August 2002 Volume 5, Issue 3

Water Supply Outlook

It is hard to open up a newspaper or listen to the news without finding a story about water supply and the drought. We are in a record-breaking drought and the impacts on water supply are significant.  We are already hearing from the larger water providers (Denver and Aurora) that water restrictions will continue into next year even if we have an average amount of snowfall. This has been a challenging year to provide reliable, quality water service to our customers.

So, how are the supplies for our District holding up?  In May, our Board of Directors approved implementation of Voluntary watering restrictions. The response from our customers has been great.  In June, we delivered 20% less water then we did a year ago.  Accounting for the growth that has occurred in the District the savings as a result of our voluntary restrictions is greater than 20%. In July, the reduction over last year was 17%.

Because of the very positive results we have received through the voluntary restrictions, we have not needed to implement any more aggressive restrictions.  We ask that you continue voluntarily conserving water and following a 3-day watering schedule.  We are continuously monitoring water use, and the water levels in our wells and we are prepared to implement mandatory restrictions should that become necessary.

The District supplies water from wells that are tributary to Cherry Creek and from deeper Denver Basin wells.  The wells along Cherry Creek supply about 80% of our water and these wells are recharged from rain and snow. Thus far, the water levels in these wells are within the normal range that we would expect at this time of year. Our water supply for next year will depend on the precipitation that we receive over the winter.

Water Conservation Kits Available

The District has Water Conservation Kits available for you. The Conservation Kit consists of the following; A low-flow shower head, toilet tank displacement bag, 1.5 gpm bathroom faucet aerator, kitchen faucet aerator, home water audit booklet, flow gauge bag and two toilet leak detection dye tablets.  If you are interested in receiving a kit please call Mary Applegate at 303-841-2797 ext. 0.  She will need your name and address so that we can deliver one to your house as soon as we can.  Thanks for doing your part to conserve..

Water Conservation Plan

In keeping with House Bill 91 – 1154 and the Water Conservation Act of 1991 the Pinery Water & Wastewater District developed a Water Conservation Plan.  After soliciting public comment for more then 60 days the Conservation Plan went to the Board of Directors for approval.  At the District’s monthly board meeting in January, the Board of Directors adopted the proposed Water Conservation Plan.   This “Plan” inventoried our existing conservation measures as well as suggested new conservation measures and their implementation.  One measure you may have noticed is a new water rate structure.  This tiered structure is designed to promote conservation.  “Conservation equals lower costs” is the message we want to send.  If you would like a copy of the Water Conservation Plan you can pick one up at our main office.

Turf Management Before, During, and Following Drought in Colorado

This is an excerpt from an article written by Dr. Tony Koski, Extension Turf Specialist, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.   For more of this article, go to www.water.denver.co.gov/indexmain.html

Precipitation, snow pack, stream flow, and reservoir levels are significantly lower than historic averages throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. During normal precipitation years, landscape irrigation comprises 50% or more of urban water use during the growing season in the Rocky Mountain region. In anticipation of restrictions in turf irrigation that may be imposed by water utilities, communities, and other water-management entities, suggested turf management practices are offered for the following scenarios.

No current watering restrictions

The following practices allow you to have a green lawn and still reduce water consumption

• Make sure that the irrigation system is operating properly.

• Replace broken or missing sprinkler heads.

• Check that the spray heads are turning properly.

• Adjust heads so that water is not thrown onto streets and driveways.

• Check nozzles for plugging.

• Place shallow containers (tuna or cat food cans, yogurt containers, etc.) around the yard and measure output so that you know how long it takes to apply ¼ to ½ inch of water.

• Place containers on persistent dry spots to determine if poor sprinkler coverage is the problem.

• Water as infrequently as possible, without causing undue stress to the lawn.

• Most lawns should be able to tolerate being irrigated every 3-5 days (or even longer).

• Turn your irrigation controller to the “Manual” position (from “Automatic”) and learn how to operate it manually.

• Don’t irrigate the lawn on a set schedule (every 2 or 3 days); lawn water use can vary greatly from one day to the next.

• Irrigate when footprints or mower wheel tracks become easily visible on the turf and large areas of the lawn take on a bluish-gray color.

• Apply ¾ to 1 inch of water, slowly enough that runoff and puddling does not occur; cycling through irrigation stations or moving your sprinkler around the yard while irrigating helps water to soak more thoroughly and evenly into the lawn.

• Don’t water again until you see abundant signs of water stress (footprinting, blue/gray coloration)  appear in the lawn.

• Hand-watering small or isolated dry spots can allow you to go another day without watering the entire lawn.

• Water between 9 PM and 9 AM, when it is cooler and there is less wind.

• Avoid heavy or frequent nitrogen fertilization.

• Lush, fast-growing grass uses more water.

• Grass that is lush is more likely to be damaged if watering restrictions are imposed.

• Set your mowing height at 2 ½ to 3 inches (or as high as it can be set); don’t remove more than 3/4 inch of grass at any single mowing; use a sharp blade to reduce tearing of the grass leaves.

• Be willing to accept a less than perfect lawn; tolerate a few brown spots and edges in the lawn.

Staff Profiles

   Kevin Clark has been with the District 12 ½ years, beginning in 1989, coming from Elizabeth, where he was the Director of Public Works. He began his career in the Pinery reading water meters, other water distribution duties and treatment. When the new wastewater facility was completed in 1991, Kevin moved into laboratory and operator duties in wastewater treatment. In June 1995, he was promoted to Wastewater Superintendent. Kevin says what he likes best “is working to help provide safe drinking water for future generations. The work is very challenging, using a combination of mind and physical challenges.  It is very satisfying to end the day feeling that you did make a difference for the future water users.”
   In his free time, Kevin enjoys golf, his grown children, granddaughter and movies .

   In the 11 ½ years Pat Fernandez has been with the District, he has learned just about every task involving water treatment, quality, and customer issues. Over the years Pat has been “on the hill” installing, reading,  and repairing water meters, sampling for bacteriological and water quality testing, repairing both water & sewer main breaks, hydrant and overall water system maintenance. Pat is one of those individuals that everyone calls when they are looking for a specific meter or address. He knows an address right down to what color house it is or by what shrub the meter pit is located. Obviously, Pat enjoys the variety of assignments he has every day and the people he works with. At the end of the day, Pat loves going home to his family. His hobbies include fishing, fishing and fishing! Whenever he gets the chance, his favorite rivers include the Encampment River, North Platte, Green, Snake, Madison and Gallitin Rivers in Wyoming. Being a fisherman, Pat knows the importance of quality water, so he must be the right guy for the job.

Biosolids Beat 

What’s new with Biosolids? Well, we’ve made them easier to apply. This summer the District rented a screen and now all our available Biosolids are 1/4 inch or smaller, small enough to go through your home fertilizer spreaders.  REALLY NICE STUFF!!!

This past Spring we held two Saturday pick-up dates. We would like to offer a Fall date, September 28th from 8am to 12pm. Our normal distribution times are Monday through Friday, 7am to 3pm.  See you there!

Water Quality Corner

How “Hard” is my water?
What is Hardness?

These are some of the questions we answer on a weekly basis. Hardness in drinking water is caused primarily by the presence  of two minerals; calcium and magnesium.  “Soft” water on the other hand has very little amounts of these minerals.  A good way to think about it is that making a lather or soapsuds is “hard” with hard water and making a good lather with soft water is easy.

The average hardness of the water supplied by the Pinery Water & Wastewater District is 160 mg/L.  This is considered moderately hard and is to be expected, given the geographic location of the Parker area.  Hardness will not harm you and your District currently does not treat for hardness.

Should you consider a home water treatment system?  This is a personal decision.  These systems are not needed to make the water “safe”.  In fact, if not properly maintained, the systems actually may cause water quality problems.  However, some people do not like hard water.  So if you decide to install a treatment system, think about where to install it inside your house.  These systems can be installed on you faucet(s), under your sink, just on your hot water heater or at the point of entry into the house.  A water softener can help eliminate hard water spots on your dishes and glasses.  Most softeners are regenerated with salt.  After the salt is used, it goes down the drain and into the environment.  To prevent unnecessary regenerations, set your softener to regenerate after a selected amount of water has passed through it, rather then using a timer.  This prevents wasting salt and water by regenerating too soon, producing a cost savings to you.

Root Control

Tree roots are becoming a problem for the District sewer mains as well as for many of our residents. Primarily, the older subdivisions are experiencing most of the root intrusion problem. The trees that we all love become our worst nightmare once the tree roots find their way into the sewer pipes. Current technology gives us several solutions to rid the pipes of roots. One method is to call the plumber every year or so to have them cut the roots. This will let your pipes drain for awhile, but is only a temporary fix, and may cause more damage to your sewer pipe, as many of you already know. Option two is to dig up your sewer pipe to replace it with new pipe, but this is even more costly, again, as a few of you know too well. The third option is to use a product that we have come to know and trust, and it works without damaging your pipes.  The product is called ROOTX. It kills the tree roots without harming the actual tree above ground. The maker of this product recommends using it annually, which we also support.  This product is a professional grade product, it is not sold in stores. It is environmentally safe. The EPA has approved ROOTX use in all fifty states. And it is simple to use. You can purchase similar products from your plumber, but DO NOT PURCHASE PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN COPPER SULFATE.  Products containing Copper are harmful to the wastewater treatment process and, ultimately, the ground water we all utilize.

    Some of you have already been introduced to this product because, as we have the main lines inspected, we can actually see tree roots growing in your service. This doesn’t mean that you are or have been experiencing drain problems, but there is potential for problems. Most have not heard of this product, due to the fact that we can’t see too far into each service line where there may be tree roots growing beyond the main. If you have had problems, or are having problems, this may be the solution. ROOTX only costs $20 and can be purchased at the District office. If you would like to try this product, you can call the office at 841-2797 for additional information.

District Rules and Regs

Utility Easements

Most water and wastewater pipes are buried in easements located in public right of ways. This allows for easy unencumbered access to perform routine maintenance and to make repairs as required.  Some of the District lines are buried in dedicated easements located on home lots. In most cases these easements are located on rear or side lot lines.  District rules and regulations restrict the type of fencing and landscaping in these areas.  Homeowners are restricted from planting trees in easement areas for two reasons: roots are very destructive to water and wastewater lines and excavations in these areas are very difficult for the District and homeowner. All easement areas must be accessible by equipment required to perform route maintenance that would include but not be limited to full size trucks, television vans, etc. The District will continue to work with homeowners to obtain acceptable access to buried utilities to keep your system operating in an efficient and relatively problem free manor. We ask that you call the District office for any questions prior to and during any landscaping or construction projects.