THE WATER LINE April 2001   Volume 4, Issue 1

First Douglas County Household Chemical
Roundup for 2001 to be held on June 2nd

Leftover paint, automotive fluids and other house and garden chemicals will be accepted for recycling or proper disposal at the Douglas County Household Chemical Roundup on Saturday, June 2nd from 9:00am to 3:00p.m. The event will be held at the Joint Service Facility, 17801 E. Plaza Drive in Parker. Additional Household Chemical Roundups will be held on June 23rd in Highlands Ranch and September 29th in Castle Rock. Douglas County residents are welcome to bring household materials to any of the events.

Paint products, motor oil, antifreeze, vehicle batteries, house and garden chemicals, scrap metal, mercury, propane and tires will be accepted. You will not even have to get out of your car, volunteers will be available to unload.

The event is offered free-of-charge, except for tires, for which there is a $2 per tire charge. Tires need to be off of the rims, but even the rims will be accepted for scrap metal recycling. No tires over 16 inches will be accepted. Cash donations will also be accepted to help offset the costs of the event. The Parker Fire Department will also be onsite to accept food, clothing, and toy donations for charity.

The Roundup cannot accept waste from businesses, radioactive waste, ammunition, explosives, asbestos or any compressed gases other than propane.

This roundup welcomes residents of Douglas County. A driver's license and water bill will be required when entering the site for proof of residency.

This event is sponsored by public and private organizations including the Pinery Water and Wastewater District, Parker Fire Protection District, Town of Parker, Parker Water and Sanitation District, Douglas County, Stonegate Village Metropolitan District, Cottonwood Water and Sanitation District, Waste Management of Colorado, Imperial Enterprises, and Tri-County Health Department.

For more information, call the 24-hour Household Chemical Roundup Hotline at 303-846-6249 or Matt Ziska at Tri-County Health at 303-227-4038.

Bingham Lake Trail to be Built on National Trails Day, June 2nd

Douglas County, the Pinery Homeowner's Association, and the District have partnered to build a trail around Bingham Lake. The project also includes expanding the existing parking area, building a second parking area on the east side of the lake, and building a pavilion for picnics and a toilet facility at the main parking area (similar to the ones at the new Cherry Creek trailhead on the west side of Parker Road).

Douglas County Parks and Open Space is designing the trail and funding the project. The trail will be built with volunteer labor on Saturday, June 2nd . If you are interested in volunteering for this exciting community project please call the Pinery Homeowners' Association Office at 303-841-8572.

If it's Springtime, it Must be Bios 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 2001, we do have a good supply of material we produced last summer.

A number of Pinery residents came down to the Wastewater Treatment Facility last year and filled up on Bios for their yards. Their yards are probably some of the first ones to green up this Spring because the nutrients have been slowly releasing during the winter months. But Spring is a great time to incorporate Bios into the soil. This material will 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.

We recommend a uniform broadcasting of ¼ inch on established lawns, rake it out evenly and water it in thoroughly. For flower and vegetable gardens (yes, it is perfectly safe for your veggies) use ½ inch for new gardens and ¼ inch for established gardens, tilled into the surface of the soil 1 to 2 weeks before planting.

In conjunction with the Pinery Homeowners Association's annual Large Item Pickup, June 16th, we would like to offer a rare Saturday Biosolids Pickup Day. Staff will be on hand to load Bios for residents who drop off items that day or just want to pick up Biosolids. So don't leave empty-handed, refill your truck with Biosolids. The Ultimate in Recycling!!!

For more information, call Kevin or Shannon at (303) 841-2797.

What are all of these Painted Lines and Flags??

There is a lot of utility work and other construction going on in the area. Whenever there is underground work to be done, the entity doing the construction (homeowner, contractor, utility company, etc.) calls the Utility Notification Center of Colorado (UNCC) and requests that the underground utilities in the area they plan to work in be located. UNCC then notifies all utility companies with facilities in the area and requests that their lines be located. Each utility has a specific color designated for their use. Red for electric, yellow for gas, orange for communications (phone, cable TV), blue for water, and green for sewer.

If you are planning any work that requires digging, please call UNCC at 1-800-922-1987 to have utility lines located.

We're In !!!

The New District Maintenance Building is finally finished. In early March, finishing touches and inspections were completed. This Spring, grass and landscaping will go in around the building to prevent soil erosion and blend it into the surroundings. Our staff is very excited to be moving in. Having a central location for all the equipment will make coordinating each day's work more efficient, cost effective and safe. This facility will also be a great space for holding safety and maintenance training sessions.

The 6000 square foot building can be seen from Parker Road, towards the back section of the Water Reclamation Facility, just east of the Biosolids pad. It will provide storage for District maintenance equipment and system repair parts inventories.

District Surveying Stakes Removed on February 6th

On February 6 of this year, District Staff located our water line that runs from the back of the Pinery to Pinery Parkway. This water line runs through the undeveloped portion of the Timbers Development. Our staff finished locating the line, and marking it with surveying stakes at about 4:00 p.m. We had surveyors scheduled for the next morning to survey in the location of the water line so that we could update our District maps. All of the stakes that we had placed the day before had been removed! We had to relocate the water line and reschedule our work with the surveyor. This kind of senseless vandalism wastes District and Customer money. We have alerted the Douglas County Sheriff and we have requested their assistance in looking for violators.

Sewer Cleaning & Repairs Continue

This Summer, the District will continue with its sewer video inspection and cleaning program. We are coming down to the finish line on getting an initial snapshot of every line in the Pinery. We will finish up with lines in open space areas this Summer. From there the District will determine a routine schedule for cleaning lines based on their condition and the amount of flow in the line.

As always, one of the biggest reasons for cleaning lines is grease buildup. We urge all District residents to refrain from dumping cooking grease and oils down their drains. If items that don't belong in the sewer get lodged in the manholes, blockages occur, also. If you see any of this kind of activity or if you should have any questions, please call (303) 841-2797.

Table of Water Use

Note: The "Table of Water Use" article was moved to the FAQ's Page

Spring Flushing of The Water System

Over the winter, mineral deposits that occur naturally in the water build up inside the water main due to lower water usage. Every spring, the District clears the water mains that serve your home by opening fire hydrants. The amount of water delivered from the hydrant is able to pickup the deposits and remove them from the water supply. While this may seem wasteful, our high water quality is maintained and complaints relating to taste, odor and color are greatly reduced. The Staff will flush the water to storm and sewer systems when possible but at times will use a diffuser that sprays the water so that it dissipates without causing erosion of the area near the fire hydrant. At the same time, fire hydrants are checked for operation and visibility to insure that if there is a fire, they are operational and are easy to find. There are approximately 55 miles of water mains and about 350 fire hydrants in the District. This takes our staff approximately two months to complete the flushing, beginning around the third week of March. You will be notified when our staff will be in your area a day prior to flushing by way of a door hanger placed either on the garage door or the front door. If you have any questions or concerns just give us a call at 303-841-2797 and we will be glad to assist you.

Summer Time Conservation

Summer is quickly approaching! That means water conservation is something we should be thinking about while making preparations to conserve water in this upcoming season. Last year we set a record for gallons pumped. Our peak day was June 21st when we pumped 6.381 Mgal or 98% of our capacity. We have increased our capacities to stay ahead of future peaks. However, we should continue to conserve water in the same ways we always have and dedicate ourselves to finding and implementing new ideas. Listed below are some tips for conserving water. This list should be a helpful tool in helping your achieve you conservation goals.

• Don't over-water your lawn. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every 3 to 4 days in the summer and every 7 to 8 days in the late fall.
• Water your lawn during the early morning hours when temperatures and wind speed is the lowest.
• Don't water your driveway, sidewalk or street. Position your sprinklers so that the water lands on the lawn or shrubs.
• Regularly check your sprinkler system and timing devices to be sure they are operating properly.
• Skip a watering cycle if it has rained. Add rain or moisture sensors to your automated systems.
• Raise the lawn mower blade to at least three inches. A higher cut encourages grass roots to grow deeper.
• Avoid over-fertilizing your lawn. The application of fertilizers increases the need for water.
• Mulch to retain moisture in the soil. Mulching also helps to control weeds that compete with plants for water.
• Plant native and/or drought tolerant grass, shrubs and trees. Once established, they do not need to be watered as frequently.
• Do not hose down your driveway or sidewalks. Use a broom to clean them.
• Use hose washers between spigots and water hoses to eliminate leaks.

Please help us Conserve water by doing just one thing each day that will result in a savings of water. Don't worry if the savings are minimal. EVERY DROP COUNTS!

We have dye tablets available to help you determine if your toilet has a leak. The 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 (303-841-2797 ext. 0) to have yours delivered.

Note: The "Public Education Information" article was moved to the FAQ's Page