THE WATER LINE August 1999   Volume 2, Issue 2

New District Reservoir Begins Service

The District's new water Reservoir No. 7 was put into service during the last week of July. The reservoir, which is located on Democrat Road east of Selly Road and east of all existing Pinery development, holds 800,000 gallons of potable water. The circular, concrete reservoir will be completely buried when site grading is complete. This reservoir serves new development east of Highway 83 and increases the quality of service to portions of the Old Pinery, High Prairie Farms, the South Pinery and High Prairie Farms III.

Construction progress also continues on other District facilities. Reservoir No. 6, located along South Pinery Parkway near Nuthatch Lane, will be completed
at the end of September 1999.
Pump Station No. 6 began construction in July and will be completed in mid-October, 1999. This new pump station will be located on the south side of South Pinery Parkway just east of High Prairie Farms Drive.

The District appreciates your patience and consideration during construction of these projects. Please continue to use care when driving near these sites. Also, with the high school re-opening, please remind your teenage drivers to drive cautiously and pass construction vehicles only with extreme care.

Please feel free to call the District office (303-841-2797) if you have questions or concerns regarding these projects.

Board Considers Sewer Rate Increase

The District Board is considering a modest increase in the District's sewer rates. Current and proposed sewer rates for two months are:

Water usage for sewer rates is based on the use in January and February, or February and March (depending which billing cycle you are on) of each year.

It is the goal of the District to have our rates cover all of our operational costs. There are no increases proposed for water rates this year, but we have a need to increase the sewer rates to cover the cost of operating our wastewater treatment plant.

The other revenue sources that the District has and their uses are as follows:

• Property Taxes - we collect property taxes to pay off the bond debt that we have - these will be paid off in 2005
• Tap Fees - The Tap Fees that the District collects for each home that is built are used to pay for the share of the District's facilities that are required to provide service to that home.

If you have questions or comments regarding the proposed increase in sewer rates please call the District office or if you prefer you may contact our Board Treasurer Bob Greene. (Phone 303-840-7366, email bob.greene@cwix.com).

District Considers Expanding its Boundaries

The District has been in discussions with the Developer for Reata, a proposed new development of more than 2500 acres. Part of the Reata Development would be in the town of Parker and part of the proposed development would be in unincorporated Douglas County. The District has had discussions with the Developer about providing water and sewer services to the portion of the proposed development that would be in unincorporated Douglas County. Specifically, the property that is being discussed is the former Betts Ranch property that is bordered on the north by Hilltop Road and on the South by the Pinery. This 1700 acre property is proposed to be developed with 169 homes on 1 to 15 acre lots, an equestrian center, a golf course, and a small lodge and spa. The Developer will be requesting inclusion into the Pinery Water and Wastewater District later this summer. To be included into the District, the Developer will need to convey to the District adequate water rights to serve their development and they will need to construct (at no cost to the District) all of the infrastructure needed to serve the development. The District's inclusion process requires that there be a public hearing before the Board can vote on the inclusion. Please contact the District office if you have comments or questions.

Answers To Some Common Questions About Our Water Supply

Where Does our Water Come From?

The Pinery Water and Wastewater District provides water from two primary sources. The first are our shallow alluvial wells along Cherry Creek. This is a renewable water supply that provides most of our water (in 1998 this is where more than 85% of our water came from). The rest of our water comes from the deeper non-tributary Denver Basin aquifers.

Do We Have Enough Water?

Yes, at full build out of the District we anticipate that we will need to supply approximately 5000-acre feet of water per year. The District has water rights in excess of 10,000-acre feet annually. To access these water rights the District will need to install additional wells and pipelines as our annual demand increases. The District is also a member of the Douglas County Water Resource Authority, which is looking into water supply issues for all of Douglas County. The Authority is working to ensure that Douglas County has enough water to meet all demands in the future.

What treatment does our water get?

The water that we pump out of the ground is of high quality and as a result it requires minimal treatment. The treatment that we provide includes disinfecting with chlorine or sodium hypochlorite, we add a small amount of phosphoric acid to reduce corrosion of pipes and facilities, and we add a chemical called Aquamag to keep iron from oxidizing and causing discoloration of laundry and fixtures.

What is in my water?

The water we provide complies with all of the state and federal standards for drinking water. As a matter of fact, one of the new federal requirements for water providers is that we produce a "Consumer Confidence Report" on an annual basis that provides a great deal of detail about what is in the water. We are in the process of preparing the 1999 Consumer Confidence Report and we will be mailing it to each or our customers in the fall.

Do I need a home water treatment system?

As noted above, the water provided by the District complies with all applicable federal and state standards. The choice of home water treatment is entirely up to the customer. However, if you should decide to install home treatment then it must be operated and maintained properly. If not maintained properly, a home treatment system could actually degrade the quality of your water. We occasionally receive complaints about water quality, or water pressure, which are related to home water treatment systems and not District operations. Some of the more common complaints that we receive that can be traced to home water treatment systems are listed below:

Low Water Pressure - We frequently trace this problem to water softeners. Occasionally the ion exchange resin in the water softener gets into the pipes in the house and faucets get plugged. Or sometimes it is a problem in the softener itself.

Sand in my system - Occasionally we get a report of sand coming through the water system and showing up in customers' sinks and toilets. In all of the cases where this has been reported the "sand" has been ion exchange resin that has escaped from the customers water softener.

Is our water hard?

Hardness of water is a measure of the dissolved minerals (calcium and magnesium) in the water. It is usually expressed as grains per gallon, or milligrams per liter. The hardness of our water can best be described as moderately hard ( 8.75 grains per gallon, or 150 milligrams per liter). There is softer water (less dissolved minerals) and there is harder water (more dissolved minerals). Typically, hard water is less corrosive, has more taste then softer water, and hard water can cause spots on dishes and scaling in pipes. In softened water (water that has been treated in a water softener) the dissolved minerals (calcium, magnesium, etc.) are replaced with sodium. Softened water can be characterized as being more corrosive, having a very slight salty taste, and softened water produces better suds and lather with detergents.

Man Down!
Call 911!

"Man Down! Call 911!" The call goes out. It only takes a second for an accident to happen. It only takes a couple more seconds to decide what to do after that if you are properly trained and can keep your wits about you and everyone else. This is what the District's safety training sessions try to emphasize. Firstly, how do we perform a task as safely as possible? Secondly, in the event an accident does happen, stay calm and think about what we have learned and what needs to done next. Our safety training sessions cover any of the issues we may encounter during our daily tasks in the District including chemical handling, traffic control, lockout / tagout, electrical safety, large equipment safety, and confined spaces.

In June, the District staff teamed up with the Parker Fire Department's Confined Space Rescue Team for a mock emergency confined space entry and extraction. A confined space is any space that is not intended for habitation, and may have an environment containing one or more of the following hazards: poor atmospheric conditions, electrical shock hazards, risk of engulfment (usually with water, in our case), and only one way in or out. A confined space usually has room for only one or two individuals and requires that at least one other person remain outside the space to monitor all conditions of the entry.

The scenario was a routine maintenance entry into a backwash holding tank at the Wastewater Treatment facility. One operator was in the tank while another operator remained up top monitoring the conditions in the tank. Before entry, all the plant's operators discussed the plan for entry and locked out any potential hazards the tank might pose including electrical power to pumps, valves, and any other water source that may get into that tank. Or so they thought…Two other operators were performing maintenance in a different part of the plant and flipped a switch that poured several hundred gallons of water into the tank below, surprising the operators, and causing the operator in the tank to get knocked down and unconscious. The call went out…Call 911.

The PFD Rescue Team responded and went to work. Each member of the team had a job to do, from getting fresh air in the tank, to identifying if the "victim" was responsive, to setting up rescue apparatus. From time of arrival to getting the "victim" out of the tank took approximately 40 minutes. This is a small amount of time considering the complexity of the rescue equipment and the nature of the space: 18 feet down in a dark tank, with about 12 inches of cold water in the bottom and very confining for two rescuers wearing full rescue gear with air packs and one "unconscious victim" hanging from a ladder on a rope and harness.

It was a training session for the rescue team as well. A group critique after the extraction helped everyone learn what to do better next time. For the District staff, how to better prevent this kind of accident. For the rescue team, how to work in this kind of environment more efficiently. The session was a great success, not only from an educational standpoint, but from a community relations and communications standpoint, as well. The District staff is looking forward to working with various PFD teams in the future.

Root Control

Tree roots are rapidly becoming a problem encountered by many residents in our older subdivisions. The trees we all love become our worst nightmare in a sewer line with any minor imperfections. Current technology gives us several solutions for this condition. One is to call a plumber every one to two years and have the roots cut out. This will soon destroy your sewer lines. Option two is dig up your sewer service and repair the problem. This can be very costly, destroy landscaping and harm mature trees. Option three is a product called RootX. This product kills roots in the sewer line and prevents their re-growth for up to one year. You can purchase similar products from your plumber, but DO NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN COPPER SULFATE. . The EPA has approved RootX for use in all fifty states. RootX will not harm your trees, only the roots that intrude into your sewer. RootX can be purchased at the District office for $25.00. Please call the office at 841-2797 for additional information.

Truck Sale

The District is able to purchase vehicles through the State at a significant discount. We replace these vehicles every few years to avoid the maintenance associated with older vehicles. Currently the District has one 4-wheel drive 1995 Ford F150 truck with 47,000 miles for sale: Call the District office at 841-2797 for more information.

Part Time Office Help Needed

The Pinery Water & Wastewater District needs someone to do general office work one day a week and cover for longer periods when office staff is on vacation. Good customer relations, word processing, and general office skills required. Please send resume to the District at PO Box 1660, Parker CO 80134. Call Mary at 303-841-2797 if you have questions.