Nov. 3 Ballot Measure: Official Notice and Project Fact Sheet Now Available
NOTICE OF BUDGET1 (Pursuant to 29-1-106, C.R.S.) NOTICE is hereby given that a proposed budget has been submitted to the Blue Mountain Water District (BMWD) for the ensuing year of 2027 ; a copy of such proposed budget has been filed in the office of the BMWD at 8856 Blue Mountain Dr, Golden, CO, where the same is open for public inspection; such proposed budget will be considered at a regular meeting of the BMWD Board of Directors to be held by Virtual meeting on zoom.com – Meeting ID:849 1210 5547 Password:465988
on November 19 th , 2026 at 7:30 pm .
Any interested elector of the BMWD may inspect the proposed budget and file or register any objections thereto at any time prior to the final adoption of the budget.
Summary
The Blue Mountain Water District (the District) has placed Ballot Issue 6A on the November 3, 2026, ballot requesting approval for the District to increase debt by up to $1,200,000. The added cost to the District will be up to $882,000 for interest over the next 20 to 30 years depending upon the term of the loan. The annual budget increase for loan payments will be up to $69,000 per year. The District currently has an existing loan balance of $678,000 from 2022, construction of the 100,000-gallon water storage tank. The current billing rates and recent increases in home valuations provide the income necessary to service a new loan within the authorized mil levy. Two significant updates to the District’s infrastructure will be completed in a timely manner with the new funds.
Iron Filter Backwash Treatment
The District has filtered the raw well water to remove both iron and manganese since the 1980s. This backwash water was historically placed in a small evaporation pond adjacent to the water treatment plant. In addition to the higher concentrations of iron and manganese, the backwash water contains small amounts of naturally occurring radium 224, radium 226 and uranium.
In 2022, the State of Colorado finalized the regulations for Technically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM) which applies to the District’s filter backwash water. The radiation levels in the retention pond exceeded the updated TENORM limits, which required both a cleanup of the pond and a long-term solution.
In May of 2026, the backwash pond was removed and backfilled to fulfill the state requirements. Since July, a 20,000-gallon portable tank has been used to temporarily facilitate processing of backwash water. On going water quality and process testing will form the basis for the final treatment system required to properly process the backwash water in compliance with TENORM standards.
The loan request is to fund up to $900,000 to design and build a filter backwash treatment system to effectively process approximately 80,000 gallons per year of backwash water with high concentrations of iron and magnesium and low levels of radioactive elements. The project is based upon engineering designs completed in 2014, when the TENORM standards were first proposed by the state.
Wildfire Preparedness
In 2024, the Coal Creek Canyon Fire Protection District completed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). Recommendations in that plan called for vegetation removal around the water treatment plant and the two pump stations. It also called for structure hardening of all three structures (they all have wooden siding and numerous openings for ember intrusion). After completion of the CWPP, proactive power outages have become our power provider’s standard practice in high fire danger weather conditions. Though the District has up to 2 weeks of water storage, without power, portions of the neighborhood could lose water pressure in 1-2 days.
The current BMWD budget recognizes the cost of structure hardening and implementing the recommendations outlined in the CWPP. Without this loan the project would be deferred several years due to the accelerated spending on the backwash pond remediation. The loan request includes up to $300,000 for wildfire protection and the design and construction of emergency power backup to ensure District-wide water delivery during extended power outages.
2026 has been one of the driest years since the establishment of the Blue Mountain Water District (BMWD) similar to 2002. Efforts to conserve water through speedier leak repairs, higher awareness of our finite water resource, and reduced use of District water for outdoor watering is currently paying off. In 2001 and 2002, our wellfield water level dropped 7 feet each year, the current water level has only dropped 5 feet since 2024. For reference, the District’s wellfield life has been modelled to extend 24 years, with a sustained 4.8 feet per year drought depletion, before existing wells would need to be deepened. This is very good news in a year where other water utilities face extreme water shortages and use restrictions. Clearly the drop of 5 feet in the wellfield water level is still a material depletion. Please keep up the good work and insure that our water resource will continue to support future generations of Blue Mountain residents.
In the past year, there has been only one substantial leak as opposed to several per year in in recent years. Residents have reacted quickly to repair leaks, both saving them money and conserving the community’s water. Overall usage has dropped from 7 million gallons per year to less than 5 million per year.
Throughout 2026, our new well (12) has consistently provided half of the water consumed by the District. Our operators are currently working on pump control modifications to further increase its 24-hour utilization. Well #12 performance has allowed the District to exclusively operate the existing wells with the lowest levels of natural radioactivity, significantly reducing the load on the water treatment plant’s filters.
The District has been utilizing an evaporation pond since inception to dispose of backwash water from the iron removal filters. In 2022, the State of Colorado finalized its Technically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (TENORM) standards, which apply to the District’s filter backwash water. In October of 2025, the State ordered the District to develop a plan to stop using the backwash evaporation pond and remove and dispose of the sediment in the pond. That work was completed in May of 2026, for a cost of $137,000 (substantially lower than the estimated $200,000 plus). The levels of radioactivity were low enough to allow conventional landfill disposal which reduced both the volume of sediment and the cost of disposal.
In July a portable 20,000-gallon rental tank was installed to provide temporary storage for the current backwash water and support testing of various methods for further processing and utilization of the backwash water. This testing will continue well into 2027.
Over the past 10 years, the district has prioritized replacement, updating and repairing the almost 50-year-old system infrastructure. To date the District has spent over $2.3 million on updating infrastructure. (A table of projects completed 2017 to present is available on the District’s website: www.bluemountainwaterdistrict.site)
The remaining projects include installing the ultimate processing solution for the iron filter backwash water; hardening all the structures (water treatment plant and pump stations) in case of a wildfire; and installing backup power sources in case of extended power outages.
Last winter, the District’s power was shut off for an extended time as a utility company wildfire prevention measure. Based upon that experience, a project has been initiated to provide backup power to strategic pumps and control systems to insure the system can maintain water pressure to the entire District during power disruptions.
To speed up completion of the final three infrastructure projects, the Board of Directors passed a resolution in August 2026, to ask voters for approval to borrow an additional $1,200,000, at a low interest rate, through the Colorado Water Resources and Power Development Authority. Loan repayment can be achieved without raising current water rates. Ballot Measure 6A will be on the November 3, 2026, ballot asking for approval for the increased debt (Please Read the attached Ballot Measure 6A Fact Sheet).
The Blue Mountain Water District Board of Directors appreciates all the community support to conserve water, especially in an extremely dry year like 2026. The Board remains committed to completing the infrastructure projects necessary to reliably operate the system for decades to come.
The new Zoom login for Board Meetings will be in effect starting with the August 20, 2026 board meeting. Login information can be found on the Board Meetings page.
At the August 20, 2026 board meeting the Board of Directors will discuss and vote on a Resolution for the November 3, 2026 Ballot Measure. This ballot measure will authorize the Board of Directors to borrow up to $1.2M for water treatment improvements to enable long-term compliance with the State of Colorado regulatory requirements.
Beginning March 1, 2026 Blue Mountain Water District will transition from billing three times per year to monthly billing.
The billing cadence will change in conjunction with an increase in water rates. Please see WTF the page is with rates in the rules and regulations.