Douglas County commission approves planning request for Aurora Rampart water pipeline
The unanimous July 20 vote advances Aurora’s roughly 6.5-mile raw-water pipeline project, but construction permits, funding and final access plans remain unresolved.
The Douglas County Planning Commission voted 8-0 on July 20, 2026, to approve Aurora’s location-and-extent request for a roughly 6.5-mile, 76-inch raw-water pipeline and related facilities at Rampart Reservoir. The project has an initial engineering estimate of $105 million. The hearing record identifies it as LE2026-008.
The action is a planning-stage authorization, not a construction permit or funding appropriation. Staff told commissioners that Aurora still needs final engineering plans, easements, license agreements, permits and approvals from other agencies and property owners before construction.
Aurora Water’s presentation called for work on a northern Moore Road segment to begin in December 2026, followed by work at the Rampart Reservoir outlet works around January 2027. That work was expected to take 12 to 18 months; pipeline construction, restoration and related work could continue into spring 2028 or later.
The project includes a new or expanded valve building at the reservoir, underground vaults and connections to Aurora’s existing delivery system. Aurora said the first phase would raise delivery capacity to about 81 million gallons per day, with the full system eventually planned to reach 125 million gallons per day.
Aurora’s Integrated Water Master Plan describes the Rampart Delivery System as a raw-water, or nonpotable, system carrying the city’s mountain supplies and meeting about 70% of summer water demand. The plan recommends a near-term Phase 1 expansion, saying reliance on terminal storage for ordinary demand can reduce water available for emergencies and limit maintenance time.
Construction impacts and access
The route and staging would affect parts of the county corridor including Moore Road, Titan Road, Waterton Road, Plum Creek, railroad crossings, U.S. 85 and the East-West Trail, according to the hearing presentation. Aurora’s project team said contractors would use trenchless construction beneath Plum Creek and at some road, railroad and highway crossings. Crews would work across roads one half at a time, using flaggers and temporary “shoe flies” where needed. The applicant said access would be maintained to all properties.
The project would use temporary and permanent construction easements, with a typical work corridor of about 140 feet that would narrow in constrained areas. Disturbed areas are planned to be returned to existing grade and revegetated with similar natural vegetation. The applicant also told commissioners that trail access would be maintained and that Sterling Ranch and John Adams Academy were aware of the work. Those commitments were discussed at the hearing and must be reflected in later construction plans and permits.
The $105 million remains an engineering estimate, not a verified appropriation. Public Aurora and Douglas County materials reviewed for this report did not identify a project-specific bond, grant, rate action or adopted budget line tying that estimate to a named funding source. The records also did not identify an issued construction permit or project-specific environmental clearance for LE2026-008. The vote therefore advances planning while leaving financing, permitting and final mitigation details to be resolved before construction begins.