By James Howald
- Is there enough water for MRE?
- Growth slows, reducing water tap fee revenue
- Operational reports
- Next meeting rescheduled
In June, the Woodmoor Water and Sanitation District (WWSD) board heard concerns from residents regarding the future water supply, especially as it affects the proposed residential development Monument Ridge East (MRE). District Engineer Ariel Hacker updated the board on the pace of development and its impact on revenue the district expects from tap fees. The board heard operational reports, rescheduled its next meeting and planned a workshop. The meeting ended with an executive session, after which no action was taken.
Is there enough water for MRE?
During the public comment portion of its meeting, the board addressed questions about the availability of water to serve the MRE residential development, which is planned for the land at the northernmost edge of El Paso County, just south of County Line Road and east of I-25. About 444 residences in total, some detached single-family residences, some duplexes, and some fourplexes, are planned for the site.
Resident Lanette Prosseda reminded the board about the history of the Misty Acres development, which was originally to have just over 400 single-family residences but needed to be reduced in size in 2005 due to concerns about lack of water. This happened before the district’s purchase of the Woodmoor Ranch and its water rights, she said. She questioned whether there would be enough water for MRE.
Steve King, Monument mayor pro tem, said he understood MRE would need to buy supplemental water from the district, which comes at a much higher cost than the standard one-half-acre-foot of water per acre of land that is the standard water service in WWSD’s service area. He also mentioned a concern over the number of impervious surfaces that the development would entail.
Resident Gordon Reichal asked if the restrictions on outdoor watering meant the board was concerned about the availability of water.
District Manager Jessie Shaffer explained that the restrictions on water were primarily intended to manage issues of peak demand, not total availability of water. Handling peak demand was a costly issue for the district, he said. The water restrictions are aimed at leveling the peaks of consumption and reducing the overall costs of water delivery, Shaffer said. He added that demand management is “just good stewardship” of a resource and everyone should be mindful of the need to conserve water.
Shaffer went on to say that WWSD is not a land use authority and did not have the legal responsibility or authority to decide on land use issues: “We can’t tell anyone what they can build.” Land use decisions in the WWSD service area are made by the county, he said.
Shaffer said the district drafts a Long Range Plan (LRP) every five years that details the water rights to ground and surface water owned by the district. The current LRP, which estimates water needs at buildout, allows for 600 single-family residences on the land that MRE would occupy. He said the district’s supplemental water policy was designed to help ensure development paid for its demands on the district.
Board President Brian Bush said the district has enough water to serve “full buildout.” He said he was not on the board when the decision was made to purchase the Woodmoor Ranch and its renewable water rights, but he thought that decision was sound. He said the board was not able to help those who opposed MRE in any configuration. He suggested residents take their concerns to the county Planning Commission or the county commissioners.
King said his main concern is the impact MRE would have on the conservation easement in Douglas County immediately to the north. He estimated that only 15% of MRE’s land would be permeable, and said he believed that was a valid reason not to move forward with the development. Douglas County has protested the plans for MRE out of concerns for the conservation easement, he said.
Growth slows, reducing water tap fee revenue
In response to questions from the board at a previous meeting about expected revenues from water tap fees, Hacker told the board that her calculations showed that development in the WWSD service area was slowing. The estimate of new water taps used in 2024 was close to the actual number of taps sold, she said. The Cloverleaf development just east of Lewis-Palmer High School purchased 15 taps in the first half of 2024 and is expected to purchase another 15 in the last six months of the year. The Monument Junction East development has purchased 14 taps and is expected to purchase 48 more by the end of the year.
A 3/4-inch water tap, the most common size for residential uses, costs $37,235 and a sewer tap costs $10, 388.
Hacker said the Waterside, North Bay, MRE, and Monument Junction West developments are not expected to purchase taps until 2025.
At previous meetings, the board discussed the possibility of raising tap fees in mid-2024. Historically, the board has raised tap fees only once per year as a part of its budgeting cycle. Shaffer said growth was slowing, in part due to high interest rates, and he recommended leaving tap fees unchanged until next year. Bush said he did not recall the board ever raising tap fees mid-year.
Operational reports
In his financial report, Treasurer Roy Martinez commented that revenue from supplemental water service was at 100% of the budgeted amount, and income from leases had seen an increase from the district’s lease of a portion of Woodmoor Ranch to Enerfin Renewables Inc. to be used for a solar array.
Martinez said the district had added an additional bank account that was used for a money market account that generates much higher interest.
The board voted unanimously to accept the financial report.
In his report, Operations Superintendent Dan LaFontaine said water loss had returned to 10%, which was normal. He reported no breaks or failures for the previous month. He reported a loss of water pressure in some houses due to an error made in the installation of a pressure reducing valve required by the Monument Junction East development.
Next meeting rescheduled
The board voted to delay its next meeting to July 15 to allow an additional week to work on the 2025 budget data.
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The next meeting is scheduled for July 15 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.