Southwest - Happy Scenes Water System Upgrade_Application

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Water Supply Reserve Account - Grant Application Form Form Revised May 2007 4. Please provide an overview of the water project or activity to be funded including - type of activity, statement of what the activity is intended to accomplish, the need for the activity, the problems and opportunities to be addressed, expectations of the participants, why the activity is important, the service area or geographic location, and any relevant issues etc. Please include anv relevant TABOR issues that may affect the Contracting Entity-. Please refer to Part 2 of Criteria and Guidance document for additional detail on information to include. The Happy Scenes Water System (System) serves potable water to the Happy Scenes Subdivision, located north of Vallecito Reservoir, in La Plata County, Colorado. The System serves 60 taps and an estimated population of 160 people. The non-profit water system is made up of members who each have one tap and one vote. The elected Board of Directors is generally responsible for managing and running the System. All System expenses are financed by assessments to the homeowners. Currently, the System's water supply consists of two springs. The spring water surfaces, then flows into two separate collection boxes, equipped with above ground overflows that direct excess water to nearby streams, and piping that directs water to two separate pump houses. The pumps independently pressurize the upper and lower levels of the distribution sv_ stem. Historically, the system has been operated as, and considered, two individual systems, although the two sources were physically tied together by valves that were opened to supply water to one of the systems while repairs were being made to the other. Recently, however, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Enviromnent recognized the system as one system, since the sources can be jointly used. As one system, the population is great enough to classify the system as a Public Water System, with new criteria for water quality testing and treatment. A test of the spring water has shown it to be surface water influenced. The treatment and testing of this water will be cost prohibitive over the years to come. Therefore, the System has drilled a new well, and is in the process of designing a small treatment system, with chlorination as the primai-v treatment. A portion of the money requested with this application will be used to complete the construction of the treatment building and install the necessary treatment equipment and water storage tanks. The System is working with Harris Engineering to design the svstem and provide a design report to the State Health Department. The System is also working with Clint Brooks to help design the pump and treatment systems. Greg Brand from the State Health Department has been very helpful and supportive as we endeavor to bring this system up to current standards. The rest of the construction project consists of replacing the aging infrastructure. The existing distribution svstem has shallowly buried 2-inch lines that have the potential to freeze. The System has bleeders throughout the distribution system to ensure that water is continually moving in the pipes during cold weather, however, the System still experiences frequent breaks, due to freezing in the winter. The physical location of the system and resulting snow levels make finding and repairing winter breaks extremely difficult, which usually results in a large amount of water lost. Upgrading the distribution system with larger diameter pipe, buried below- frost level, will provide water conservation for the system, as water will be saved by minimizing breaks and discontuming the bleeders. All these upgrades are fairly straight forward. Amy from Harris Engineering is putting together a design report to submit to the State. Once that is accepted we believe we can have the treatment building completed, pumps installed, and storage tanks buried within a few months, provided funding is available. Our first goal is to transition over to a system that reliably supplies quality water to our members. We would then start work on replacing the distribution lines. 7