Water Supply

Today, all the drinking water supplied by Project 7 to the municipalities and rural areas of the Uncompahgre River Valley comes from one treatment plant and one source: the Gunnison River, conveyed through the Gunnison Tunnel. 

Although this single source has efficiently served us well for the past 40 years, it does make the regional drinking water system susceptible to a growing list of threats. Wildfire or infrastructure failures could make life extremely difficult to navigate. Hard choices would have to be made.  

We believe the most cost-effective and long-term solution is to develop a new drinking water source that reduces the risk of water supply interruptions for over 50,000 people served by Project 7 and our member entities across the region.

The Regional Water Supply Program will add a second water source, treatment, and distribution to serve all Project 7 members. It will build a more secure and reliable system that is resilient to wildfire, drought, and transmission interruptions in the Gunnison Tunnel. 

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​• Program Fact Sheet