- PPWM reports on meetings
- ARPA subrecipient agreement explained
- Water quality tests proceed
- Executive session and vote
By James Howald
The El Paso County Loop Regional Water Authority (EPCRLWA) board met in August to hear an update from its recently hired Project Planning and Workflow Manager (PPWM) and to formalize the obligations required by the project’s acceptance of American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The board also heard results from the most recent water quality tests. The meeting ended with an executive session.
The EPCRLWA was formed in November 2022 by an Intergovernmental Agreement between Cherokee Metropolitan District (CMD), Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD), the Town of Monument (TOM), and Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) to build infrastructure that would allow water, including treated effluent, that is flowing south in Monument and Fountain Creeks to be stored at Calhan Reservoir at Woodmoor Ranch and then pumped back north to be used by customers of the participating districts.
PPWM reports on meetings
The EPCRLWA board recently hired John Kuosman, a water practice leader with Merrick and Co., to serve as the project’s PPWM, overseeing and coordinating the work of the various contractors contributing to the effort. Kuosman told the board he was developing a decision flow chart around types of funding, funding agreements, and plans to sell bonds. Kuosman said he met with Russ Dykstra of Spencer Fane, the project’s law firm, to discuss the details of how the participating water districts might sell bonds to finance their portions of the project.
Kuosman also said he met with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). To date, EPCRLWA’s proposed design for the project has not included use of any infrastructure belonging to CSU. Kuosman said CSU was open to the idea of “boutique rates” for the use of some of their infrastructure. He said CSU was not looking for a commitment, but wanted to have conversations with agencies that might be interested in such an arrangement. Kuosman suggested this could be advantageous for EPCRLWA, which might be able to save costs on water treatment. Kuosman did not recommend that EPCRLWA “pump the brakes” on its current design, however.
Following Kuosman’s remarks about the CSU meeting, Tom Tharnish, Monument’s director of Public Works, who attended the meeting in place of Mike Foreman, Monument’s town manager, moved to appoint Kuosman to represent the project at CSU’s ongoing meetings regarding water reuse. The appointment was unanimously approved.
Kuosman also mentioned that he had met with the Town of Fountain, which has expressed interest in joining the project. Kuosman said Fountain did not want to pass on the costs of joining the project to its existing customers and was considering a public/private partnership instead that would be funded through new tap fees, which would be paid only by new development. The town had not made a formal request to join the project, he said.
ARPA subrecipient agreement explained
Dykstra asked the board to approve a subrecipient agreement required for the project to receive ARPA funds through El Paso County. The agreement states the funds must be used for work related to water and wastewater infrastructure that meets federal eligibility requirements, and the county will monitor the performance of the subrecipient against activities, goals, and performance standards that are defined for the project. The agreement documents that EPCRLWA has requested funds for:
- Design engineering fees
- Environmental assessments
- Easements and property repairs
- Legal expenses
- Indirect costs
The agreement also requires EPCRLWA to make all its accounting documents available to the county.
The board voted unanimously to approve the agreement.
Water quality tests proceed
Richard Hood of JVA Inc., the company EPCRLWA has hired to assess water quality and design the water treatment aspects of the project, told the board that the latest water quality data were in line with previous results. Two herbicides were detected for the first time, but the levels were below the maximum contaminate levels for those chemicals.
Executive session and vote
The board adjourned the regular meeting and went into executive session to receive legal advice on a water use offer. After the executive session, the board voted unanimously to authorize counsel to prepare a response letter to the water use offer. No details about the offer were provided.
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The next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. Regular meetings are usually 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 every Thursday at 9 a.m. at rotating venues. 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 El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority articles
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Nov. 21 – Board approves 2025 budget (12/5/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Oct. 17 – Board hears financial reports (11/2/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Sept. 19 – Board postpones non-disclosure agreements (10/5/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Aug. 15 – Board amends contract with Merrick and Co. (9/7/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, July 18 – Board considers new roles for Merrick and Co. (8/3/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, June 20 – Board pursues easements (7/6/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, May 16 – Board refines relationship with CSU (6/1/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, March 21 – Board debates relationship to CS (4/6/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Feb. 15 – Board debates relationship with CSU (3/2/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Jan. 18 – Consultants address financing, CSU facilities, easements (2/3/2024)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Dec. 12 – Board focuses on budgets (1/6/2024)