THE WATER LINE April 1999   Volume 2, Issue 1

Summer Water Demand

We are in the process of expanding our water storage and pumping facilities. Until this construction is completed in the fall, we will be close to our pumping capacity on our peak days. You can help us by managing your water use. Following are some tips for saving water outdoors.

District Construction Projects Proceed

Pinery residents who use South Pinery Parkway and/or Democrat Road can't help but notice the excavations for two new 800,000 gallon water storage reservoirs being constructed for the District. One reservoir will be located on the south side of South Pinery Parkway just west of the equestrian underpass and Nuthatch Lane. Alert readers will remember that this reservoir was originally to be located east of the equestrian underpass. Site considerations, increased economy, and the opportunity for larger buffer zone between the reservoir and the homes on Nuthatch resulted in changing the reservoir location during the preliminary design stage. The second reservoir is located on Democrat Road, east of Selly Road and east of all existing Pinery development.

The reservoirs will be completely buried, circular concrete tanks. The reservoir on Democrat Road will be completed in mid-July, and the reservoir on South Pinery Parkway will be completed at the end of September 1999.

The District is also building a new pump station on the south side of South Pinery Parkway just west of High Prairie Farms Drive. Construction will begin this month and be completed in June 1999.

Pinery residents should use care when driving near these sites. Construction vehicles will be entering the roadways at points where residents are not used to cross traffic. There will also be days, particularly when concrete pours are taking place, when there will be many trucks entering and leaving the sites. Please drive cautiously and talk with your teenage drivers! Thank you for your patience and consideration while these projects are being completed.

These new facilities will serve new development east and west of Highway 83 as well as increase the quality of service to portions of the Old Pinery, High Prairie Farms, the South Pinery and High Prairie Farms III. Please feel free to call the District office (303-841-2797) if you have questions or concerns regarding these projects.

Y2K

The District has been working on the Y2K issue since last September. Our goal is to have all or our major systems ready to go by July 1, 1999. This will give us time to check and recheck our preparations before any of the Y2K critical dates. Our major systems are our Water, Wastewater, and office computers (billing, accounts payable, etc.). Here's a status report of our progress on each of our systems.

Water

We looked into certifying that all or our control systems were Y2K compliant. This was a very costly proposition and it would have required us to replace control systems that are likely not going to fail as a result of the change to the year 2000. After evaluating the cost estimate for making sure that our systems would function, we developed a strategy to configure our system so that we could operate it manually should any of our control systems fail. We are in the process of working through our system and placing backup switches, gauges, and timers in parallel with our automatic control systems. Not only can we do this for about 5% of the cost of certifying all of our control systems, but we are also creating a backup means of operating our system should any of the controllers ever fail. We are modifying each of our facilities now, and are presently about 30% of the way through the water system. In addition, we will have two new pump stations on line by fall of this year (see article on this page). The new facilities are being constructed to be Y2K compliant.

Wastewater

The strategy for the wastewater system is the same as that for the water system. We are 100% complete on the modifications needed on our wastewater treatment plant to ensure that we can operate it if any of our systems fail. We successfully completed a sustained test of our manual operations during the first week of February.

For both the water and wastewater systems we will be conducting staff training throughout the year In the fall, we will run the entire system in a fully manual mode for a sustained period of time to confirm our staffing needs and to work out any bugs in the operation. A couple of days before the end of the year we will then set the systems to manual, make sure all our tanks are full, and have the staff on hand to run the system. After the first of the year, we will bring the automatic systems back on line.

Office Systems

Our system suppliers are in the process of certifying that our office systems are Y2K compliant.

What if we have a sustained power outage?

There are Y2K issues that are beyond the control of the District. The most critical of these is power. We have been in contact with both IREA and Public Service Company and we are confident that their Y2K programs have fully addressed the issue. However, if we have a power outage, we have enough storage in our system to provide water for a couple of days. We also have the ability to store wastewater at our treatment plant for several weeks. If a power outage lasts longer than a few days, we have the ability to make water available at a central location in the Pinery. Thoughtfully restricting our water use when there is no electricity will help ensure a safe supply for essential and emergency needs. Conserving water at these times best serves all of the community.

Progress on Intergovernmental Agreements

Since our last newsletter, the District had continued to have discussions with Castle Rock and Franktown about having the Pinery Water and Wastewater District provide wastewater treatment services for these communities. Little progress has been made in our discussions with Castle Rock but our discussions with Franktown have continued on a regular basis. Thus far, the Franktown representatives have been agreeable to all of the issues that the District has raised. Franktown has agreed to adopt our Groundwater Protection Rules, to pay their full cost of connection into our system, and to make their proposed new Metro-District in complete compliance with the County Master Plan for the Franktown area. The District will continue to keep you updated on this important issue in future editions for this newsletter and through the homeowner's association newsletters.

Television Inspections & Sewer Cleaning

In 1998 the District video inspected over 8 miles of sewer line. Problem areas were identified and repairs have been made to the most serious problems. We will continue with these repairs this spring. This year the District will continue our program to do television inspections and cleaning of our aging sewer collection system. This activity will cause no interruptions in services to our rate payers, however you may see jet cleaners and vans belonging to DRC Construction in the streets and green belt areas near your homes. The TV inspection program is scheduled to view all sewer mains within the District. Our goal is approximately ¼ to 1/3 of the system per year. This program assists the District in identification and correction of problem areas prior to system backups. Routine cleaning of sewer mains assists in prevention of sewer main stoppages by removing accumulated solids. We are finding a lot of locations with heavy grease accumulations that will likely cause future blockages. We urge all District residents to refrain from dumping cooking grease and oils down their drains. If you should have any questions please call (303) 841-2797 for additional information.

Springtime Is Biosolids Time!

It's Springtime in the Pinery and we're making Bios (short for Biosolids) ! Although the Bios we are preparing right now will not be available until late summer or fall 1999, we do have a limited supply of a material we produced last summer. Incorporating local stable waste produced a mulch type material, as high, if not higher, in nutrient value than our usual product. The material is fluffier than our usual product, much like peat moss, and should be used in the same manner to loosen hard packed flowerbed soils and planter mixes. It is not recommended for top dressing lawns house because the coarseness of the wood shavings in the material would not be as readily absorbed as our usual Bios. This material will still aid in moisture retention due partly to polymers used in the process, but mostly because its coarseness will open up the porosity of hard packed soils and let water penetrate better. Give it a try. Call Kevin or Shannon at (303) 841-2797 for information on availability and prices.

Our Stand

McLain Pit (AKA Centennial Minerals)

The McLain Pit is located just south of Franktown. This gravel mining operation has applied to the State Mined Land Reclamation Board to allow the mining operation to extend below the groundwater table. The District opposes this mining operation because it poses a threat to the long-term quality of our water supply. We have expressed our concerns to the State Division of Minerals and Geology, we have provided written comments and we will be testifying at the Mined Land Reclamation Board hearing in April.

Cherry Creek Dam - Corps of Engineers Dry Dam

The US Army Corps of Engineers is working on increasing the capacity of the Cherry Creek Dam to handle the Probable Maximum Flood. As part of their study the Corps of Engineers is looking at alternatives that include construction of a "Dry Dam" upstream of Cherry Creek Reservoir to hold back floodwaters from major rainstorms. One of the locations that the Corps of Engineers is considering would be a dam generally along the alignment of Scott Road. This alignment would flood our south well field, our office, our maintenance building, and our Bayou Gulch sewer line. The Corps of Engineers has not contacted the District even though we are an affected property owner. The District opposes the Scott Road site, and has provided testimony and written comments to the Corps of Engineers and our congressional delegation.

Spring Flushing of the Water System

Again this spring, we will be flushing the entire water system. We flush to clear the lines of mineral and organic matter deposits that build up during the winter. It is scheduled to start sometime around the end of March. Fire hydrants are opened to increase the velocity of water moving through the mains, which carries out the matter. You will be notified by way of door hanger a day prior to flushing. Our maintenance crew will be flushing to storm drains and sanitary sewer lines. If you would like to have the water diffused onto your grass, please let the district representative know. At this same time fire hydrants will be checked for proper operation. Approximately 50 miles of pipe will be flushed, using about three million gallons of water. While this may seem wasteful, our high water quality is maintained and complaints related to taste, odor and color are greatly reduced.

Your Water Meter

The water meter for your home is usually located in a meter pit near the property line. The water meter pit is a cylindrical vault buried in the ground with a cover and a lid that houses the water meter. The meter lid is approximately one foot in diameter and indicates "Water" on the cover. Once every two months the meter reader reads the water meter so your usage can be billed. The meter reader and maintenance personnel need to have ready access to the meter cover and the water meter inside in the event there is a need to shut off the meter. No sod or landscaping material is allowed to cover the meter cover lid. We also request that no shrubbery, rock gardens or trees be planted within 10 feet of the meter so that the meter reader can easily access the water meter and maintenance staff will not have to disturb the landscaping if there is a leak at the meter pit. If you have existing shrubs or trees near the meter pit consider relocating them before they mature. The District is not responsible for replacing them in the event there is a leak at the meter. The District maintains the waterline from the street to the meter pit, while the homeowner is responsible from the meter pit to the house. All homeowners should be aware of the location of their water meter and the master shut off valve within the house in case there is a leak. Steps in technology have even addressed water meters. Most homes can now be read from a black disk located on the meter cover or a post nearby with a "wand" carried by the meter reader. This has allowed for more accurate readings and has reduced the time it takes to read the meters. Future meters will be read through radio technology

Conservation Kits Still Available

Your District has Water Conservation Kits available. We also have dye tablets available to help you determine if your toilet has a leak. The District will sell the kits for only $3.00 each! The dye tablets are free (remember they are not candy and should be kept out of the reach of children). Contact the District office or call Mary Applegate to reserve yours at 303-841-2797