Lookout Mountain Water District August 2018

Beaver Brook Currents

1st— Thank you to the 95 residents or customers who attended! Taking an interest and

working with your Board of Directors and local government can have real results.

2nd— For those who missed the presentation but would like the information, materials are available at:

http://www.lookoutmountainwaterdistrict.org/private-laterals/

3rd— Board meeting times were brought up and will be reviewed for a second time in 2018.

There are more than 5 factors that impact the time of day decision which may not be obvious to residents.

4th— Many seemed interested in taking advantage of the planning grants to work on current concerns with your

Laterals, whether they be establishing an Association, being prepared for the next break, or working on an long-term upgrade. Grant applications are due Friday, September 7, 2018.

Finally— The strongest message from the residents in attendance was the desire to have the District take over the

maintenance of all the private laterals on Lookout Mountain. Most people believe this would be ideal - but very

costly. The City of Golden knew what they were doing when they secured alternate water supplies for their city

decades ago. Since this is a local matter requiring local resources, neither the County nor the State will take an active

role.

Unfortunately, this decision left the residents of Lookout Mountain no choice but a stop-gap solution (having private

Laterals) to providing water to our area. This stop-gap solution has provided excellent water quality since 1989,

however, the age of these laterals has resulted in more breaks and service interruptions, and the Lateral owners have

not kept pace with maintenance and replacements.

The Board heard this message and will consider authorizing a feasibility study on Lateral “de-privatization” with main

improvements. The feasibility study results would be taken back to the community to determine if a TABOR election

would be well-received. A TABOR election and bond issue is costly, so any plan should be polled prior to putting such

a matter on a ballot.

Annual Rates and Fees Hearing is scheduled for October 8, 2018

Annual Budget Hearing is scheduled for November 12, 2018

Hearings will occur during Board Meetings commencing at the 8:30 a.m. 317 S. Lookout Mountain Road,

Golden (Highland Rescue Team Station)

RECAP OF THE 2018 LATERAL PLANNING ROUND TABLE

Upper Beaver Brook

Reservoir in mid-

summer.

At this water level,

the new weir is

holding 88 acre feet*

more than previously

possible. *estimate

One (1) acre foot =

325,851 gallons

See reverse for water outage information due to planned repairs on the water main.

www.lookoutmountainwaterdistrict.org

Pumping & Cleaning the tank: Since some materials in sewage cannot decompose, they must be periodically removed by a licensed systems cleaner who will pump this material from the tank. The pumper should also remove all of the water from the tank; this will allow a “rest period” for the leaching field. Failure to regularly pump the tank may result in sludge being carried into the leaching field where it can plug the soil pores and cause failure. Since repairing a failing absorption bed may cost many thousands of dollars, the cost of routine pumping represents a very reasonable investment in protecting your Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS). Maintaining the ISDS also allows the water to return into the drainage basin.

LMWD requires that water users pump their septic tank once every two to four years; this resolution was

adopted in 1997 and is a requirement of a water decree.

If you meant to get it done this summer, please schedule it before winter! A quick call to your preferred local sanitary

pumping company can usually tell you when your tank was last serviced.

This is especially important to if you are thinking of selling your home in the next 6 to 12 months—you can find out if you

may have a compliance issue needing correction with your ISDS.

MAINTAINING YOUR INDIVIDUAL SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM (ISDS)

High Usage or High Bills? What is Normal Usage? Some estimate that a typical family of 4 in the U.S. uses between 50 to

100 gallons per day, and if you add outdoor irrigation or other outside use it can be between 200 to

400 gallons per day.

What if my usage seems higher than normal? If your usage increased when compared to the

past, check with all people in your house and consider these factors:

Did you have guests or increase the size of your household?

Did you do any outside watering such as watering trees?

Could your irrigation system have a leak?

Was a hose or other watering device left on?

Did you receive a Leak Notice Letter?

Have you checked your toilets, water heater or other plumbing?

Did you use water for unusual projects? (pressure washing/extra cleaning, hot tub or pool filling, car washing, construction related work)?

What if my bill seems higher than normal?

Do you have a previous unpaid balance?

Was your payment made or sent after the due date?

Did you use more water than you normally do during this billing cycle?

Your bill shows usage in thousands of gallons—each 1,000 gallon tier has a different rate applied and each tier has a higher rate.

NOTICE: Planned Water Outage(s) in September

The leak repair on the main that started in August is only

temporary—it revealed a failing pipeline with another nearby leak. A

permanent repair/replacement and valve installation is pending.

From this location (near Chief Hosa Campground and Spring

Ranch), the main supplies about 95% of all customer taps and hydrants. Our kind

neighbors at Genesee Water & Sanitation District have agreed to supply temporary

water. However, not all service interruptions can be completely avoided during the 6 to

10 days of construction. If you would like email notifications about this upcoming outage and

are not already on our list, please write sfletcher@blacklockintegrated.services or call 303-526-2025

x101.

Temporary Repair of Main on August 14th