By James Howald
At a brief meeting in April, the El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority (EPCRLWA, or the Loop) board heard a progress report from Mark Valentine, its interim workflow manager, and a financial report from Corbin Fromm, of Fromm and Co. LLC, the Loop’s accounting firm.
The meeting ended with an executive session.
Treatment plant design proceeding
Valentine told the board that the water treatment plant design and pilot test work, awarded to Burns and McDonnell at the previous board meeting, was going forward with no major issues. He said a kickoff meeting would be held early in May.
A request for proposal (RFP) to design the lift station pumps and pipelines needed to convey water from the proposed treatment plant northward to customers in the participating water district was out for bids, Valentine said. The RFP specifies five lift stations and 28 miles of pipeline, some 24-inch and some smaller. Valentine said the responses would go to the Loop’s board members for evaluation. Responses to the RFP are due May 16, he said.
Valentine added meetings with Western States Land Services LLC, the company acquiring easements for the Loop’s pipelines, would be held soon. He said a preliminary meeting to discuss the control network for the project would be held in May.
Financial report
Fromm told the board that invoices totaling $55,000 had been received for engineering, legal and accounting work. The board voted unanimously to authorize Fromm to pay the invoices.
Fromm said a check from the El Paso Board of County Commissioners for $594,000 had been received and he expected another check from the same source for $138,000 to arrive soon. Both checks are portions of the $4 million provided by the Biden administration’s American Recovery Plan Act to get the Loop project through its beginning stages. The Loop had spent about $86,000, or 2 percent, of its 2025 budget, Fromm said.
Executive session
An executive session was held to receive legal counsel regarding negotiating positions on issues with Vidler Water Co. Inc., Cherokee Metropolitan District, La Plata Communities, and Burns and McDonnell. No actions were taken following the executive session.
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The next regular meeting is scheduled for May 15 at 9 a.m. Regular meetings are 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 the first Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Monument Town Hall. 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 Loop articles
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Jan. 15 – Board hears updates from Merrick and SpencerFane (2/4/2026)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Dec.18 – Board considers hiring executive director (12/31/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Nov.20 – 2025 budget reviewed; 2026 budget adopted (12/4/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Oct. 15 – Board of County Commissioners slow to reimburse (10/30/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Sept. 25 – Contract for reservoir expansion design awarded (10/2/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, Aug. 28 – Board considers public-private partnership financing (9/4/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, July 17 – 2024 finances receive clean audit opinion (7/31/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, June 26 – Board hears progress report (7/3/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, May 15 – Board officers elected (6/7/2025)
- El Paso County Regional Loop Water Authority, March 20 – Contract awarded for water treatment plant design and pilot test (4/5/2025)
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