2026 Minutes
Minutes 1/15/2026
- Call to Order 5:27PM
Board Present: Jeff W, Mike R, Logan H, Crystal F. Staff Present: Matt N, Tim G. Visitors: Greg Barber(customer), Beverly Lawrence(DW2) and Mike Wasson(customer).
- Approval of the Agenda. Unanimous. Mike stated we should move public comment to start of the agenda so people can speak early on and not wait till the end.
- Approval of 12/18/2025 Meeting Minutes. Mike motioned to approve December Minutes, Crystal 2nd after additional edits, approved.
- General Managers Report: Administration, Rate Relief, Source, Treatment Water System.
- Approve Rate Relief Resolutions 26-4.
- Rate Hearing Notice.
- Approval of Bills.
- Public Comment.
- Adjourn.
- Financials, Billing, Insurance, etc.
Year end net income was $450,738.59 which is $296,641 above what was budget for 2025. The extremely dry year resulted in high water sales which is great but it also made it hard to keep the lake full and all the tanks topped off. Operating expenses for the year were right on track even though we fixed a few leaks and replaced broken meters during an early winter cold snap. The new PLC and filter#2 refurbishment will all be plant upgrades and capitalized which the accountant is working on to be ready for the March audit.
Water production for December was 6,749,549 of that 5,693,549 gallons were distributed and 4,051,954 were sold. The lake Currently is at 789 acre feet which we will see it drop 8 to 10 acre feet per month.
Rate Relief Request:
45 Mayday lane is asking for rate relief since the neighbor watching their house left the shower running while doing a weekly walk through. Mr. Kaim has been a customer since 2005 and has neighbors check on his house while they living out of state. This was an unfortunate accident that was resolved quickly once staff notified the customer of unusual usage. Board voted unanimous no because the shower was left on for over a week and this was not a leak.
Source and Supply:
So far the winter has produced very little precipitation which means we are going to lean heavy on Nighthorse pumping since the ditch may not produce. This means we will have to take advantage of pass through pumping in May and then alternate weeks in June to refill the lake. This summer we will need our full Nighthorse allocation but we must fill at different intervals so we do not shock the lake and create an early turnover. If we fill the lake too fast with colder water the lake will turnover causing taste and odor issues. Also refilling at different intervals keeps the lake colder reducing the chances of an algae bloom which is hard on the filters.
Tim and Chris work Performed list-
Filters 1 & 2 are currently set up to alternate and are performing well
Chris took a week vacation
Tim took a week vacation
Chris is working on expanding the chlorine room for the new generator
Submitted Bac – T sample for January
Normal day-to-day operations
Treatment:
This winter has started out very dry and warm which actually lets us distribute water at a higher rate because of the chlorine and contact time in the clearwell. This also allows for more flexibility to adjust flows as we see different demands from some of the bulk customers as we move out of the Holiday season and into slower winter months.
- Approve Rate Resolutions 26-4
The Rate Relief Resolution is to stop customers from receiving rate relief from a leak associated with their irrigation. The authority has faced many rate relief scenarios where customers did not manage their irrigation systems properly resulting in a loss of water and ultimately the customer had their premiums reduced. The main premise of the resolution is to promote conservation and to reduce stress on the distribution system so customers better manage their water use. Board wants to table this until Legal can give a full review and draft.
- Rate Hearing Notice.
The main point of the rate hearing notice is to update the customers on the proposed rates which will take effect on March 1st. The notice will be distributed to all retail and wholesale customers so they have a chance to voice any concerns and better understand the Authorities’ perspective after the Cost of Service study. A sample of the rate hearing notice will be distributed to the board so any adjustments can be made before the notice is distributed to all customers. Board wants to table this until legal can give a full review. Possible rate hearing March 19th. Notices must be sent out in February so both route billing cycles can have enough notice.
- Approval of the Bills – Bill.com report to follow
- Public Comment or Questions. Greg stated LPEA is still looking at Battery storage options at the CR125 sub station. Beverly asked about rates and the final cost of service study. The final COS was discussed, and the board wants to review with Raftelis before we close out the study. Staff will ask if Raftelis can give an overview at the rate hearing to help answer some of the analysis explanations.
- Adjourn. 7:39PM
Jeff motioned to adjourn Logan 2nd ,approved.
Minutes 2/19/2026
- Call to Order
5:25PM
Board Present: Jeff, Mike, Beverly, Logan. Staff Present: Matt
Visitors: Janet A(DW1)
- Approval of the Agenda. Mike motioned to approve agenda, logan 2nd, approved.
- Public Comment or Questions. Janet asked about the CIP list from 2011 and current, she spoke about a valve infrastructure assessment grant DW1 was looking into.
- Approval of 1/15/2026 Meeting Minutes.
- General Managers Report: Administration, Rate Relief, Source, Treatment Water System.
- Rate Relief Resolution 26-4.
- Rate Hearing Notice.
- Approval of Bills.
- Financials, Billing, Insurance, etc.
Gallagher will meet with staff this week to go over the pre renewal for insurance coverage for 2026. The profit and loss statement is attached and we have a glitch in quick books so the financials are just for January not the annual comparison. This will be fixed for Februarys financials.
Water production for January was 8,680,000 of that 6,425,400 gallons were distributed and 3,466,253 were sold. A leak surfaced over in Trappers Crossing and keeping our tanks full accounts for some of the difference between distribution and sales. The lake Currently is at 759 acre feet which puts us at an estimated 719AF before we can start pumping Nighthorse water in May. Logan stated we should have a rate study in 2027 and to set aside money in the budget to stay current with rising costs. Logan talked about a leak detection company that can map out the distribution system and find leaks that have not surfaced.
Rate Relief Request:
45 Mayday lane asked for an appeal on the rate relief not being approved. The board discussed the request and determined the shower being left on was not a leak. Board Unanimously voted no.
52 Rendezvous had a leak in their service line which Chris found and notified the homeowner. The owners jumped on the issue and had the leak excavated a few days later repairing and testing the line. The house was built in 2000 and the address has never asked for rate relief. Mike motioned to approve Tier 1 relief, Logan 2nd, approved.
Source and Supply:
With very little precipitation so far this winter(less than 2002) we will have to enter summer on usage restrictions. After multiple dry years we will not have enough Nighthorse water to top off the lake while feeding normal consumption rates. If we have a wet spring and wet summer we can always lift restrictions but for planning purposes level 1 restrictions will start in April.
Tim and Chris work Performed list-
Installed new air compressor in treatment plant
sampled for TTHMs, HAA5s, Chlorite, and PFAS
Bac-T samples
The state allowed us to sample for 2,4-D and average the two results(previous one from last year) If the average is below the minimum detection level, the testing will revert to every 3 years vs quarterly. Waiting to hear back from the state
Worked on the chlorine room expansion for the new chlorine dioxide generator
Ordered/Received PAC
Training Meeting with BBE for badger meter integration – will be sending out info to customers to create accounts to monitor their usage
Installed more Badger Endpoints
Virtual Meeting with SEH regarding the Lake Durango Tank Refurb
Called out to Leak at 1040 Heritage rd. Worked on exposing a shut off valve for the service line. The valve did not function. Hired a hydrovac trailer to assist due to other utilities near the water line
Normal day to day operations
Tim went on vacation!!!!
Treatment:
The chlorine Dioxide generator is scheduled to show up late February with Training in early March. We are excited to see how much this new piece of equipment will help with taste and odor since it will automatically adjust concentration levels. The older generator is 25 years old and since the merger the new company has doubled their quarterly service rates. We are excited to learn a new piece of equipment that benefits all customers and work with a new vendor.
- Rate Relief Resolutions 26-4
The Rate Relief Resolution is intended for verified leaks from the interior of the residence or service line that could not be reasonably detected. The resolution is to promote conservation, eliminate wasteful water use and eliminate all rate relief requests from irrigation. Mike Motioned to approve resolution 26-4, Jeff 2nd, approved.
- Rate Hearing Notice.
The main point of the rate hearing notice is to update the customers on the proposed rates which will take effect on April 1st. The notice will be distributed to all retail and wholesale customers so they have a chance to voice any concerns and better understand the Authorities perspective after the Cost of Service study/rate transition.
- Approval of the Bills – Bill.com report to follow Mike motioned to approve bills, Jeff 2nd ,approved and signed.
- Adjourn.
6:38PM
Minutes 3/19/2026
Call to Order: 5:15PM
Board Present: Jeff, Mike, Beverly and Logan.
Staff Present: Matt and Tim.
Visitors Present: Yvonne Ellis (LPWWA), James Cambell(LPWWA),Steve Krest(LPWWA), Tyler Paulek(LPWWA), Curtis Click, Greg Barber, Rosalie Dvirnak, Sean Larmore(LPVE), Cathy Swarts(LPVE), Gigi Batty(RJHOA), Renate Widder(RJHOA),Bob Manning(RJHOA), Mike Wasson, John & Sharon Conway and Todd Cristiano(Raftelis Consulting).
Approval of the Agenda. Mike motioned to approve agenda, Jeff 2nd, approved.
Public Comment or Questions. Refer to last page.
Rate Hearing.
Approval of 2/19/2026 Meeting Minutes. Mike motioned to approve minutes, Logan 2nd, approved.
General Managers Report: Administration, Source, Treatment Water System.
Rates Resolution 2026-5. Mike motioned to approve resolution 2026-5, Jeff 2nd, approved.
Approval of Bills. Mike motioned to approve bills , Beverly 2nd, approved.
Adjourn. 7:42PM
4. Rate Hearing.
The purpose of the hearing is to inform customers of how the Cost of Service Study was conducted and the implemented transitional rates. Todd will give a presentation on the analysis of the different customer classes and costs associated with retail and wholesale. Todd explained the analysis process of the cost of service study over the last year. Todd explained the process to capture all the different cost allocations broken down between multiple retail zones and wholesale customers. The analysis covered the cost allocations for common to all expenses vs expenses incurred from specific subdivisions or geographic boundaries. Todd explained the unique and complex distribution system so that the visitors could understand where the cost pools were associated with each customer class. Rates were discussed based on each zone compared to prior years of overall 5% increases to all.
6. Financials, Billing, DOLA etc.
Sales are slow right now in the spring but two months in we are only short $3,800 for total water sales, typically things don’t pick up until May. We are gearing up for a busy summer but keeping expenses tight for the next month.
Water production for February was 7,860,000 of 5,893,700 gallons were distributed and 3.4 million were sold (1.2 million in tank storage). The lake Currently is at 752-acre feet so we will have to use our full river allocation and pass through pumping during May when ALPOM&R is filling Nighthorse. We have June and the rest of the summer to pump our storage allocation which may be in different installments to keep temperatures low. We are balancing forecasts of another dry summer which means we must keep lake health, capacity and demand all aligned.
The Dola grant application was submitted in February, and we just had another meeting to edit the application for their internal presentation. If awarded this grant will help refurbish the Lake Durango Tank along with a double tax-exempt loan (should have numbers in May). We should hear back in mid-April on the status of this competitive grant due to overall funding shortages. We are staying competitive according to DOLA because we have all our information and project planning submitted. So far DOLA has been very helpful, but they reiterated this year is highly competitive due to state funding shortages.
Source and Supply:
We will have to start April on stage 1 restrictions so we can fill the lake in May and not get so far behind we can’t catch back up with demand. Stage 1 restricts outside water use twice a week for two hours. (See notice).
Pine Ridge Ditch had their annual meeting and looked at a few projects this summer since we will have little to zero chance of water. The board agreed to take advantage of the dry year and keep fixing some erosion areas where debris can reduce flow.
LDWA, LPWWA and ALPOM&R met to discuss this year’s pumping scenarios and some tighter reporting standards. LDWA will have the ability to help run the Nighthorse pump so we can have more flexibility on pumping and take advantage of our river allocation.
Tim and Chris work Performed list-
Submitted Distribution by – product samples (THHMs,HAA5s,Chlorite)
Submitted PFAS samples
Submitted a 2,4-D sample
Spoke to our compliance specialist Tim Jones regarding the 2,4-D sampling schedule. The result was below the detection limit, but the average of the sample result and the previous sample is above the detection limit (0.0001 mg/L). The state decided that we will need to sample, at a minimum, for the next 3 quarters.
Submitted BacT sample
Chlorine delivery
New Chlorine dioxide generator/batch system was delivered. IDI and Mike Trefry are coming the week of 3/23 for installation and training
Brown’s Hill installed conduit and Cat. 5 cable from the PLC to the new chlorine dioxide generator
Met with Russ Howard (ALP) and LPWWA to discuss Nighthorse pumping and reporting.
LPWWA is working with Browns Hill to install remote functionality of the Nighthorse pumps – on 3/19 we will meet at the intake structure and perform a test run. We are hoping to pump the remainder of our storage allocation (11.54 acre feet) before the new water year starts 4/1.
Replaced valve actuator on the filter #1 raw water line valve
Replaced valve positioner on filter #1 filter to waste valve
Troubleshoot electrical issues with the new air compressor
Installed Badger endpoints
Hired a new Employee – first week is going well!
Caught potential customer leaks from new badger meters
Chris is on Vacation!!!!
Treatment:
The chlorine Dioxide generator was delivered and moved into the new building so now we just need IDI to install and plum it into our system. Browns Hill needs to run cable and tie into our PLC and after a few adjustments configuring, we should be ready in April. This will be a great addition to the plant with the generator adjusting to distribution flows. All customers will greatly benefit from this new equipment, and we should see improvements with taste and odor if the lake turns over.
7. Rates Resolution 2026-5:
Approval of the 2026 rates based off the Cost of Service Study and the transitional rates voted on and approved 12-18-2025 following a rate hearing. James Cambell discussed the 2014 agreement and reiterated the Nighthorse infrastructure and partnership with LDWA for a rate committee meeting. A rate committee will be formed to address LPWWA concerns.
Mike motioned to approve Rate Resolution 2026-5 with a rate meeting to finalize LPWWA, Jeff 2nd, approved.
8.Approval of the Bills – Bill.com report to follow
Mike motioned to approve bills, Beverly 2nd ,approved.
9. Adjourn.
7:42PM
Public Comment: Bob Manning (RJHOA) extended his appreciation from the LDWA board on the fire suppression project and Engineering analysis connected to the Rafter J Tank tie in. Multiple questions were answered about drought conditions and usage restrictions that would be enforced this summer. Tast and odor questions were explained about last summers lake turnover and unexpected algae bloom in September. Staff explained lake treatment options along with Nighthorse pumping scenarios to mix and reduce lake temperatures. A few questions were answered about Nighthorse water and that LDWA does not distribute water to the City of Durango.
Todd Cristiano from Raftelis gave a description of the cost of service analysis that started in December of 2024. He explained how the analysis was constructed along with the vast complexities of the distribution system. He also stated that now the authority has a road map to use for the future and to keep refining.