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Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

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Articles from Vol 24 No. 8 - August 3, 2024

Donala Water and Sanitation District, July 18 – Board considers request to exclude property

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

The July meeting of the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board was preceded by a workshop and tour of the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (UMCRWWTF), which the district operates jointly with the Academy Water and Sanitation District, the Forest Lakes Metropolitan District, and the Triview Metropolitan District. The board held a public hearing on a request to exclude a property from the DWSD service area. During public comments, a resident questioned a large bill he received for water service. The board heard operational reports, and the meeting ended with an executive session.

Treatment facility tour

During the board’s tour of its wastewater treatment facility at 14770 Jumping Mouse View, it inspected recently completed repairs to one of the facility’s three sequential batch reactors. The board also saw the sludge removal process and the flume through which treated effluent is discharged into Monument Creek. The facility staff also demonstrated a newly acquired truck mounted valve operator, made by Wachs Utility Products, that will help the district maintain its underground valves.

Public hearing on property exclusion

A public hearing was held on a request from Bill and Vickie Hancock to remove a portion of their property at 15220 Leather Chaps Drive from the district’s service area. General Manager Jeff Hodge explained that the Hancocks wanted to subdivide their 5-acre lot into two 2.5-acre lots, one of which would use an existing well and therefore would not need water service from DWSD. Board President Wayne Vanderschuere pointed out that should the Hancocks ever want to rejoin the district, they would have to pay a tap fee.

The board briefly considered Resolution 2024-6, which would grant the exclusion, but DWSD Attorney Madison Phillips pointed out that the board had not received a signed petition from the Hancocks, one of whom was in the hospital. The board took no action on the resolution and kept the hearing open until the required petition was received.

Resident questions big bill

Resident George Urteaga used the public comment portion of the meeting to tell the board that he had received a bill for 60,000 gallons of water, which he believed was incorrect. He said he had hired two companies to check for leaks in his irrigation system and they found none. He said the excessive usage occurred over a period of three days and he did not believe that amount of water could be delivered in that time. Hodge told him that, based on the size of his tap and the water pressure in his neighborhood, 60,000 gallons of water could have been delivered over the course of three days. Hodge offered to have Urteaga’s water meter checked for accuracy.

Operational reports

In his financial report, Hodge said water sales in the first six months of 2024 were in line with the budget. Revenue from property taxes was trickling in. He said the district had delivered a little of the water from its Willow Creek Ranch property that it pays Colorado Springs Utilities to convey, treat and deliver, but the costs of doing so were offset by the revenue the district received from leasing water to the Arkansas Groundwater and Reservoir Association.

The board voted unanimously to approve the financial report.

Water Operator Joe Lopez told the board that El Paso County had, in response to high temperatures, unexpectedly purchased about 37,000 gallons of water from the district, lowering the levels in the district’s storage tanks. Vanderschuere said the district should insist on advance notice of such purchases in the future.

On the wastewater side, Chief Waste Plant Operator Aaron Tolman reported E. coli numbers were well within the allowable level. The treatment facility processed 28 million gallons of waste in the previous month.

Brett Gracely, a project engineer with LRE Water, told the board that plans for aquifer storage and retrieval (ASR), a technology that will store excess water underground to avoid loss due to evaporation, were proceeding and the hardware needed for ASR was being designed.

Roger Sams, of GMS Engineering Inc., told the board that repairs to the district’s storage tanks were almost complete.

Executive session

The meeting ended with an executive session to discuss the Member Agency Financing and Contribution Agreement recently drafted by the Loop water reuse project. DWSD is one of three water districts that have committed to the Loop.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 15 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.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me

Other Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) articles

El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, July 18 – Board considers new roles for Merrick and Co.

By James Howald

The El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority (EPCRLWA or the Loop) board met in July to hear to hear suggestions for next steps from John Kuosman, a water practice leader with Merrick and Co., who also serves as the Loop’s project planning and workflow manager, and to consider a new contract between the Loop and Merrick. Board President Jessie Shaffer presented invoices from the previous month. The board also held an executive session, which was attended by representatives from all the participating districts, after which no action was taken.

Will Colorado Springs Utilities play a role?

Kuosman told the board that the option for Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) to have a near-term partnership with the Loop was still being considered. The possibility that the Loop could make use of CSU’s pipelines and its Edward W. Bailey Water Treatment Plant has been discussed for months. Kuosman explained that a formal request to CSU had been made by the Loop and he expected CSU to provide a timeline and preliminary costs by mid-August. The possibility that the Loop could make use of CSU’s pipelines and excess water treatment capacity has a direct impact on the final cost of the Loop’s project.

Kuosman also said CSU is studying indirect potable reuse of water. “Indirect potable reuse” refers to systems where treated effluent from wastewater treatment facilities is released into a stream or river and then an equal amount of water is diverted from the stream or river to be reused by customers. The Loop is an indirect potable reuse design, with effluent from treatment facilities in northern El Paso County being released into Monument Creek and traveling downstream to Fountain Creek, where it is diverted, treated, and then conveyed north to customers for reuse. Kuosman said there were lots of overlap between CSU’s long-term plans and the Loop. CSU’s goals aligned with the Loop, he explained, but CSU’s timeline was years behind the Loop’s schedule.

New contract with Merrick for next phase

Kuosman told the board that its current contract with Merrick covered activities up to the drafting of the Member Agency Financing and Contribution Agreement, which defines the benefits and responsibilities of the participating districts. That contract is now complete, he said, and the board should consider a new agreement with Merrick for services related to the next phase of the project.

He briefly discussed financing options for the Loop, which include use of municipal bonds, federal grants, and public/private partnerships. He said he was working with Piper Sandler on financing options and with EPCOR, a company that invests in infrastructure projects and recoups its investment over the long term.

Kuosman said that the Loop’s current contract with Merrick covered project planning, workflow management, and advancing a conceptual design to the point where costs could be estimated. He suggested that the contract with Merrick for the phase two scope of service should include:

  • Project management, including attending board meetings, meetings with other agencies, and weekly phone calls.
  • Securing easements for 30 miles of pipelines.
  • Development of a hydraulic model for the project that will be used by engineering companies.
  • Exploring federal grants, federal programs, and public/private partnerships.
  • Pumping and storage, treatment and processing, and pipeline designs.
  • Putting BBNA’s conceptual design into an operating agreement for the participating districts to sign.
  • Long-term staffing plans.

Invoices

In his financial report, Shaffer mentioned four invoices that had arrived in the last month:

  • JVA Inc. for $5,519.
  • Kimley Horn for $3,150.
  • Spencer Fane LLC for $4,202.
  • The American Company for $18,341.

The board voted unanimously to accept the financial report.

Executive session

The meeting ended with an executive session to receive legal advice from the Loop’s attorney and to discuss negotiating positions. The session was attended by representatives from the participating districts, to whom the Member Agency Financing and Contribution Agreement was presented. No votes were taken after the executive session.

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The next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 15 at 9 a.m. Regular meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Monument Town Hall at 645 Beacon Lite Road. Workshop meetings are held the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Cherokee Metropolitan District offices at 6250 Palmer Park Blvd., Colorado Springs. Please see loopwater.org or call 719-488-3603 to verify meeting times and locations.

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

Other Loop Water Authority articles

El Paso Board of County Commissioners, July 9 and 25 – Black Forest property to be divided into two lots

By Helen Walklett

During July, the El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) approved a request to create two lots on a 6.02-acre Black Forest property and approved requests connected to renovation work at Fox Run Regional Park and the Fox Run Nature Center.

Vessey Road rezone

At the July 25 BOCC land use meeting, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve a final plat application by Pawel Posorski to create two single-family lots of just over 2.5 acres each on a 6.02-acre Vessey Road property, about one-third of a mile east of the intersection of Vessey and Holmes Roads. The land was rezoned from RR-5 (rural residential) to RR-2.5 (rural residential) in April. See wp.ocn.me/v24n5epcbocc/.

The application came from the El Paso County Planning Commission’s June 20 meeting with a unanimous recommendation for approval. It was heard at both the Planning Commission and BOCC hearings as a consent item, meaning there was no discussion.

Work at Fox Run Regional Park

At their July 9 meeting, the commissioners approved a purchase order for Matrix Design Group Inc. to provide site planning, landscape architecture, and civil engineering design services for the Fox Run Regional Park ponds and gazebo project at an amount not to exceed $207,175.

The project consists of a study of the wedding gazebo for relocation and reconstruction near the stone seating amphitheater, improvements to the amphitheater itself to ensure The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access, the dredging of both ponds and the installation of a synthetic pond liner, and the provision of ADA access from the parking area to the gazebo, amphitheater, and around the ponds if practical. Work is expected to begin in September and continue through the end of 2025.

Work underway since July on the restrooms near the two play areas is designed to enhance accessibility and is expected to run through November. Portable restrooms are available in both parking lots while the remodeling takes place.

At the same meeting, the commissioners approved a change order for TDG Architecture Inc. to provide additional project management and preliminary design and construction document services for the Fox Run Nature Center at an amount not to exceed $46,697.

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The El Paso County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) usually meets every Tuesday at 9 am at Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade Ave., Suite 150, Colo. Springs. Agendas and meetings can be viewed at www.agendasuite.org/iip/elpaso. Information is available at 719-520-643. BOCC land use meetings are normally held the second and fourth Thursdays of the month (as needed) at 1 pm in Centennial Hall.

Helen Walklett can be reached at helenwalklett@ocn.me.

Other El Paso Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) articles

July Weather Wrap

Above: Smoke reportedly from Canadian wildfires casts a gray haze across the region on July 22, obscuring details of Mount Herman and the Rampart Range as seen from the Jackson Creek area. Photo by Allen Alchian.

Editors note: Bill Kappel is unavailable this month so we do not have a weather column, but Bill will be back next month.

Bill Kappel is a meteorologist and Tri-Lakes resident. He can be reached at billkappel@ocn.me.

Other Weather articles

Letters to Our Community – Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech

A social media troll shares unwelcome content within an online conversation to purposefully instigate an argument with one or more people. It is dangerous to young and old alike, and we see it every day.

It is not always protected by the First Amendment freedom of speech, as some would have you believe; it is fair in politics and elections particularly.

Examples of speech that may be limited: true threats, incitement, unlawful conduct: such as advocating violations of private life, defamation, hate speech, obscenity, pornography, public order, national security, classified information, trade secrets, or copyright violations.

Our national elections are coming, and trolling is rising to an epidemic level. Please vote and consider as a factor in your ballot decisions the honor, integrity, and ethics of each candidate and issue, no matter the level of trolling we are exposed to.

Thanks for your consideration.

Gordon Reichal

Click here for Letter Guidelines.

Disclaimer: The information and opinions expressed in Letters to Our Community are the responsibility of the letter writers and should not be interpreted as the views of OCN even if the letter writer is an OCN volunteer. When there is more than one letter, the letters are arranged in alphabetical order based on the last name of the author.

Other Letters to Our Community articles