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Donala Water and Sanitation District, Nov. 21 – Board hears rate and groundwater supply studies

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At Donala Water and Sanitation District’s (DWSD) November meeting, consultants presented the results of two studies: the first addressing proposed rate increases and the second analyzing groundwater supply issues such as the status of existing wells, plans for well maintenance, how best to manage the district’s two well fields, and next steps.

The presentations were intended to address questions arising from a discussion of the district’s 2025 budget at the previous board meeting, in which a 9.25% increase in rates had been proposed by General Manager Jeff Hodge. Hodge presented a revised 2025 budget that compared 4.5% and a 5% rate increases. The board voted on a resolution calling for a special election to ask voters to waive term limits for DWSD board members. The meeting ended with an executive session.

Rate study recommends 5% rate increase

Todd Cristiano, a consultant with Raftelis, a company that does financial modeling and rate studies for local governments and utilities, presented the results of his study of water and wastewater rates to the board. His goal was to create a financial roadmap that aligns rate revenues with annual expenditures, debt coverage and required reserves; that funds capital projects using debt, rates, and reserves; that structures rates to recover the costs of water and wastewater service; and that minimizes the financial impacts on customers.

Cristiano pointed out that DWSD was restricted in its ability to issue debt, has to rely on cash, and has to save money in advance to fund large capital projects.

Cristiano recommended a 5% rate increase, which he said would result in a $5.38 increase for DWSD’s typical customer. He pointed out that water and sewer costs were increasing much faster than general inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. One reason for this was that water and sewer infrastructure that was built in the 1970s with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency was coming to the end of its useful life and needing to be replaced.

Cristiano said DWSD currently comingles water and wastewater funds. He argued those funds should be handled separately to ensure that the rates for those services are adequate to recover their costs.

Cristiano told the board his financial plan assumed the district required an operating reserve adequate to cover 180 days of operation and a capital reserve to cover one year of depreciation expense. He assumed inflation of between 3% and 6.5% for salaries, utility costs, convey and treat charges from Colorado Springs Utilities, chemicals, and miscellaneous supplies. He said water and wastewater services should be self-sufficient by 2029.

Cristiano presented two scenarios. In the first, DWSD would rehabilitate the R. Hull Treatment Plant, fund DWSD’s Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project pilot, upgrade the chlorine system, drill needed wells, and fund capital replacement projects. The proposed 5% annual increase, between 2025 and 2033, would generate the $18 million needed for those purposes, Cristiano said.

In the second scenario, DWSD would participate in the Loop water re-use project, fund the ASR pilot and some future well projects for a total cost of $24 million. In this scenario, in addition to an annual 5% rate increase, DWSD would have to spend reserve funds in 2026 and between 2029 and 2033. Reserves would remain above target in this scenario, Cristiano said.

On the wastewater side, Cristiano said the proposed 5% annual increase would generate enough revenue to cover the cost of wastewater service.

Following Cristiano’s presentation, board President Wayne Vanderschuere asked Nate Eckloff, a bond expert at Piper Sandler, an investment bank that advises DWSD on how to manage debt, if anything in Cristiano’s study gave Eckloff pause. Eckloff said the study “looked solid,” and the district would have time and flexibility to adjust rates if needed. Vanderschuere said the board’s direction had been to increase fixed fees rather than rates. Hodge agreed, saying that increasing the district’s tiered water usage rates risked stifling demand.

Director Ed Miller said before he would agree to the proposed rate increases, he wanted to see a justification for the proposed spending.

Groundwater supply study

Helen Malenda-Lawrence, of LRE Water, presented to the board a detailed analysis of the district’s groundwater resources that included an assessment of each well, well maintenance, projected supply scenarios, and suggestions for long-term maintenance.

She said Hodge had inherited well fields that had not been well maintained and problems cropped up that needed immediate fixes. She said that DWSD had made significant investments in understanding the current conditions of its two well fields, its wells and its infrastructure. Her supply study had a lot of in-depth studies behind it, she said.

Malenda-Lawrence showed the board a map of the district’s two well fields and explained that wells in the northeast field fed the Holbein Water Treatment Plant (HWTP) and wells in the southwest field fed the R. Hull Water Treatment Plant (RHWTP). The district has a total of 14 wells, the oldest drilled in 1985 and the newest in 2022. Five of the wells are currently out of service, some temporarily and some permanently. She said Wells 1A and 11D both failed in September. Well 11D is an important source of water for the HWTP, Malenda-Lawrence said.

Malenda-Lawrence said Wells 11D, 9A and 4A were the most important to repair. She estimated the cost to diagnose and rehabilitate them at $580,000. She said Wells 1A-R and 14A were optional to repair if additional water supply is needed or redundancy is desired. She estimated the cost to repair those wells would be about $700,000. She related the well maintenance schedule to the district’s ability to meet demand by pointing out if Wells 1A and 11D had failed before Well 16A, the district’s newest well had come into production, it would have been difficult for the district to meet its peak demand in the summer months.

The groundwater supply study considered sustainable pumping rates, water quality, permit levels at all wells, and which wells might go out of production to identify scenarios in which the district might struggle to meet demand. All the scenarios in the study trigger flags about water quality in some circumstances. If both Wells 11D and 4A are down simultaneously, the district can’t meet demand, Malenda-Lawrence said. Her conclusions were that DWSD has been able to meet demands up to this point but it does not have a lot of flexibility, which means the operations team has to juggle things and could run into “volumetric limits.”

She recommended DWSD consider drilling two new wells into the Denver aquifer in 2026 and 2027, one in each well field, at a cost of around $1 million per well. Those costs do not include transmission lines for the water and electrical power to the well sites, she said. If DWSD intends to rely on groundwater as its main source of raw water, she recommended the drilling of another five wells between 2025 and 2040 to replace wells that can be expected to fail during that timeframe.

Hodge said most of the wells in the northeast quadrant use a pipeline adjacent to Baptist Road to convey their water to the HWTP. That pipeline is subject to failure because it is installed directly on rock without the usual clearance underneath the pipeline. The pipeline failed in September. That situation makes Well 11D critical to repair, because when the pipeline fails again Well 11D will be the only well able to supply the HWTP without the pipeline, he said.

Hodge mentioned a Colorado Supreme Court decision in the case of Parker v. Rein that will affect DWSD’s planning. The ruling states that water right holders are entitled to a fixed volume of water and not a fixed rate of withdrawal. That means water districts may have to document how much water they have pumped to date and may see their water rights end sooner than expected.

Brett Gracely, also with LRE Water, discussed the next steps DWSD should consider. He said the district should compare the costs of maintaining and improving their two well fields to the costs of using its water supply from the Willow Creek Ranch conveyed by Colorado Springs Utilities, obtaining water via the Loop water re-use project, and moving to direct potable re-use of effluent from the Upper Monument Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Vanderschuere said he applauded the rigor of the groundwater supply study.

2025 budget

Hodge presented an updated 2025 budget that, in response to the board’s comments on the budget he presented at the October meeting, lowers the proposed rate increase from 9.25% to 5% and delays some capital projects to reduce their total costs to $2.2 million. He said the updated budget “keeps the lights on,” is in balance, makes debt service payments, and includes financial reserves that will fund operations for 180 days.

The board will hold a final vote on the 2025 budget at its next board meeting on Dec. 12.

Term limit waiver to go before voters

The board voted in favor of Resolution 2024-7, which authorizes a special election to be held on Feb. 4, 2025 on the question of waiving term limits for members of the DWSD board.

The district headquarters at 1580 Holbein Drive will be used as a polling place, and district residents can vote in person between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Executive session

The meeting ended with an executive session to determine positions relative to negotiation regarding the Intergovernmental Agreement governing the Upper Monument Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility that DWSD shares with the Triview Metropolitan District, the Forest Lakes Metropolitan District, and the Academy Water and Sanitation District. No actions were taken after the executive session.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Dec 12 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

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Donala Water and Sanitation District, Oct. 10 – Board receives preliminary 2025 budget, considers rate increase

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At its October meeting, Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) General Manager Jeff Hodge presented a preliminary budget for 2025, prompting discussions of capital projects and a rate increase. The board voted to put the question of eliminating term limits to the voters. The board heard financial and operational reports.

Board President Wayne Vanderschuere attended remotely and Board Vice President Bill George facilitated the meeting.

Preliminary budget assumes rate increase

Hodge presented a preliminary budget that anticipates total revenue of $11.010 million and total expenditures of $10.250 million for the 2025 fiscal year and includes a proposed 9.25% increase in rates. The budget includes $3.15 million for eight capital projects:

  • $500,000 to continue the rehabilitation of water tanks.
  • $395,144 for video inspection of the sewer system.
  • $500,000 for the Loop water reuse project.
  • $500,000 for rehabilitation of two wells.
  • $75,000 for fire mitigation at Willow Creek Ranch.
  • $245,000 for water supply/reuse water.
  • $650,000 for water treatment facilities.
  • $290,000 for the aquifer storage and retrieval (ASR) project.

Hodge told the board the district had retained Raftelis, a company that does financial modeling and rate studies for local governments and utilities, to review DWSD’s capital projects, financial policies, rates, and reserves in preparation for the 2025 budget process.

Director Ed Miller asked Hodge what could be removed from the list of capital projects if only $2.5 million were available. Hodge answered that some projects could be put off, but that would lead to more expensive projects later. If ASR were removed from the list, that would change water supplies for the next 20 years. Hodge noted that long-term capital projects totaled $23 million. Miller said the proposed increase would not fund any of the long-term capital projects. Hodge said the rate increase would allow the district to build reserves that could be used for those projects.

Miller asked Hodge to provide a water balance report to help inform decisions about capital projects. Miller pointed out that the district’s wells had not been properly maintained 10 years ago. “They were left to corrode,” he said. He added he did not feel good about forecasting expenses for projects that might not be needed. Miller proposed waiting until money had been spent before raising rates. Hodge said the district had $3 million in the bank and could not issue bonds based on revenue. Any bond would need voter approval.

Director Scott McCollough said he considered water tank rehabilitation the first priority, fire mitigation at the Willow Creek Ranch to be the second priority, and the Loop water reuse project to be the third priority. George said he thought all the capital projects were necessary and kicking the can down the road would increase costs.

McCollough said he had a visceral reaction to a rate increase of 9.25%, and he suggested extending the timeline for addressing capital projects. Superintendent of Water Operation Ronny Wright said prices were rising quickly and the district needed to address issues not handled by previous boards.

Hodge argued that the board could wait until emergency expenditures were needed or it could budget for problems before they occur. He gave the recent sudden failure of Well 1A as an example of an unexpected cost and said DWSD could lose two more wells in 2025. He pointed out that the district had a policy requiring 180 days of operating funds, about $1.2 million, in reserve. He said reserves could be reduced for 90 days.

Miller suggested a rate increase of 4% and suggested waiting on some of the capital projects.

Hodge emphasized that the capital projects were “what you need to keep the water flowing.”

Miller suggested delaying the ASR project by a year or two to save $4.7 million.

Vanderschuere said he wanted to find savings on capital projects that would reduce the rate increase to a more palatable 4 to 6%.

Helen Malenda-Lawrence of LRE Water, a company that advises DWSD on its wells and well field, said two wells needed to be rehabilitated in 2025 “because they haven’t been run properly and haven’t been maintained.” Video inspection of the wells showed they are “really bad,” she said.

Miller suggested, later in the meeting, that DWSD might want to sell Willow Creek Ranch and use the money for other purposes.

Hodge said he would make changes to the budget and try to reduce the proposed rate increase to 4%. McCollough said he would like to meet with Hodge to discuss the dependencies between the capital projects. Hodge added that five years ago, the district was delivering about 1,200 acre-feet of water to customers but that has dropped in recent years to 850 acre-feet. He said rates need to be set at a level where consumption stays consistent.

Voters will decide on term limits

At previous meetings, the board discussed the difficulty of finding candidates to serve on the board and the problems arising from the turnover of board members. The board asked its lawyer if the board’s four-year terms could be extended, but was told its only option was to put a measure on the ballot removing term limits altogether.

At the October meeting, the board voted on whether it would ask voters to remove term limits. Directors Kevin Deardorff, George, and Vanderschuere voted to put removal of term limits on the ballot; Miller and McCollough voted against doing so.

Financial report

In his summary of district finances, Hodge reported $200,000 in water sales revenue in September, and noted 2024 was a much better year than 2023 for revenue from water sales because 2023 had been exceptionally rainy. Other revenues were on track, he said, and expenses were below budget.

Operational reports

In his manager’s report, Hodge said Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) had asked him to reconsider participating in the North Monument Creek Interceptor (NMCI) project, which would eliminate DWSD’s need to treat its own wastewater. Hodge explained NMCI, unlike the Loop, does not offer the district a way to reuse 400 acre-feet of treated effluent. He said he would continue the discussion with CSU.

Malenda-Lawrence reported on the failure of Wells 11D and 1A. Both pumps were at the end of their expected life. 11D is an important well because it can feed the Holbein treatment plant directly, without the need to use the pipeline adjacent to Baptist Creek Road that is subject to ruptures because it rests on rock. Well 11D failed due to corrosion. The district’s groundwater is corrosive, Malenda-Lawrence said. Work on the well to date had cost $25,000, she said; she recommended cleaning the well and replacing the drop pipe. She estimated the cost to rehabilitate Well 11D would exceed $200,000.

The well can produce more than 350 gallons per minute after rehabilitation, she said. Well 1A was plugged at a point where two dissimilar metals met, which caused corrosion. In addition, the well has two small holes. The cost to repair 1A would be similar to the cost for 11D. The well is permitted to produce up to 400 gallons per minute, she said.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21 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.

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Donala Water and Sanitation District, Sept. 19- -Board continues term limit debate

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At its September meeting, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board continued its discussion of waiving its current policy which allows directors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms. The board heard financial and operational reports.

Board President Wayne Vanderschuere was excused from the meeting. Board Vice President Bill George facilitated the meeting.

Lawyer explains constraints on term limits

General Manager Jeff Hodge told the board that he had received a memo from Linda Glesne of CEGR Law, the district’s legal team, addressing the district’s discussion about extending the terms of incumbent directors or allowing them to serve more than two consecutive four-year terms. The issue was discussed at the board’s August meeting. Glesne wrote that the board does not have the authority to extend terms or waive term limits, but it can call an election to ask the voters to do so. Voter approval must be obtained before the Feb. 28, 2025 deadline for submitting candidate nomination forms for the May 2025 election. She said incumbent board members would not need to recuse themselves on a vote calling for an election.

Hodge said the current policy on term limits made it difficult to maintain continuity regarding long-term projects such as the Loop water re-use effort. George used himself as an example, pointing out that after his first two terms he was “beginning to get smart.” He was then required to leave the board for four years before running for another term. Director Ed Miller said, as a general principle, he was in favor of term limits.

The board took no action following the discussion, but there was a consensus to consider putting the issue before the voters at a future time.

Financial report

In his summary of district finances, Hodge said he believed DWSD was on track to collect the $650,000 in water revenue for which the district had budgeted. Revenue from property taxes was also on track. Hodge estimated the impact of the changes to property taxes enacted in the special session of the Legislature to be a reduction of about $23 per year for each $500,000 of home value. “This isn’t going to shut us down,” he said.

In terms of expenditures, Hodge said there was nothing unusual except the cost of a water main break adjacent to Baptist Creek Road. He said the district had saved money by making sparing use of its water from Willow Creek Ranch that it pays Colorado Springs Utilities to convey, treat, and deliver. That water is expensive, Hodge said.

Operational reports

In his manager’s report, Hodge noted the impact of the water line break that Water Operator Joe Lopez discovered on the Friday morning preceding the Labor Day weekend. The water line was PVC pipe that was installed directly on top of solid rock. Lack of proper space under the pipe caused it to push against the rock each time a pump started, causing a 20-foot section of the pipe to split. Hodge estimated repairing the line cost the district between $50,000 and $60,000.

Hodge said about two miles of the pipe were installed on rock and it was likely there would be further breaks in the future. He said that rather than repairing the entire two-mile portion, the district’s money would be better spent on wells 4A and 11D, which could supply water to the Holbein Treatment Plant without using the pipe in question.

Water Operator Ronny Wright gave the board an update on the work being done to rehabilitate the district’s two water storage tanks. Wright said the walls of the West Tank were in good shape but the structural elements at the top of the tank needed more repairs than expected. The West Tank is 45 years old, he said, and the I-beam that provides the center of support “is shot.” Hodge said a cost estimate was needed before repairs could proceed.

Wright had better news about the East Tank, saying its rehabilitation was complete and it was back in service, with a small leak that was being repaired by divers.

Hodge told the board that Well 1A, which has been an important water source for the last 3½ years, is offline and LRE Water has been engaged to diagnose and repair it. Well 16A, the district’s newest well, is now fully online and is filling the gap resulting from Well 1A’s problems, he said.

Hodge commended Water Operator Ross Robinson for the presentation he gave on DWSD’s radium mitigation efforts, along with Mathieu Medina of Corona Environmental Consulting, at a recent wastewater conference. Hodge said it can be hard to be the first to address a problem, but “you get to write your own rules.”

Above: On Aug. 30, the Friday before Labor Day, Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) Water Operator Joe Lopez noticed water running down Baptist Road. At the same time, equipment was measuring a drop in water in one of Donala’s water tanks. Lopez diagnosed the problem as a water main break on Baptist Road near Fox Run Regional Park. The PVC pipe, installed many years before directly on bedrock, was stressed each time a pump turned until a 20-foot split occurred. General Manager Jeff Hodge estimated the repair cost to be between $50,000 and $60,000. He said the district would focus on repairing other wells that feed its water treatment plant directly and removing dependence on the old pipeline. Photo courtesy of Donala Water and Sanitation District.
Above: At its Sept. 19 board meeting, Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) heard from Water Operator Ronny Wright that one of the two tanks the district is rehabilitating needs more work than anticipated. Wright said the West Tank, which is 45 years old, has extensive issues with the I-beams supporting the top of the tank, and the district was obtaining a cost estimate before proceeding with the repair. The East Tank, he noted, is back in service. Photo courtesy of Donala Water and Sanitation District.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17 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

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Donala Water and Sanitation District, Aug. 15 – Board debates waiving term limits

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

At its August meeting, the Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board discussed waiving its current policy which allows directors to serve a maximum of two four-year terms. Removing term limits would need approval from the district’s voters. The board heard operational reports. Directors Bill George and Ed Miller were excused from the meeting.

Term limit policy considered

General Manager Jeff Hodge told the board that the current policy limiting directors to two four-year terms could lead to discontinuity where long-term projects, such as the district’s participation in the Loop water re-use effort, were concerned, and made it hard to find candidates to serve on the board. He asked the board to consider putting a waiver to the term limit policy before the voters in February.

Board President Wayne Vanderschuere said previous boards had considered changing the term limit policy, but the policy is difficult for small districts. He said he would be affected by retaining or changing the policy and would recuse himself from any votes.

Director Kevin Deardoff said it was hard to find people to run for seats on the board and he would support removing the limit of two terms.

Director Scott McCullough said he supported term limits in general and would not like to see the same people serving on the board forever. He asked if it was possible to extend the terms beyond four years but retain the limit to two terms. Hodge said the state of Colorado allowed only a limit to two terms or no limit whatsoever.

Vanderschuere said he agreed with McCullough on a philosophical level but thought waiving the term limit made sense for DWSD. The current policy allows a director to serve additional terms after four years off the board. He suggested the required time off the board could be reduced. He asked for the issue to be tabled until September when all the board members would be present.

Hodge said he would discuss potential alternatives with the district’s lawyer.

Operational reports

In his financial report, Hodge said the district’s finances were in better shape than they were at the same time in the previous year. He said $700,000 in water sales were needed over the remaining half of the year to meet the estimated revenue budgeted, and he expected that amount to be met. The district was not using water from its Willow Creek Ranch property and was not paying Colorado Springs Utilities to convey, treat, and deliver that water, which represented a savings of about $900,000. Bond payments were made on schedule, he said.

The board tabled a vote on the financial report until its September meeting, due to the excused absence of two members.

In his manager’s report, Hodge commented on the special legislative session underway at the state capital to discuss reducing property taxes. Potential changes to the property taxes collected by counties would impact DWSD’s finances, Hodge said.

Progress was being made on Well 16A and on the repairs to the district’s water tanks, Hodge said.

Brett Gracely, a project engineer with LRE Water, told the board that he was considering how DWSD could store water in Turquoise Lake or in the Willow Creek Reservoir due to the Pueblo Reservoir nearing its capacity.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 19 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

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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