December 2002 Volume 5, Issue 4

Thanks For Conserving!!

This has been an interesting year to be in the water business, and even though we have had some good snowstorms and precipitation recently, Colorado will be dealing with the effects of the drought for the foreseeable future.

As we reported to you in our previous newsletter our water supply even in this year of drought was adequate, but our system was stressed. The District provides water from a mixture of surface water rights on Cherry Creek and deep groundwater rights. Our surface water rights on Cherry Creek have a priority date of 1873. This means that when there is not enough water in the stream system that rights that are junior to 1873 would have to stop delivering water before we would. During this past summer, our 1873 water rights were out of priority (that means we couldn’t use them) for much of the summer. There were water rights along the South Platte from the 1860’s that were not able to be filled and that means that we could not pump our rights during those times. We made up the difference by pumping more water out of our deep groundwater wells.

We greatly appreciate the response we had this year when we asked you to voluntarily conserve. The graph shows our expected water use per home, and the actual water use. As you can see in the graph that once our Board asked for voluntary watering restrictions we reduced our use by 20%!

In addition, to the savings in residential use shown on the graph, our largest customer, the Pinery Country Club, reduced their use as well. It is a little more difficult to determine the actual savings that the Pinery Country Club achieved because their use varies from year to year depending on precipitation. However, we estimate that they reduced their water consumption by more than15%!

There are many discussions going on regarding a more coordinated response to the drought for next year. This past summer there were a variety of watering schedules and voluntary and mandatory water restrictions in place, and it was often difficult to know whether it was OK to water or not. The larger water providers in the Front Range, along with environmental groups, and landscape specialists are meeting to outline more uniform responses to drought should they be needed next summer. Being discussed are making allowable watering schedules consistent from community to community, making penalties and fines more uniform, and having a more uniform public education campaign. We are contributing to these discussions and we will report the results in future newsletters.

Come See Our New Office and Xeriscape Demo Garden

If you want to stop by and see us, you won’t have to visit a construction trailer anymore. Our new headquarters building is complete and will be open for business in January. We have a fresh look and an expanded, updated facility in the same location at 5242 Old Schoolhouse Rd. Come see us – we hope you like it as much as we do!

The District has built up quickly in recent years, necessitating a move to provide space for staff growth, customer service and meeting space. We started construction in June and we are moving over the holidays. The facility incorporates the old 1884 schoolhouse, which has been refinished on the interior as a meeting room. A new main building has been built beside the historic schoolhouse, linked with a connecting hall and designed with a matching stone base so the two buildings blend together. Stairs and gardens front the new building, and inside are a covered entry, a spacious lobby, customer service desks and a warm new color scheme.
We landscaped with our customers in mind. In front of the office is a demonstration Xeriscape garden and a selection of lawn grasses typical for our area will be added next spring. These will help residents identify plants and plan drought-conscious landscapes. We also added new parking lots, a bench at the school bus stop and a bill drop off box. In all, the new facility provides for our customers a friendlier place to do business.

The design firm was Fisher Associates Architects & Engineers and the General Contractor was Commercial Building Services.

“The District wanted to be a good neighbor and update their image while providing enough space for the staff,” said Fisher Associates principal Chris Fisher. “The design goal was to keep an emphasis on the old schoolhouse, while containing and conforming the facility to everything around them. The effect is a harmonious blending of the new building with the old school house, complemented by attractive new landscaping.”

The facility will provide space for additional staff members to handle the District’s projected growth.

District Comes To The Rescue At High School

On October 28, a sewer backup threatened the closure of Ponderosa High School. Though it was not our responsibility, we fixed the problem and kept the school open.

The District's Two Newest Additions Under Construction
Reservoirs 8 & 9.

Staff Profiles

   This feature will introduce you to one or two of the District’s staff. Now you can put a name to the friendly faces or voices you may encounter from time to time.

In his 11+ years with the District, H.C. Ryberg has gone from working in the trenches as a backhoe operator, to out of the trenches as a water & wastewater operator, to working back in the trenches as the District’s New Development Inspector. And with all the new construction happening around here, H.C. is a busy person indeed, making sure it all gets built correctly. A cowboy at heart, H.C. still competes in team roping & 4-wheel off roading. His 3 kids, Rylee (11), Bryce (4), and Colton (2), keep him busy also. As busy as things get, H.C. still feels its all fun, including his job.

For 12 years now, if a project has had anything to do with electronics, computers, the internet, radios, telephones, security or technical support, you could bet on Lee Smith being involved. This puts Lee pretty much anywhere in the District, at any time, day or night. If there’s an alarm, Lee’s on it. He’s also pretty handy with a wrench. In his spare time Lee enjoys pretty much any electronic toy with the addition of traveling, digital photography and videography. Keeping up with the latest technical advances and “toys” is pretty much what Lee enjoys the most about his work in the District, and his life in general.

District Rules and Regs
Payment Responsibilities

Bills for your water and sewer services are due upon receipt and become delinquent after the due date indicated on the bill. If payment is received after the due date a late fee of $10 will be added. If the due date falls on a weekend or a holiday, payment must be received on the next business day. Late fees will also include a 1% interest per month on the amount due or part thereof from the initial due date. Should your check be returned for lack of funds, a $15 charge will be added to the account and full payment must then be made in cash, certified check or money order.

If service is shut off for non-payment, the customer will be required to pay a termination and reconnection fee of $75 plus all amounts due before service is restored. Payment must be in cash or certified funds.

The entire responsibility for payment lies with the owner of the property, and a lien will be placed against the property for non-payment. If the property is rented or leased the owner assumes full responsibility for collecting user fees and late fees from the tenant.

Water Quality Corner
Copper & Lead

It’s almost that time again! The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires that we periodically test for copper and lead in our drinking water. In the following months we must run another set of tests to prove compliance. Some of you may receive a letter from the District asking for your participation in these tests. We need your cooperation because corrosion of household plumbing is the primary source of copper and lead in drinking water.

Copper is an essential nutrient but can be harmful in large quantities. The amount of copper required for good health is 1.5-3 milligrams per day. Since the amount of copper absorbed by healthy individuals is effectively controlled, copper has no long-term adverse health effects. High concentrations of copper in tap water might cause short-term adverse health effects. Copper irritates the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of toxicity (mild nausea) might occur in some individuals if the concentration of copper exceeds 2.6 milligrams per liter.

The EPA sets an “action level” for all public water systems of 1.3 milligrams per liter for copper and 0.015 mg/l for lead. Exceeding either of these action levels triggers additional monitoring requirements and corrosion control treatment. The Pinery Water and Wastewater District already uses a corrosion inhibitor called phosphoric acid. The average copper level from the last round of testing was .84 mg/l and an average of 0.002 for lead. We successfully applied and were granted from the State reduced copper and lead monitoring beginning in 2000.

You can help reduce your exposure to copper and lead in two ways. First, anytime the water has not been used for longer then 6 hours “flush” the line by letting the water run momentarily until the water runs cold. Second, use water only from the cold-water tap for cooking and drinking. Hot water is likely to contain a higher concentration of copper.

Repairs

The District has assessed a small leak in the Bingham Lake pipe system and found it needs fixing, but not immediately. In the last year we have been running some tests to find the source of the leak and explore its effects. The leak is coming from a separated joint in an drain pipe under the dam. It has created a small stream of water that flows westward from the dam and onto the golf course. The important job we faced this year was determining whether or not the leak was damaging the dam. We found the dam to be safe and sound, and repairs can be made safely next year.

We are hoping to find a way to fix the leak without draining the lake, and we now have time to explore our options for doing so. Our goal is to make the repairs in the next year with the least disruption for the community.

The dam is constructed of a clay core surrounded by earth fill. Our tests showed that no sinkhole was forming along the dam. If a sinkhole forms, the effect is like a plug being pulled in the bathtub. Water is sucked through the earth portion of the dam, causing it to weaken. Using video cameras and a depth profiling survey on the lakeside face of the dam, we found no sinkholes, nor even any depressions which signal the beginning of a problem. Another test confirmed this. If a sinkhole were forming, we would have found silt coming out the leaky outlet pipe. We found very little silt, confirming our assessment that the dam is in excellent condition.

We’re Doubling Our Treatment Capacity

The District has completed the preliminary design to expand our wastewater treatment plant, or “Water Reclamation Plant” as it is known. The expansion means we will be able to treat two million gallons of water per day, double our current capacity. This will serve new customers moving into the Pinery plus a portion of Castle Rock( We have an intergovernmental contract to provide service there), and the southern portion of the Canyons Development.

We have sold bonds to fund the expansion at the favorable rate of 3.21%. But you, our current customers, are not expected to pay off the bonds. If all goes as planned, they will be repaid via the tap fees on new housing developments. Growth is paying its own way.

In January, we will begin the final design phase and expect to begin construction in the fall of 2003. The expansion will fit on our current site, so we expect little effect on homeowners due to construction. The engineering firm for the design is the Denver office of Montgomery Watson Harza.

At the District, we are constantly seeking new ways to save money and improve our treatment processes. We are now piloting two new programs we hope will meet these goals – a UV (Ultra Violet light) disinfection process and a screening process for solids. The pilots will be completed in spring.

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. Thanks for doing your part to conserve.