April 2003 Volume 6, Issue 1

Snowpack Near Normal but Drought Lingers

The Blizzard of 2003 brought the heaviest snowfall in 90 years, causing snowpack levels in the South Platte Basin to jump on March 21 to 111 percent of average. Until then, the snowpack had been below average for four years in a row. Many reservoirs around the state are still only half-full, and it will take a lot more snow and rain to replenish them. The blizzard brought some great skiing, but the drought is not over.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service graph below of the South Platte Basin Snowpack, a key source of water for the Front Range, shows the situation in historic terms. Snowpack levels were lower than average in 2000, 2001, 2002, and winter of 2003. The level jumped after the blizzard, which brought three to five feet of snow to the state.

Frequently, we get asked why we care abut the snowpack since Douglas County relies on groundwater for its water supply. We provide more than 75% of our water from shallow wells along Cherry Creek. These shallow wells are fed from Cherry Creek, and they pump our water rights which date back to 1872. Last year, when the snowpack was low, water right holders on the South Platte River with rights senior to ours placed a call on the river. That meant that during the call we were unable to use our water rights on Cherry Creek.

Bingham Lake Repair

In our last newsletter, we reported that the outlet drain line in Bingham Lake has developed a leak. The drain line is there to allow us to drain the lake if needed for repairs or, in an emergency, to drain the lake quickly. The leak, caused by a separated joint in the pipe, is about 300 feet from the exposed end of the pipe. This location makes the repair very difficult. We have designed a repair that does not require us to drain the lake. Our engineering plans are being reviewed by the State Engineer’s Office, and once approved, we will put the project out to bid. We hope that we will have the repairs completed this summer.

The plan is to slip line the existing pipe. This means that we will insert a smaller pipe inside the outlet line, to a point beyond the separated joint. The interstitial space between the two pipes will then be filled with grout to seal up the space, and hopefully the leak. If there is still some leakage after this repair is complete we will then try some grouting from the surface to seal the pipe up from the outside. To do this we would directionally drill from the top of the dam to a location close to the leak in the outlet pipe, then we would pump grout into the ground to seal the leak from the outside.

Two-Day-Per-Week-Watering Schedule Considered for Summer

February and March brought a bounty of snow to the state, but the drought is not over. The District is considering voluntary water restrictions from May 1 – September 30, targeting a 20% water use reduction. The District board will decide on a conservation plan at its April meeting. Details will be unveiled at a public Drought Response and Water Conservation Meeting at 7:00 PM on April 22 at Sagewood Middle School.

This year, our conservation program will likely be based on a two-day-per-week outdoor watering schedule, replacing last year’s confusing circle-square-diamond schedule. Last summer, some people lost track of their watering days, and schedule differences between cities added to the confusion.

In response, a consortium of water managers formed a study group to come up with a better system and improve communication with the public. The group made several recommendations at a Front Range Utility Managers Drought Coordination Meeting in February. Here are the highlights:

1. Two-day-per-week outdoor watering schedule:

Home owners with odd-numbered address will get two days of the week for watering; those with even addresses will get two days; HOA entryways, schools and parks will have two days; and one day each week will be largely a no-watering day, except for commercial or water system maintenance.  See table below.

2. Limited hours for watering.

Allowable times would be Midnight to 10:00 AM, then again that same day from 6:00 PM to 11:59 PM.  

3. Water budgets for large users.

Large irrigators such as golf courses and parks will be asked to cut usage to fit a specified “water budget.” This system allows them flexibility as to where and when they water, so long as they conserve overall.

4. Coordinated monthly updates:

On the 15th of each month, Front Range water agencies will provide updates via the press to inform the public and landscape professionals about the status of watering schedules.
Most of the major water district managers in the area are planning to follow these recommendations and make them mandatory, including Denver Water, Aurora Water, Boulder Water, Fort Collins, and Highlands Ranch.

Here in The Pinery, our water supply is relatively plentiful (depending on late spring snowstorms,) but we still need to be cautious and not overspend our water “bank account.”  Our goal is to manage the resource wisely. Therefore our program is likely to be voluntary. Residents of the District saved 20% of their normal usage last year under the voluntary program, a big success for the District.

 Staff Profiles

For six years, Shannon Wirtjes, has been the District Lab technician at the wastewater treatment facility. As an operator, she does a little bit of everything at the plant and in the District including editing the newsletter, landscaping, maintenance, and serving as safety “Supply Sergeant” and secretary (and past co-chair) for the safety committee.

In her free time she enjoys Cardio Kickboxing, weight training, hiking, landscaping, cooking and working on her house. She also enjoys going to the movies and concerts with her friends and family.

“What I like most about my work is being  able to do some good for the environment. There’s never a dull moment in the lab or at the plant. There is always so much to learn and do. The other operators and engineers that we work with and get to meet gives us all so much opportunity to grow and explore. Being involved in the facility expansion  these next few years will be fascinating.”

Dan Hammann has been with the District for six years. In that time he has taken over the day to day responsibilities of the water department maintenance, operations and staff. Maintenance in the water distribution system includes PRVs, pumps, and chemical treatment systems. Operations includes monitoring the distribution system, the customer service desk, daily data collection, water sampling programs and reporting to the state Water Quality Control Division.

When he’s not taking care of all this, he enjoys time outdoors, hunting, fishing, golf and camping with his family.

“I really enjoy the variability of my job. Each day brings a new challenge. Depending on what is going on at the moment, I can work outdoors or stay indoors. I really enjoy the “operations” part of my job.”

Reduced Flushing in 2003

We all know by now that a DROUGHT is upon us!  In response to the drought your District has identified several areas we can help in conserving water. Implementing a reduced spring flushing program is one of these areas. In accordance with a reduced watering schedule we will only be flushing end points in our system and some cul-de-sacs. This flushing will occur on Mondays. By reducing our flushing we will be conserving millions of gallons of water. However, if you have any aesthetic concerns, taste, odor or discolored water, don’t hesitate to call the District office and report it. A district representative will determine if flushing is appropriate to clear the lines. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding in this matter. Let’s continue to work together on conserving our most precious resource.

Water Quality Corner

Aesthetics

Why does my water occasionally taste or smell funny?  The most common reason for this complaint is chemicals added during treatment.  All public water systems are required to maintain a safe chlorine residual in their system.  This one chemical accounts for most of our “tastes bad, smells bad” complaints.  Even though there’s not much we can do as a District, there are a few things the customer can do to minimize this annoyance.  Store some drinking water in a glass container in the refrigerator; this allows the chlorine to “gas” off, diminishing the taste or chemical smell.  You could also boil your water for five minutes and then after it cools put it in the refrigerator.  Boiling should remove most, if not all, the disinfectant.

My drinking water sometimes has a slight color to it!  Most of the time the discoloration is caused by the minerals in the water, iron being the biggest culprit. In periods of low flow, like wintertime, these minerals settle out in the bottom of water mains causing problems during periods of high demand.  When water is first taken from the faucet, cloudiness is caused by tiny air bubbles in the water similar to the bubbles in beer or carbonated soft drinks.  Another problem contributing to discolored water is improperly maintained home filters or softeners.  If you choose to do some form of in-home treatment, please maintain your system for best results.  Running your cold water tap for a couple of minutes will normally clear up any minor discoloration.  We will be happy to come out and flush the mains if the problem persists.

Sometimes hot water heaters can cause a discoloration problem. If you notice that you only have dirty water during times that you are using hot water, then it’s time to flush your hot water heater. For highest efficiency, hot water heaters should be flushed annually.

As a rule of thumb, if we get one isolated complaint from a customer, we look at the customer’s system for the root cause. On the other hand, if we receive several complaints in a particular area we start looking at the distribution system.

No matter the cause, if you need assistance,  please call us and we will be glad to help you.

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 Patty Britton at 303-841-2797 ext. 211.  She will need your name and address so that we can deliver one to your house.  Thanks for doing your part to conserve.

Fire Hydrant Bounty Program

  To further enhance the security of our system we are going to initiate a Fire Hydrant bounty program.  This program is patterned after the successful program of the City of Englewood. To use a fire hydrant in the District, a user must apply for a permit and pay a deposit.  In turn the user is assigned a hydrant and receives a hydrant meter and a heavy-gauge aluminum sign to be displayed on the hydrant during usage.  If you notice possible illegal usage of a hydrant we ask that you call the District.  We will dispatch one of our employees to investigate and, if warranted we will issue a fine. The individual reporting the incident to the District will receive a $50.00 credit to their account if it is determined that the hydrant was being used illegally. Hydrants being used for fire-fighting, street cleaning or flushing do not need to display the sign.

WWTP Expansion Update

 On February 11th, 2003, the District’s Board of Directors gave approval to Montgomery-Watson-Harza  (MWH) engineers to begin designing Phase 1 of a multi-phase expansion of the Wastewater Treatment plant to an ultimate capacity of 3 million gallons per day.

Phase 1 will include:

1. Expansion of the Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) building including two AWT filters and UV (ultraviolet) disinfection for future direct discharge to Cherry Creek.
2. A new SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) control system for the entire plant to enhance and maximize process controls, energy efficiencies and improve maintenance of the facility.
3. Modifications and updates to several pumps and mixers for improved energy and process efficiencies.
4. Additional process monitoring equipment to comply with new Cherry Creek Discharge regulations.
5. Addition of a direct discharge point to Cherry Creek.
6. Acquiring storm water permits for storm water management plan and site improvements to align with surrounding future development.
7. Permitting for the project.
8. Expansion of the laboratory and office areas of the plant to provide space for future growth.

The time line for the project for the coming year calls for the design and permitting phase to be completed by Fall 2003. Once the design is complete construction of this first phase of expansion will be put out to bid.  The bidding phase should be completed and a contract awarded by December 2003. The equipment for construction should start arriving in early 2004. The solids handling and biosolids processes are still being evaluated; design of these processes will begin as soon as this evaluation is complete.  In the next newsletter we will discuss how we are paying for this project.