OCN

Volunteers reporting on community issues in Monument, Palmer Lake, and the surrounding Tri-Lakes area

OCN > 2603 > Triview Metropolitan District, Feb. 19 – Northern Monument Creek Interceptor approved

Triview Metropolitan District, Feb. 19 – Northern Monument Creek Interceptor approved

Highlights

  • The NMCI project was approved to move from design to construction, with a shared estimated cost of about $90.3 million and an initial district share of $32.44 million (TMD $25.66m, FLMD $6.78m), plus a 99-year wastewater services contract and potential pipeline ownership for financing.
  • Groundbreaking is planned for May/June, with completion targeted for late 2027; CSU and FLMD boards have approved their participation, and Colorado Springs City Council has the project on its early March consent agenda.
  • A corrective review found inflow measurements at UMCRWWTF had been significantly understated due to meter discrepancies; new laser meters aligned influent and effluent readings, enabling accurate flow credits and proper accounting ahead of NMCI operations.
  • A special Feb. 11 meeting authorized termination of a mining contract for the Central Reservoir in the Stonewall Springs Reservoir Complex; no action was recorded at the subsequent executive session.
  • Additional district updates: Higby Road improvement detours will start March 23 with project completion expected November 2026; a large Sanctuary Pointe detention pond is being reconstructed with some design costs covered by the developer; Venison Creek Park will receive a new play area in early March, with temporary closures during construction.
  • The district is relocating its offices to 1641 Baja Drive, with most meetings moving there from March 19; next regular board meeting is March 19 at 5:30 p.m., with Zoom instructions available on the district website.

Correction

The TMD article in the February edition of OCN mistakenly identified Director Erik Demkowicz as Mark Demkowicz. OCN regrets the error.

**********

Editor’s note: OCN needs a volunteer to cover Trivew Metropolitan District meetings. We will train you! Contact John Heiser at 719-488-3455.

**********

By Natalie Barszcz

At the Triview Metropolitan District (TMD) regular meeting on Feb. 19, the board approved an addendum to an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) and the Forest Lakes Metropolitan District (FLMD) for construction cost sharing for the Northern Monument Creek Interceptor (NMCI) project. The board heard about the efforts made to rectify the wastewater meter calculations at the Upper Monument Creek Wastewater Regional Treatment Facility (UMCWWRTF).

The board held a special meeting on Feb. 11 to authorize the termination of a mining contract for the Central Reservoir in the Stonewall Springs Reservoir Complex.

The board held an executive session to determine positions on matters that may be subject to negotiations, develop strategies for negotiations, and instruct negotiators regarding potential participation in the NMCI project.

NMCI project approved

The NMCI project is a proposed 10.1-mile pipeline that would transport untreated wastewater from TMD and FLMD to the CSU J.D. Phillips Water Resource Recovery Facility (near I-25 and Garden of the Gods Road) for processing.

District Manager Jim McGrady requested the board consider and approve Resolution 2026-04, an addendum to an IGA with CSU and FLMD for construction cost sharing for the NMCI project, and to approve the revised wastewater service agreement with CSU for the provision of long-term wastewater services to the district. The addendum moves the project from the design phase to the construction phase. The agreement provides a 99-year contract per term for the treatment of the district’s wastewater and allows ownership in the pipeline to provide an asset for financing the project via bonds from the Enterprise Fund, said McGrady.

McGrady said the guaranteed maximum price to all participants of the proposed NMCI project is finalized to within $500,000 of the anticipated shared cost of about $90.3 million. The shared cost for both districts is $32.44 million (split $25.66 million for TMD and $6.78 million for FLMD). The project has been in the planning phase for eight years, with participation originally offered to all wastewater and sanitation districts in northern El Paso County, said McGrady.

Before considering participation in the project, the district conducted a third-party study to determine the future costs of mandatory upgrades to the UMCRWWTF (shared with Donala Water and Sanitation District (DWSD) and FLMD).

The board unanimously approved the addendum to the IGA, moving the NMCI project forward.

McGrady confirmed to this reporter after the meeting that the project was approved by the CSU board and the FLMD board. The Colorado Springs City Council has the project listed on its early March consent agenda. As the only two districts from northern El Paso County participating in the NMCI project, TMD and FLMD are responsible for the cost of the first 1,000 feet of pipeline to the northern boundary of the Air Force Academy property. Groundbreaking on the project is expected in May/June, with completion of the pipeline late 2027, said McGrady.

Wastewater influent volume realized

Water Treatment Superintendent Gary Potter said that for a number of years, the reported influent (gallons of wastewater) entering the UMCRWWTF has always been significantly less than the amount leaving the wastewater treatment facility. For about a year, the district has been trying to figure out the correct volumes, checking the mag meter and the flume leaving the plant, and those effluent numbers were matching closely. DWSD installed a laser meter upstream of its flume to report to the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, and those numbers also matched well.

The only other meter input that could be causing the discrepancy combines the influents from TMD and FLMD, and those meters should match the effluent flow; they have been off by a massive amount, recording much less influent. The flow numbers need to be accurate to avoid anyone being shorted flow credits, an important factor when the NMCI becomes operational. New laser meters similar to DWSD’s meter were installed before the district’s influent joins the FLMD influent, revealing the district’s influent flow as almost double the previous numbers. The district is finally collecting accurate data from the meters, and the accounting problems can now be resolved, said Potter.

The SCADA system accurately records the wastewater flow leaving the treatment facility to ensure the district is credited the correct amount of reusable return flows.

Water operations update

Potter’s January report stated the Northern Delivery System (NDS) produced 48% of the district’s water, with the remainder sourced from the district’s wells for a total of about 15.774 million gallons. The district sold about 14.990 million gallons to customers, leaving 135,200 gallons or about 4.15% of non-revenue (unbilled) water. The district had 15.72% unbilled water in January 2025.

Higby Road improvement update

Assistant Manager Steve Sheffield said he, McGrady, and Public Works Inspector/Project Manager Tom Martinez had met with Monument Fire District staff to discuss the upcoming road closures and detours that will be necessary to carry out the Higby Road improvements. The rerouting of traffic is expected to begin on March 23, and Kiewit expects to complete the project in November 2026.

Message boards providing updates on the project and a link to the road closures and detours will be available at https://triviewmetro.com.

Detention pond reconstruction

Sheffield said the district is receiving bids to reconstruct the large detention pond in Sanctuary Pointe located off Sanctuary Rim Drive. The pond receives heavy water flow during large storms and has significant silt issues and erosion occurring.

McGrady said the developer is helping with the design cost of the reconstruction project, but the infrastructure is no longer under warranty.

Venison Creek Park construction

Parks and Open Spaces Superintendent Matt Rayno announced the installation of a new play area in Venison Creek Park would begin the first week of March. The park will be closed in March and April during construction. The park is the only play area within the district budgeted for new equipment in 2026.

District office relocation

The district staff anticipates the permanent move to the district’s new utility operations and administration office location at 1641 Baja Drive, Monument, with temporary access via Old Denver Road on March 16. Before stopping by/dropping off utility bill payments, call 719-488-6868 or mail to PO Box 849, Monument, CO 80132. All future meetings will be held at the new location beginning March 19.

Executive session

The board moved into executive session at 8:42 p.m., to receive legal advice pursuant to section 24-6-402(4)(e) Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS), for the purposes of determining positions relative to matters that may be subject to negotiations, developing strategies for negotiations, and instructing negotiators as it relates to the potential participation in the NMCI.

Sheffield confirmed to this reporter upon returning to the regular session that no action was taken.

Mining contract termination

At the special meeting held on Feb. 11, the board unanimously approved Resolution 2026-03, terminating a mining contract for the Central Reservoir in the Stonewall Springs Reservoir Complex following a question-and-answer session between the board and the district’s water attorney, Chris Cummins, and McGrady.

Note: This reporter was unavailable to attend the special meeting.

**********

Meetings are usually held on the third Thursday of the month at the district office located at 1641 Baja Drive, W. Baptist Rd., with temporary access via Old Denver Road. The next regular board meeting is scheduled for March 19 at 5:30 p.m. For Zoom meeting joining instructions, meeting agendas, minutes, and updates, visit https://triviewmetro.com.

Natalie Barszcz can be reached at nataliebarszcz@ocn.me.

Other Triview Metropolitan District articles

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *