273 - Imagining a More Resilient and Sustainable Integrated Water Supply System at the United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) relies on several primary water sources:
1. Treated surface water supplied by Colorado Springs Utilities for its drinking water supply and portions of irrigation water use.
2. Groundwater from on-site well water and treated wastewater effluent to supply irrigation water use stored in non-potable reservoirs.

Reliable access and delivery of sustainable water supplies to USAFA is essential for mission operations. However, water resources in the Western United States have changed significantly since USAFA was founded during the late 1950’s. The reliability of water supplies is increasingly challenged by population growth, aging infrastructure, and climate change.

Based on these risks and the criticality of maintaining a reliable water supply to USAFA, a collaborative, comprehensive study between USAFA and Colorado Springs Utilities was conducted to better understand current water use, evaluate system vulnerabilities, and identify solutions for a more resilient and integrated approach to managing water supplies.

The overall goal of the study was to align USAFA’s water systems to operate with greater efficiency and redundancy, reduce water waste and treatment inefficiencies, and better manage resource recovery of reusable supplies to improve installation resilience. The study provided recommendations to enhance USAFA’s water resiliency to better manage long-term water supply in a region where water is valued as a limited resource.

This paper will highlight the sustainable concepts and integrated water management alternatives recommended to improve system efficiencies and USAFA’s installation resilience. Lessons learned will be presented from the integrated planning process.