing pipelines to southern suburbs.

The project will also involve the storage of treated wastewater in surface reservoirs.