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Postal Customer Issue #131 — Volume 12 Number 1 — Saturday, January 7, 2012
Water court approves Donala’s use of ranch water
Upcoming Local Events See pages 31-35 for details of these and many other local events. Christmas Tree Recycling, Sat., Jan. 7 and Sun. Jan. 8 NEPCO Meeting, Sat., Jan. 14, 10 a.m.noon. Neighborhood Watch and HOA insurance. Western Museum of Mining & Industry (WMMI): Family DayGeology, Sat., Jan. 14, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. TLCA Thin Air Jazz Concert, Sat., Jan. 14, 7 p.m. Tri-Lakes Community Blood Drive, Tue., Jan. 17, 3-7 p.m. Palmer Lake Historical Society Meeting: Annual Potluck Dinner & Membership Meeting, Thu., Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m. TLCA performance: The WYNOT Radio Theatre Show, “Death Wore Elevator Shoes,” Sat., Jan. 21, 7 p.m. TLCA concert: Positively Pikes Peak, the Pikes Peak Region Sings Bob Dylan, Sat., Jan. 28, 7 p.m. Tri-Lakes Chamber Casino Night, Sat., Jan. 28, 7-11 p.m. Free AARP Stroke and Heart Attack Recognition Class, Wed., Feb. 8, 911 a.m. Rocky Mountain Music Association (RMMA) Free Concert, Sat., Feb. 11, 7 p.m. ■
Above: At the annual Yule Log Hunt in Palmer Lake Dec. 11, the finder of the log, Andrew Leidenberger, is pulled on the Yule Log. Yule Log hunters take turns pulling the log with riders from the Glen to the Town Hall. Photo by David Futey. Additional Yule Log Hunt photos and information can be found on page 29..
Town Hall meeting Nov. 12 and NEPCO meeting Nov. 19
Local County Commissioner Glenn meets with residents
In this issue Water & San District News 1, 6-12 Monument News 13-16 Palmre Lake News 16 Fire District News 17-18 D-38 News 19-21 WIA News 22 Weather 22 Letters 23-24 Books, Birds, and Arts 24-26 Snapshots of Our Community 26-29 Library Events 30 Special Events and Notices 31-32 Our Community Calendar 32-35 OCN information 30, 34-35
Free
Above: County Commissioner Darryl Glenn at the NEPCO meeting Nov. 19. Photo by John Heiser. By John Heiser El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn made presentations and discussed issues with residents at a Town Hall meeting at the Woodmoor Improvement Association Barn on Nov. 12 and at the Nov. 19 meeting of the Northern El Paso County Coalition of Community Associations (NEPCO). Glenn is the commissioner
for District 1, which includes all of the Tri-Lakes area, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Black Forest. At the Town Hall meeting Nov. 12, Glenn was assisted by County Engineer Andre Brackin. Some highlights of the presentations by Glenn and Brackin and responses to questions: (Continued on page 2)
By John Heiser At the Nov. 29 monthly meeting of the Donala Water and Sanitation District Board of Directors, Dana Duthie, district general manager, reported that on Nov. 15, Water Court Judge Dennis Maes signed a decree approving the district’s application to make municipal use of 280 acre-feet per year of stream flows formerly used to irrigate the Willow Creek Ranch. An acre-foot is 326,851 gallons. Duthie estimated the district’s total costs to purchase the water rights would come to about $23,000 per acre-foot. The judge’s action came following the district’s agreement Oct. 14 with the Colorado State Engineer’s Office and the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB), the sole remaining objectors to the district’s request. Donala completed the purchase of the ranch near Leadville in November 2008 and has been reducing irrigation on the ranch while it sought conversion for use by the district of the excess irrigation water, which flows to the Arkansas River. The 280 acre-feet of water per year granted under the decree will cover about 20 percent of Donala’s current demand. To comply with the terms of the ranch purchase agreement, the district paid Ronald Strich, the former owner of the ranch, an additional fee of $374,815. It also deeded back to Strich 60 acres of the ranch. The Willow Creek Ranch water flows to the Arkansas River and will then be conveyed north through Colorado Springs Utilities’ (CSU) system and through the connection between the Donala district’s water infrastructure and CSU’s distribution pipe in the vicinity of Northgate Road. That connection with CSU was completed Oct. 18 at a cost of about $700,000. Water is currently flowing through the connection for the district’s use at about 150 gallons per minute. The net cost for CSU transportation of the Willow Creek Ranch water is expected to be about $10.36 per 1,000 gallons. In 2010, the average rate paid in the district was about $5.60 per 1,000 gallons.
Water rate increases of up to 60 percent approved
The board unanimously approved the following water rate and fee increases. Duthie noted that they would result in a 15 percent to 40 percent increase in the (Continued on page 6)