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Articles from Vol. 24 No. 4 - April 6, 2024

Palmer Lake Board of Trustees, March 28 – Restoration of Elephant Rock cabins proposed

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

The Palmer Lake Board of Trustees (PLBOT) cancelled its March 4 meeting due to snow but convened on March 28 to hear a proposal from Lindsay and Richard Willan to restore six cabins and the long house at the Elephant Rock property. Town Attorney Scott Krob told the board that the application for annexation of the Ben Lomand property had been withdrawn. The board held a public hearing on a conditional use permit for a multi-family residential development in a C1 zone, followed by a vote on a resolution to grant the permit. It heard a request from Nikki McDonald to transfer a water tap from a property on Greeley Avenue to another property she owns. The board heard reports from Town Administrator Dawn Collins and Fire Chief John Vincent.

The March 28 meeting was preceded by an executive session.

Cabins could be asset to town, Willans claim

Lindsay and Richard Willan asked the board to reconsider its unanimous vote in 2023 to demolish six cabins and a larger structure called the “long house” at the Elephant Rock property. They proposed renovating the structures and using them as short-term residences for visitors to the spa they are planning to build at the property. They said the renovated cabins might also serve as office space, a yoga studio, an artist’s studio, or an art gallery.

The Willans showed the board a site map indicating the cabins and long house are outside the floodplain. They also presented a report from Darrell Yee, a consulting engineer, verifying the roof and walls of the structures were sound. The insurance policy the Willans have obtained for their spa can be expanded to include the cabins, they said. RE/MAX Properties was interested in providing long-term property management services.

The cabins and long house in their current state are worth $735,000, the Willans said, but after renovation would be worth $1.85 million. Under the Willans’ proposal, they would pay to renovate the structures, but the town would retain ownership. The Willans presented letters from Tri-Lakes Collaborative Counseling and from Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts indicating those organizations might finance some of the renovation work. Resident Cindy Powell said she was working on grants to finance the renovations and an “Adopt-a-Cabin” plan. Caryn Switey of the Wonders of Nature Forest School said the school was interested in providing funding if they could recoup their investment by receiving free use of a cabin until they had recovered their costs.

The Willans estimated their proposal would generate $60,000 annual profit to the town. They projected a total benefit to the town of $1.31 million when the increase in value after renovation is considered. Lindsay Willan estimated the renovation would take three years.

Following the Willans’ presentation, Mayor Glant Havenar said she was concerned the property might become a residential development in the future. She said it might be as long as six years before the town sees any financial benefit. Richard Willan said residential development at Elephant Rock could not happen without the consent of the board. Trustee Shana Ball argued that the current board can’t control future boards. Powell said the Willans’ proposal would save the town the cost of asbestos abatement and landscaping that would follow demolition of the cabins.

Town Administrator Dawn Collins said the Elephant Rock property is a planned unit development, which means the town has more control over the development process.

The board returned to their discussion of the Willans’ proposal later in the meeting as a separate agenda item. Ball said she likes the ideas the Willans presented. Trustee Kevin Dreher reminded the board it has voted three times to demolish the cabins. He said the Willans’ plan was not in the best interest of the town. Trustee Dennis Stern said he was optimistic but wanted to lock down the details of management.

Reid Wiecks, chair of the Parks and Trails Commission, echoed Dreher’s comments. He said if the cabins and long house were demolished the property would be unique in northern El Paso County. He argued using the property as a “passive park” would raise property values and increase property tax revenue received by the town. Wiecks characterized the Willans’ proposal as a seven-home residential development and argued the buildings were not historical, were likely built in the 1970s and therefore not eligible for grants to preserve historical buildings. He expressed concern that the Willans’ plan might conflict with the trail that has been proposed for the property and has been partially built.

Trustee Nick Ehrhardt said he had voted to demolish the cabins because there was no alternative proposal and if the Willans’ plan doesn’t work out, the town could still demolish the buildings because the town would own them. He liked the fact that the town is not responsible for management.

Collins said there was no overall plan for the Elephant Rock property and mentioned that using a portion of the site for a public safety building to house the Police and Fire Departments had been discussed in the past. She called for a meeting that would include all interested departments to work out a plan for the entire property.

Havenar said Trustees Jessica Farr and Samantha Padgett were excused from the meeting and she was reluctant to decide without their input. She felt the finances were not clear, and the proposal would mean a lot of work for town staff. She lamented the fact that the Elephant Rock property had become a burden and a cause for contention.

The discussion ended with the board deciding to hold a meeting with all stakeholders, including the board, the Parks and Trails Commission, the Planning Commission, and the Police and Fire Departments to build a consensus for how to develop the property.

Application for Ben Lomand annexation withdrawn

Attorney Scott Krob told the board that the United Congregational Church had withdrawn its application for the annexation of its Ben Lomand property. The board had suggested some changes to the annexation agreement that the church had submitted, but the church would not consider any changes to the agreement. The church’s attorney sent the town a letter indicating that if the town did not accept the original annexation agreement the church would withdraw its application, Krob said. The board was polled electronically and decided not to hold a special meeting to further discuss the application. On March 14 the church formally withdrew its application, Krob said.

Havenar said the board did not agree with the annexation proposal’s plans for the top of Ben Lomand mountain, the requirement that the town take responsibility for County Line Road, and the stipulation that the church would not need to manage changes through the town’s Planning Commission. The original agreement was not in the best interest of the town, she said.

“Pocket neighborhood” requires conditional use permit

A public hearing was held to consider a request from Rebecca Albright and Philip Tedeschi for a conditional use permit that would allow them to move forward with the development of detached single-family residences and duplex units between Clarence Street and Spruce Avenue, adjacent to Ben Lomand mountain. There would be a total of nine residences, Albright said, perhaps three single-family residences and three duplexes or five single-family residences and two duplexes. The “pocket neighborhood” would consist of smaller, affordable, attainable housing located around a common open space, Albright explained. The plan calls for the residences and duplexes to use septic systems since the town does not provide sewer service to the property, but the town’s municipal code does not permit multi-family residences to use septic systems.

Albright said the property is currently zoned C1 (general business and commercial zoning), but single- and multi-family residences are a conditional use of property zoned C1. She asked the board to grant a conditional use permit and to consider changing its water tap fees to help make the residences affordable. Collins said the town’s code would need to be amended to allow multi-family residences such as duplexes to use septic systems.

Krob said the resolution that would grant the conditional use permit would only take effect if the town amends by Aug. 1 its code to allow the use of septic systems for multi-family residences. The town would not change the code without parameters set by the town’s engineer to govern septic systems for multi-family residences.

The public hearing was closed, and the board voted in favor of Resolution 21-2024.

Water tap transferred

Havenar told the board that Nikki McDonald and John Cressman, both of whom had served as mayor of Palmer Lake, had recently sold a property on Greeley Avenue. Havenar was the real estate agent who handled the sale. Four water taps were associated with the property, but the buyer only wanted to build three houses, leaving one of the taps available, Havenar said. McDonald had paid the monthly charge for the tap and would like to retain ownership of the tap and transfer it to another property she owns, Havenar said.

The board packet noted that water taps can’t be transferred according to the town’s code.

The board voted unanimously to allow McDonald to transfer the tap to another property.

Administrative and Fire Department reports

In her administrative report, Collins told the board public works equipment operator Blake Bloom would start this week. An accounting clerk would start on April 8. Collins said there were no applicants for the supervisor position in the Public Works Department, so she had initiated some recruiting assistance to hire someone on a temporary basis. Unused wages would cover the recruiting costs, she said.

Collins commended police officer Adam Lundy for accepting the position of interim police chief following the resignation of Jason Vanderpool. She also congratulated officer Eugene Ramirez on his promotion to corporal. In April, a consultant would be brought in to review the Police Department and make policy and structure recommendations.

Lundy said there were lots of things in motion in the Police Department and he was glad to have the support of the town to get through the changes.

Fire Chief John Vincent told the board that the Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts had obtained a temporary certificate of occupancy, allowing the building to be open to the public. He said training on operating the department’s woodchipper was underway. He discussed how controlled burns can be used to reduce fire danger and mentioned a controlled burn near the Shiloh Pines neighborhood planned by the Forest Service that would take place over several days beginning in late May.

Vincent mentioned he had found a vehicle to replace the department’s Chevrolet Suburban after a search that began in October. He asked the board for authorization to purchase the replace vehicle for $35,000; the board authorized him to proceed with the purchase.

Executive session

The March 28 meeting was preceded by an executive session to discuss negotiating positions on a possible sale of town property and to receive legal advice concerning the separation of former Police Chief Jason Vanderpool.

No actions were taken following the executive session.

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The next regular board meetings are scheduled for April 11 and 25. All meetings will be held at the Town Hall. See the town’s website at www.townofpalmerlake.com to confirm times and dates of board meetings and workshops. Meetings are typically held on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at the Town Hall. Information: 719-481-2953.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Palmer Lake articles

Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, March 11 – Board hears update on the Loop

By James Howald

At its March meeting, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board heard operational reports from District Manager Jessie Shaffer, Operations Superintendent Dan LaFontaine, District Engineer Ariel Hacker, board Treasurer Roy Martinez, and board Secretary Bill Clewe, who also serves as the district’s liaison with the Joint Use Committee (JUC), which oversees the Tri-Lakes Waste Water Treatment Facility. The meeting ended with an executive session.

Loop water reuse project advances

In his Manager’s Report, Shaffer told the board he expected a report on Colorado Springs Utility’s Edward Bailey Water Treatment Facility (EBWTF) to be complete in March. The report will help the Loop board decide if the EBWTF can be used to treat the Loop’s water, or if the Loop will need to build its own treatment facility. That decision will be a large factor in determining the total cost of the water reuse project.

Shaffer said the Loop was also working on pipeline alignments and easement acquisitions, and on the financial documents that will define the roles and responsibilities of the participating districts. The documents will address the question of whether the participating districts will lease water rights to the Loop. See the Loop article on page 14.

Shaffer also discussed bills under consideration by the state Legislature that could affect the district. A bill concerning Accessory Dwelling Units could have an impact on local land use policies, he said. Dick Brown, the district’s lobbyist, is also watching HB24-1379, which would create a state-run permit system to regulate when developers can dig up and fill in streams and wetlands. A second bill on that issue is expected.

Large water loss noted

LaFontaine told the board that the water report for February showed a 19% water loss. He said that, in addition to three other leaks, a service line to the Country Club at Woodmoor had failed and three days passed before the underground leak was identified. The lost water did not flow through the sewer system and may have made its way to Monument Creek, he said. LaFontaine said he was continuing to investigate the water loss.

He reported that the water meter replacement project was going well, with 12 to 14 meters a day being replaced. He estimated half the year’s goal for meter replacement would be met by April. He thanked the office staff for their effective communication with customers regarding meter replacement.

Engineering report

Hacker said Wildcat Construction would complete WWSD’s portion of the first phase of the Highway 105 expansion by April. Well 22, located on the southside of County Line Road, is pushing ahead, she said, and the transmission pipeline could be installed by summer if the county permitting process goes well. Installation of the pressure reducing valves required by the Monument Junction development would begin in March and should be complete in June, she said. A sewer capacity study was getting underway and planning for an additional storage tank for redundancy is beginning.

Water sales improve

In his financial report, Martinez noted that water sales were up in February, despite a fair amount of precipitation. Sewer revenue was on target, he said. The district’s repair or replace program was at 27% of the annual allocation due to general maintenance expenses and costs associated with Lake Woodmoor.

JUC receives hardware

Clewe told the board that the JUC had received two blowers, used to aerate sewage, from a sanitation district in Lafayette, Colo. The blowers are twice the size of the units they are replacing, he said, and they have variable frequency drives that pump less or more air at different times, which results in electrical cost savings.

Executive session

The board held an executive session to receive legal advice on Water Court Case 12CW1 and potential agreements with Enerfin Renewables, LLC, JWI, Inc., and El Paso County. No actions were taken following the executive session.

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The next meeting is scheduled for April 8 at 1 p.m. Meetings are usually held on the second Monday of each month at 1 p.m. at the district office at 1845 Woodmoor Drive; please see www.woodmoorwater.com or call 719-488-2525 to verify meeting times and locations.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Other Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District articles

Monument Sanitation District, March 20 – Property owner petitions for inclusion

By Jackie Burhans and James Howald

The Monument Sanitation District (MSD) board held a public hearing March 20 on a homeowner’s petition for inclusion in the MSD service area. The board also heard an operational report from District Manager Mark Parker.

Failing septic system prompts request

Parker told the board that he had been approached by Rick Squires, the owner of a 2.8-acre property at 128 Monument Lake Rd., to provide sewer service to the property. Parker opened a public hearing to consider the request.

Parker explained that the leech field of the septic system at Squires’ property was failing, and El Paso County would not issue a permit to repair or replace it since MSD had sewer infrastructure close to the property. Parker said that Squires would pay all costs required to bring sewer service to his property. Those costs would include an $8,000 sewer tap fee and the cost of a lift station like the one in place at the Wakonda Hills neighborhood, as well as legal fees.

It was difficult to locate the MSD sewer main, Parker said. He believed the locating equipment did not correctly measure the depth of the pipeline. The pipeline runs under railroad tracks, Parker said, which added a complication to providing service.

There were no comments from the public, and Parker closed the hearing.

The board voted unanimously to approve the petition for inclusion.

Manager’s report

In his manager’s report, Parker told the board that accumulated grease had been pumped out of the Wakonda Hills lift station.

He said the upgrade of the district’s supervisory control and data acquisition system (SCADA), which controls, monitors and analyzes the district’s sewer infrastructure, had gone well so far but had revealed that the radios used by the system are no longer available to purchase and newer models are not backward compatible. Parker said replacing the radios would cost $16,000 if done now; next year the cost would go up to $25,000. He recommended immediate replacement.

Internet connectivity is in place at all the SCADA sites, Parker said, and he recommended that connectivity become the primary method of connecting the SCADA sites, with radios moving into a backup role. Parker said he would bring a detailed proposal to the next board meeting for consideration.

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Monument Sanitation District meetings are held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month in the district conference room at 130 Second St., Monument. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 17. See https://colorado.gov/msd. For a district service map, see https://colorado.gov/pacific/msd/district-map-0. Information: 719-481-4886.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Other Monument Sanitation District articles

Triview Metropolitan District, March 20 – Additional acre-feet of water decreed; escrow agreement approved

By Natalie Barszcz

The Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) board held its regular meeting a day earlier than originally scheduled. The board heard about the district receiving an unexpected amount of additional acre-feet of water decreed from the Arkansas Valley Irrigation Co. (AVIC), approved an escrow agreement with a landowner, received multiple updates on the district’s projects, and heard about the snow removal efforts during the mid-March winter storm that delivered about 24 inches in some areas of the district. An executive session was held to discuss various matters.

Secretary/Treasurer James Barnhart was excused.

Extra acre-feet of water decreed

District Manager James McGrady said AVIC had decreed an average annual yield of about 569.4 acre-feet of water. The district had been hoping for 526 acre-feet and had initially purchased about 435 acre-feet of water. The additional water cost to the district is about $688,775, for a total cost of about $5.9 million for the water rights. The district budgeted for the overage, but will need to make some adjustments, he said.

Escrow agreement approved

Water attorney Chris Cummins of Monson, Cummins, Shohet and Farr LLC law firm said in 2020 when the district purchased the Stonewall Springs Reservoir complex and the Excelsior Ditch and that batch of assets that the district contracted to receive an outlet easement from the east reservoir to be built in the future when the last reservoir is built, but the seller could not deliver. The district escrowed $300,000 in May 2020 at closing to obtain the easement from the landowner to put water in the river. After a series of extensions, $150,000 of the escrow money was released to Stonewall Springs Water LLC because the easement was unlikely to cost $300,000. McGrady finally reached an agreement with the landowner to purchase the easement for $45,000. The final post-closing agreement will release $105,000 to Stonewall Springs Water LLC, and the remaining $45,000 will be released to the district to pay the landowner for the easement, Cummins said.

The board approved the final closing escrow agreement and final release between the Stonewall Springs Quarry LLC and TMD, 4-0.

Northern Delivery System update

McGrady said the NDS total project cost including Segment D is about $22.274 million and Kiewit has earned about $19.687 million, about 88% of the overall project, and the only remaining item is completion of the pump station. The district owes just over $2 million to finish the pump station. The district is expecting substantial completion around July 5. The pump house will contain two pumps with room for a third. Testing of the system is expected in June and then a ribbon cutting around July 10 at the Highway 83 Colorado Springs Utilities water tank.

Vice President Anthony Sexton asked if the project was over budget by about $1 million.

McGrady said not quite because the district had the materials to install the Segment D (Conexus development) pipeline, and Kiewit billed about $200,000 worth of labor for that installation, and the rest was about $500,000 in over runs on the project.

Water movement and exchanges

McGrady said the district began moving water out of the South Reservoir on March 18 and expects to move about 30 cubic feet per second, making a release downstream from the South Reservoir and exchanging water up into Pueblo Reservoir. The goal is to exchange about 1,000 acre-feet out of the South Reservoir to create a “bucket” to capture spring snow melt. The snowpack in the Arkansas River Valley is at about 104% (low estimate) and additional snows and rain over the next six weeks will potentially generate about 120 acre-feet a day.

The district is juggling storage to help capture spring melt and will start releasing water from the Big Johnson Reservoir beginning the first week of April. The exchange will pay the Arkansas Groundwater and Reservoir Association (AGRA) back in water, because all the water in the South Reservoir technically belongs to AGRA, he said.

Note: AGRA is a water utility company located in Fowler.

Sexton said the water exchanges are fictional and never physical.

Cummins said the water is diverted at the upstream source and water is released at the downstream source, and we pretend the water released at the downstream source is what was stored at the upstream source. There are limited windows to complete an exchange, and it must occur when there is enough water in the middle, so that other parties with water rights are not injured when water is taken from the upstream source. It is a complex concept and does not involve actual water molecules, he said.

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield said that at the direction of AGRA, the district released 100 acre-feet of water into the John Martin Reservoir on March 1-7.

Assistant manager’s update

Sheffield said the following:

• He took a field trip to the Fountain Mutual Irrigation Co. headgate and diversion structures in Colorado Springs to look for potential improvements.

• He attended the Northern Monument Creek Interceptor “kickoff” meeting hosted by Colorado Springs Utilities.

• Made multiple site visits to the NDS pump house (under construction on the east side of Highway 83 at Old Northgate Road).

• Met with Tom Martinez of the Town of Monument (TOM) Planning Department to discuss and obtain approval for a right-turn lane on Leather Chaps Drive for the Bear Creek Elementary school pickup/drop-off improvements. Everyone agrees on the striping of the road, and the project is moving forward.

• Met with TOM Manager Mike Foreman and Public Works Department Director Tom Tharnish to discuss a potential interconnect between TMD and the town.

• Initiated the plan for a new security system at A yard with the district staff.

• Approved construction of a “distribution” trailer to be fully stocked for emergencies and maintenance purposes.

• Since January, the Vac truck and TV van cleaned and videoed 660 feet of sewer line. Three under-drain caps were found to be missing and replaced. The district maintains a parts trailer to replace missing and defective equipment.

Snow removal around the clock

This reporter thanked Superintendent Matt Rayno and the snowplow crews for the phenomenal job of keeping the streets plowed throughout the March 13-15 snowstorm.

Rayno said the snow removal crews worked around the clock during the snowstorm, keeping the streets passable in the district. Crews stayed with it to keep ahead of the storm, with prior budgeting for housing at The Fairfield Inn during major snow events staff operated on six-hour shifts throughout the storm. One truck completed over 300 miles during the snow event, and when a starter went out on a large truck, it was back in service within the day, he said.

Public Works and Parks and Open Space update

Rayno said the following:

• The final preparations are being made for the patching, mill, and overlay of Gleneagle Drive in the Promontory Pointe subdivision.

• An audit of the concrete within the district is underway to assess the condition of sidewalk and curb edging throughout the district. Bids will go out in April for the repairs.

• Street sweeping was completed on Jackson Creek Parkway and Leather Chaps, Lyons Tails, Kitchener, Gleneagle and Sanctuary Rim Drives. The inner district roads are scheduled for sweeping in April.

• The construction of the Burke Hollow Park is scheduled to begin on April 8. The district staff will save about $6,000 by removing the equipment before the contractors install a new playground.

• Enhancements are being made to the trail on Saint Lawrence Way and the Gleneagle Drive swing park.

• Spring preparations for the landscaped areas had begun.

District counsel George Rowley of White Bear Ankele Tanaka and Waldron law firm said the loan with the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) had been finalized.

McGrady said the loan extension discussed in October was approved by CWCB to cover additional overages at the South Reservoir. The loan for $450,000 retains the original 2.05% interest rate and is accounted for in the 2024 budget as a reimbursement to the district, and payments will not begin until 2025. See www.ocn.me/v23n11.htm#tmd. The district is exploring the possibility of raising money to construct a slurry wall at the Central Reservoir, and an application for the loan with CWBC is expected to be presented to the board for approval in May.

Rowley said that since the last Legislature session, special district websites are required to be in compliance with full accessibility standards by July 2024. Sites must be available to individuals with disabilities, such as easily readable fonts, text size, and colors. Remediating old documents may be time consuming and removing them may be the simpler option, or employing a third party to correct any issues could ease the burden. Noncompliance could lead to fines, Rowley said.

McGrady said he meets with GroundFloor media, the district’s public relations firm, every other week and it assures the district it is familiar with the new requirements. GroundFloor media receives $5,000 on a retainer per month for producing the district newsletter, public relations and website maintenance. GroundFloor has been pro-active in ensuring compliance and saw the regulations in advance, but he and Rowley would approach the subject again to ensure the district is compliant, McGrady said.

Executive session

The board moved into an executive session at 7:12 p.m. pursuant to Colorado Revised Statute 24-6-402(4) (a), (b), (e), to discuss acquisitions, negotiations, and receive legal advice on: water and land acquisitions, the Highway Users Tax Fund share return, strategic planning, economic development incentives, and change case updates.

Sheffield confirmed the board returned to the regular session at 9:29 p.m. No actions were taken, and the board promptly adjourned the meeting at 9:30 p.m.

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Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of every month at the district office located at 16055 Old Forest Point, Suite 302. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for April 25 at 5:30 p.m. For meeting agendas, minutes, and update, visit https://triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Triview Metropolitan District articles

Donala Water and Sanitation District, March 21 – Good news on radium, PFAS

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At its March meeting, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board heard good news on water quality from General Manager Jeff Hodge. El Paso County Commissioner Holly Williams gave the board an overview of the county’s study of the Denver basin aquifers. The board also heard operational reports.

Radium and PFAS at low levels

Hodge told the board that the hydrous manganese oxide (HMO) adsorption technology the district had implemented had reduced radium in the water DWSD delivers to its customers from the Holbein water treatment plant. The maximum contaminant level for radium is 5 pCi/L and DWSD water had tested at 5.1 pCi/L in 2022, Hodge said. Recent testing showed radium at 1.2 pCi/L, well within the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Hodge gave the board information developed by Merrick Inc., the engineering company DWSD hired to design its HMO system, that told the history of the radium mitigation project. The presentation tracked the project from the enforcement order DWSD received in 2022 through the third cycle of radium testing completed in December 2023. The project included new equipment and training for staff. The materials credited the district’s culture of transparent collaborative decision-making as contributing to the success of the effort.

Board President Wayne Vanderschuere pointed out that DWSD had used federal funds allocated to the district by the El Paso Board of County Commissioners effectively.

Hodge also had good news concerning the level of PFAS chemicals in district water. PFAS, the common name for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which are used in a wide variety of consumer products, have been linked to diseases such as kidney and testicular cancer. Hodge said the district’s water did not contain a measurable amount of PFAS at present, but testing would continue.

Williams discusses county water availability study

Williams opened her discussion of a water availability study planned by the county by making a distinction between “paper water”—that is, legal rights to water—and “wet water,” that is, water in the ground. Williams said the county has not done a study of the Denver basin aquifers since the 1980s and wants a better understanding of the current state of those aquifers. The aquifers are depleting, she said, adding, “there’s not as much water as we thought there was.”

Williams said the county commissioners wanted DWSD, Triview Metropolitan District, Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District, Monument Water Department, Palmer Lake Water Department and Forest Lakes Metropolitan District to contribute data to the study.

Williams said the county has a 300-year water rule, adopted in the 1980s, that requires new developments to prove access to adequate water for that length of time. Hydraulic conditions have changed since then. Other entities have a 100-year threshold, she said. Williams said there is plenty of room to grow in the Black Forest neighborhood.

Williams said the study would assess the available water in each of the Denver basin aquifers, identify the top and bottom of each aquifer, and evaluate geospatial data to assess potential limitations on water availability. A final report would be written that would guide water supply regulations. Williams said lot sizes could be adjusted to make available water last longer.

Vanderschuere said DWSD had reached similar conclusions and had begun investigating indirect potable reuse, aquifer storage and recovery, and direct potable reuse.

Operational reports

  • In his financial report, Hodge noted water sales are slow, as they always are at this time of year. Expenses are on track. Hodge also mentioned that the district’s audit went well.
  • Consultant Brett Gracely, of LRE Water, told the board DWSD has been awarded a $290,000 grant from the Colorado Water Conservation Board to continue the district’s work on aquifer storage and recovery, a technology that pumps excess water back into aquifers for storage and future use.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 18 at 1:30 p.m. Generally, board meetings are held the third Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. and include online access; call (719) 488-3603 or access www.donalawater.org to receive up-to-date meeting information. The district office is located at 15850 Holbein Drive, Colorado Springs.

James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.

Other Donala Water and Sanitation District articles

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me