By James Howald and Jackie Burhans
The Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) board met in August to award a contract for electrical work on the district’s newest well. The board also heard operational reports from General Manager Jeff Hodge, who reviewed the district’s monthly finances and touched on several ongoing projects.
Well 16A nears completion
Hodge told the board that drilling and hardware installation are complete for Well 16A, which will pump from the Arapahoe aquifer. Bids are out for drilling a pipeline to connect the well to the district’s infrastructure and to construct a vault for the well. The final bid is for electrical work, Hodge said.
Roger Sams, of GMS Engineering Inc., said the electrical work consisted of conduits, wiring, and installation of some equipment that has been received. There were two bids submitted for the work, Sams said: one from McDade-Woodcock Inc. for $134,551 and a second from Sun Valley Contractors LLC for $94,406. Sams advised the district to award the contract to Sun Valley Contractors.
The board voted unanimously to award the contract to Sun Valley Contractors.
Details of operational reports
Hodge told the board that water sales had increased during July, and much of the revenue lost due to exceptionally rainy May and June had been recovered. He gave a generally positive picture of the district’s finances, remarking that electrical expenses budgeted at $73,000 would be closer to $50,000 due to the lower water usage in previous months. Repair and maintenance was also under budget, he said.
Hodge said the district was rebidding the project to recoat the district’s water tanks.
Commenting on the district’s recent changes to billing for sewer service, which took effect in July, Hodge said only four calls from the district’s 2,900 customers had been received, with two callers unhappy with the changes and two happy. Hodge said July billing for sewer service was up $20,000.
Hodge said only 57 meters remained to be replaced out of the 2,819 in the district. He noted that the new meters were better integrated with the district’s billing software, allowing office staff to have accurate real-time data to assist customers.
Summarizing progress by the El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, of which DWSD is a participating district, Hodge said he noticed Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) was becoming more flexible in the options it was willing to consider for how the loop project might use CSU’s infrastructure. The loop might be able to save money by using some of CSU’s infrastructure instead of building its own, he said.
Hodge also mentioned that due to staff changes, he was now the Operator in Responsible Charge (ORC) for the Upper Monument Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility.
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The next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 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.
Other Donala Water and Sanitation District articles
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Oct. 9 – 2026 budget planning (10/30/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Sept. 11 – 2026 budget planning kicks off (10/2/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Aug. 13, 22 – General manager on administrative leave (9/4/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, July 17 – Board tours treatment facility, adjusts sewer bills (8/1/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, June 12 – Positive audit report; inconsistent waste treatment numbers (7/3/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, May 5 – Directors sworn in; district offices temporarily closed (6/7/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, April 17 – Workshop covers finances, water supply (5/3/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Mar. 27 – New water and sewer rates take effect (4/5/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Feb. 20 – Voters remove term limits (3/1/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Jan. 16 – Board passes housekeeping resolution (2/1/2025)
- Donala Water and Sanitation District, Nov. 21 – State signs off on radium remediation (1/4/2025)