To: Members of the Castle Rock Water Commission
From: Mark Marlowe, P.E., Director of Castle Rock Water
Roy Gallea, P.E., Engineering Manager
Jeanne Stevens, P.E., CIP Project Manager
Title
Resolution Approving Updates to the 2022 Wastewater Master Plan [Entire Castle Rock Water Service Area]
Town Council Agenda Date: February 7, 2023
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
This memorandum has been prepared to request Town Council approval of a Resolution adopting the 2022 Wastewater Master Plan (see Attachment A).
The Town is a growing community. As of early 2022, the Town of Castle Rock wastewater collection system, which serves a population of more than 80,000, has more than 10,300 sanitary sewer manholes, is over 314 miles in total length and transports on average about 4.5 million gallons of wastewater each day to either the Plum Creek Water Reclamation Authority (PCWRA) or the Pinery Wastewater Treatment Facility. At an estimated build out population, the collection system could serve as many as 155,000 residents. At peak times, wastewater flow to be conveyed to the PCWRA or the Pinery for treatment via interceptors could more than double at future build-out conditions to a projected 10.6 million gallons per day (MGD). The 2022 Wastewater Master Plan (WWMP) highlights critical findings and recommendations resulting from a reassessment of wastewater program needs for the Town of Castle Rock.
This 2022 plan builds on the previous master planning efforts and was completed with the following goals in mind:
• Identify collection system deficiencies and/or future facility requirements.
• Develop tools to update the plan as growth conditions change or new development occurs.
• Develop a capital plan for recommended and required projects that balances infrastructure requirements with fiscal responsibility.
• Develop preliminary cost estimates as a basis for input into the annual rates and fee analysis, which analyzes future requirements out to the year 2065
• Identify projects to be included in the 5-year capital plan budget
• Identify infrastructure that may be needed to be built or upsized by developers as growth occurs in currently undeveloped or underdeveloped areas.
The following principles serve as the base for the Town’s wastewater programs:
Principle 1: Protect People, Property and the Environment
Principle 2: Plan for the Future
Principle 3: Encourage Coordination of Infrastructure Needs
Principle 4: Operate the Wastewater Enterprise Fund as a Business, Balancing Revenue and
Expenses
Principle 5: Provide for Effective Long-term Operation and Maintenance of Collection System
Facilities
Principle 6: Ensure Wastewater Planning is Consistent with, and Considered Part of, a Fully
Integrated Total Water Management Approach
Principle 7: Identify and Implement Changes to the Wastewater System which will improve
long term sustainability through resource recovery and net zero energy use
Castle Rock Water employs a cost of service (COS) methodology to ensure the Wastewater program is a self-sustaining enterprise, adequately financed with rates that are based on sound engineering and economic principles. Moreover, rates should be equitable and proportionate to the costs of providing service to a given type of customer. Further, there is an expectation that growth pays for growth and that system development fees and developer infrastructure requirements should reflect and support this development model.
Discussion
Key efforts CRW will be doing going forward as part of the plan include:
• CRW collection staff will expand on the use of acoustic surveying to inspect and monitor the collection system for blockages that can cause sanitary sewer overflows which will improve overall operational efficiency
• CRW staff will inspect all sewer main interceptors greater than 15-inch in size, over 107,000 linear feet of sewer mains on a five-year schedule
• CRW will complete projects as identified in the 2022-2027 planning horizon for capital projects
• CRW staff will begin implementing the sewer rehabilitation projects as identified in the 2023-2032 Rehab Capital Plan (Draft)
• CRW will consider supporting legislation at the statewide level to restrict the sale of flushable wipes which are detrimental to the operation of the collection system, particularly the lift stations
• CRW will continue upgrades at wastewater facilities as identified in the SCADA Master Plan
• CRW will improve security at several lift stations by adding perimeter fencing and other security measures
• CRW staff will continue to look for and implement opportunities to reduce energy use at its facilities
• CRW staff will continue efforts to reduce odors from the lift stations and collection systems
• CRW will support local efforts to reduce phosphorus in the local watersheds through its participation with the Chatfield Watershed Authority (CWA) and the Cherry Creek Basin Water Quality Authority (CBWQA)
• CRW will implement changes to the landscape regulations that will reduce irrigation demand in the future and potentially will reduce phosphorus loading in the watershed from reduced fertilizer use
• CRW will continue to explore expanding the use of graywater systems which could reduce long term hydraulic loading on the PCWRA and Pinery facilities
• CRW will partner with Plum Creek Water Reclamation Authority (PCWRA) on the feasibility of a thermal recovery project at the PCWRA facility that may reduce heating and cooling costs
• CRW will work with Douglas County and PCWRA to implement the SH-85 Regional Wastewater project helping to keep reusable water supplies in Castle Rock as well as improving water quality in Chatfield Reservoir
• CRW will participate with PCWRA on the update to the PCWRA Utility Plan
• CRW will identify and implement projects to improve long term sustainability through resource recovery and reducing net energy use
• CRW will investigate whether the shift to direct potable reuse (DPR) from indirect potable reuse (IPR) is in the best interest of the Town based on the Colorado Department of Public Health (CDPHE) finalized regulations for DPR
• CRW will work with partnering utilities to expand our capabilities to store and/or bring reusable water supplies back to the Town
Budget Impact
Part of the 2022 Plan update was to revisit the capital plan and the cost estimates used. Annually, Castle Rock Water does a rate study and revises the COS model in order to recommend changes, if any, to the fee schedule. In the 2010 Wastewater Master Plan, the overall, long-term capital plan totaled just under $80 Million; for the 2016 update, that total was just over $80 Million. In this 2022 update, the overall long-term capital plan total is estimated at $200.2 Million through the year 2065. The significant increase in the future long term capital budget has been primarily influenced by two factors: the potential for a future expansion of the Plum Creek Water Reclamation facility if future population served exceeds 105,000 and a future focused effort on sewer rehabilitation to ensure collection system integrity. Further, the capital plan is devised to try to spread out capital costs in order to minimize any unexpected jump in rates or fees in any one year. Increases in system development fees primarily affect new development, and support the policy that growth pays for growth. Increases in wastewater user charges reflect operations and maintenance costs and the costs of capital rehabilitation and replacement, while increases in volumetric rate fees affect those who may not use water wisely or do not practice conservation within the household.
Proposed Motion
“I move to recommend to Town Council approval of the Resolution as presented”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution (Not Attached)
Exhibit 1: 2022 Wastewater Master Plan