By Jackie Burhans and James Howald
At the Monument Sanitation District’s (MSD) April meeting, District Manager Mark Parker updated the board on work underway to ensure the district’s collection system can handle the estimated wastewater from the proposed Buc-ee’s travel center. Parker also updated the board on issues at the district’s headquarters building. Board Treasurer John Howe, who is term-limited and will be replaced by Shannon Clark at the board’s May meeting, said goodbye to the other board members.
Pipeline capacity examined
Parker told the board that he was working with GMS Inc., the district’s consulting engineers, to assess the existing pipelines and manholes between Dirty Woman Creek Park and the Tri-Lakes Waste Water Treatment Facility (TLWWTF). The park and the treatment facility are both on Mitchell Avenue south of Mount Herman Road, about a half mile apart from each other. GMS is documenting the rim and invert elevations, pipe sizes, and material types of each manhole and performing a hydraulic evaluation to determine the current capacity of the system.
Parker said the proposed Buc-ee’s travel center would produce an estimated 15,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The 12-inch pipeline that runs between the park and the treatment facility is currently carrying about one-eighth of its maximum capacity, Parker said. He estimated the wastewater from the travel center would have minimal impact on the pipeline.
One manhole remains to be documented, Parker said, adding he was not sure it made sense to open it for inspection due to its location under Dirty Woman Creek. The manhole had been examined by video, he said.
Parker said he would meet with GMS later in the day to verify the existing infrastructure, including pipeline capacity and the TLWWTF, can handle the travel center’s wastewater if it is built.
MSD headquarters to receive new tree
Parker told the board that the Town of Monument would replace the tree in the MSD headquarters’ courtyard with a chokecherry on Arbor Day, April 25. The old tree was improperly installed, he said, and was dying. See Arbor Day photo on page < 21 >.
Parker also mentioned that an expansion tank in the building had been replaced.
Howe bids the board farewell
Having completed his second and final term on the MSD board, Howe wished the best for Shannon Clark, who will replace him. He thanked Chairman Dan Hamilton for his leadership, Director William Morgan for agreeing to fill a vacancy on the board and volunteering to be the board’s liaison with the Joint Use Committee that oversees the TLWWTF, Secretary Janet Ladowski for her wealth of scientific knowledge, and Director Anthony Archer for his background with sanitation.
Howe also said goodbye to Parker, to Accounts Administrator Cheran Allsup, and Operations Specialist James Kendrick.
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Monument Sanitation District meetings are held at 9 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month in the district conference room at 130 Second St., Monument. The next regular meeting is scheduled for May 21. See https://MonumentSanitationDistrict.org. For a district service map, see https://MonumentSanitationDistrict.org/district-map. Information: 719-481-4886.
Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me. James Howald can be reached at jameshowald@ocn.me.
Other Monument Sanitation District articles
- Monument Sanitation District, Mar. 19 –Upcoming election canceled (4/5/2025)
- Monument Sanitation District, Feb. 19: District manager clarifies upcoming election (3/1/2025)
- Monument Sanitation District, Jan. 15 – Board passes administrative resolution (2/1/2025)
- Monument Sanitation District, Dec. 18 – Four properties added to service area (1/4/2025)
- Monument Sanitation District, Nov. 20 – Board approves rate increase, plans for Buc-ee’s impact (12/5/2024)
- Monument Sanitation District, Oct. 16 – Board considers rate increase; discusses 2025 budget (11/2/2024)
- Monument Sanitation District, Sept. 18 – Board reviews rate study (10/5/2024)
- Monument Sanitation District, Aug. 21 – Board approves four-day work week (9/7/2024)
- Monument Sanitation District, July 17 – Repair completed without blocking traffic (8/3/2024)
- Monument Sanitation District, June 19 – 2023 audit accepted; repair hits snag (7/6/2024)
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