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OCN > 2502 > Donala Water and Sanitation District, Jan. 16 – Board passes housekeeping resolution

Donala Water and Sanitation District, Jan. 16 – Board passes housekeeping resolution

By James Howald and Jackie Burhans

In January, the Donala Water and Sanitation District’s (DWSD) board passed an administrative resolution and set their calendar of meetings for 2025. It elected a backup representative to the El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority (EPCRLWA, also known as the “Loop”). Finally, the board heard financial and operational reports.

Administrative resolution

Resolution 2025-1 specifies how DWSD will comply with state laws; a similar resolution is passed every year. It includes, in part:

  • The timeline governing when a budget will be proposed, amended if necessary and filed with the state.
  • The Gazette or the Tri-Lakes Tribune will be the papers of general circulation in which legal notices will be published.
  • Notices will also be posted on the district’s webpage, www.donalawater.org, and at the district’s offices at 1580 Holbein Dr.
  • Regular meetings will be on the third Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m. at the district’s offices.

Meeting schedule for 2025

The board set its meeting schedule for 2025. The schedule can be found here: https://www.donalawater.org/files/8c7aa8899/Annual+Board+Meeting+Schedule+2025.pdf.

Backup representatives named

General Manager Jeff Hodge asked the board to approve Resolution 2025-2, which names Accounts Payable Specialist Christina Hawker and Water Operator Cade Pennington as the district’s alternative representatives on the Loop board. They will represent DWSD if Hodge is unable to attend a Loop meeting. The board voted unanimously to approve the resolution.

Financial report and operational reports

In a brief financial report, Hawker said the district ended its 2024 budget year with water sales $30,000 over its estimate and expenses just under its estimate. The expenses for the Upper Monument Creek Waste Wastewater Treatment Facility (UMCWWTF), which DWSD operates jointly with Academy Water and Sanitation District, Forest Lakes Metropolitan District, and Triview Metropolitan District, were spot on, she said. The board voted unanimously to accept the financial report.

In his manager’s report, Hodge told the board the district is moving ahead with its plans to redrill Well 7D. He said he had met with the district’s water lawyers and with engineers, who estimated the redrilled well could produce 200 gallons per minute. Hodge said he was concerned that the pipeline adjacent to Baptist Road could fail but the wells near the Holbein treatment plant can supply the plant without using the pipeline. He said he was also considering the future of Well 14A, currently unused due to radium levels, but which could be viable with the radium remediation technology that the district has in place.

Rehabilitation of the district’s storage tanks is continuing, Hodge said, adding he was dusting off the plans to keep the district’s UMCWWTF safe in case of fire. The district should consider investing in an on-site generator or in battery backup, he said.

Superintendent of Water Operations Ronny Wright told the board he was investigating Barricade fire blocking gel and Phos-Chek as methods to protect the UMCWWTF from fire damage.

Waste Plant Operator Aaron Tolman reported E. coli in the UMCWWTF’s effluent is well under the maximum allowed. The plant processed 28 million gallons of wastewater in December, Tolman said.

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The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 20 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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