RMWSD moves forward on building new reservoir and wastewater treatment plant

At their regular meeting on January 18, the Board of the Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District (RMWSD) heard reports on various projects from District Manager Dave Schneider, including the wastewater treatment plant, passed ordinances establishing meeting dates and places for regular and special meetings and amending personnel policies on vacation and leave time accrual for employees who resign but return within a year. The Board also discussed the possible purchase of a property for sale to the immediate north of the District’s existing wastewater lagoons.

Schneider reported that designs have been finalized for the Grape Creek Reservoir project and sent to the Department of Natural Resources for approval. He also reported that he was working with engineers and designers on the wastewater treatment plant and that getting a trailer from Powell Water in Centennial was possible. Powell specializes in electrocoagulation (EC) for wastewater treatment, one of the processes Schneider has proposed for the new wastewater treatment plant. The trailer would include tools, equipment, a mobile lab, and an EC unit, and had been put together originally to do an EC demonstration in Canada at the tar sands site.

That project fell through, however, and Schneider reported that Powell Water was interested in doing a deal with RMWSD and the Colorado Rural Water Association (CRWA), which would allow the trailer to be parked near RMWSD’s lagoons and used for experiments, including the EC technique which would form the second phase of the wastewater treatment plant build-out. “If this [deal] works, it’s close to a $500,000 savings for the District,” Schneider concluded.

Schneider also reported that he had talked to a water filtration company called Aqua Pure: “There’s a water purifier I would love to test out and add as part of the pilot project test.”

After dealing with the action items on the agenda, the Board discussed the pros and cons of purchasing the properties at 170 and 98 CR 170, which would include a large shop in addition to a house. On the plus side noted by Board and staff would be more room for operations, and a more convenient location for the District shop; on the downside would be the added expense of financing the purchase and then renovating the buildings for ADA compliance.

President Charles Bogle suggested that the Board authorize Schneider to check on the potential of the purchase, including the possibility of making an offer on just the lot with the shop.

– Elliot Jackson