The Cucharas Sanitation and Water District maintains several on-going projects in an effort to keep ahead of quality standards and remain on the front of water management.  Over the years, several of these have been completed. Here, you'll find details of these projects. Watch for new projects to be posted soon!

2024 -2025 NEW CONSTRUCTION - BAKER CREEK WATER TREATMENT PLANT 

The Cucharas Sanitation and Water District (CSWD) provides clean drinking water and sanitary sewage services to a community in the Cucharas River Valley in Huerfano County in south central Colorado. On a per-capita income basis, Huerfano County has historically been one of the poorest counties within the state.
CSWD serves approximately 650 residential customers and a dozen commercial customers. Up until about 10 years ago, CSWD had 3 water purification facilities. Today, it has only one operational facility. CSWD was created in 1974 which resulted in the consolidation of several existing private water systems. One of these water systems serviced the original Panadero ski area. Because of the age of that water plant and poor maintenance, production was discontinued in 2006 and the facility has been abandoned. Another area of CSWD’s service district had a small water plant, called the Dodgeton plant, which CSWD inherited. Its last year of operation was 2020. The plant was old, maintenance became very expensive and replacement parts were impossible to obtain. The Board of Directors directed that water production at that facility be terminated and the facility closed. The remaining plant is referred to the Spanish Peaks Water Filtration Plant (SPWFP).
Each of the three current and closed water production facilities resides within one of three distinct watersheds: the Cucharas Creek, Baker Creek and Dodgeton Creek drainages. All three are tributaries to the Cucharas River. The remaining operational plant, SPWFP, resides on the Cucharas Creek. CSWD has in-stream water rights on all three tributaries.
In 2018, a significant wildfire occurred called the Spring Creek fire. It consumed over 108,000 acres and was sparked by outdoor cooking. The fire came very close to the Cucharas River Valley and came less than a mile of the Dodgeton Creek watershed.
The water filtration package at the SPWFP is a second-hand package of unknown age. The plant itself was built in 1999 when the second-hand package was installed. The water filtration package is estimated to be 40 years ago. Therefore, that plant is seeing an increase in emergency maintenance and is showing signs of wear.
The CSWD Board of Directors has directed the planning of a new production facility for three primary reasons: 1) to relieve the burden on the SPWFP; 2) to mitigate the risk that the SPWFP plant is a single point of failure for the 650 valley customers; and 3) to mitigate the risk that a wildfire on the Cucharas Creek watershed could ruin the water supply at the SPWFP.
An existing building has been identified for possible use as a facility for the new water plant. In order to use this existing building, a metered diversion structure will have to be built to divert water from Baker Creek into a settling pond. Since the building currently has no heat or electricity, that will need to be added and a raw water vault must be built next to the existing building. Additionally, a pipeline will have to be constructed to connect to the existing pipeline that supplies finished water to an existing 600,000 gallon storage tank. The new water filtration package is expected to cost approximately $500,000 and the total anticipated project cost, including utility and civil works, is estimated to be $1,000,000.
The new water plant will produce 250 gallons of finished water per minute. That compares to the current production capacity at the SPWFP of 220 gallons per minute (150 gpm in the winter). The SPWFP produced approximately 22 million gallons in 2021.
The bottom line is that CSWD is poorly positioned for sustained water production and growth and desperately needs a new clean water production facility to augment the Spanish Peaks Water Filtration Plant.

Spanish Peaks Water System Improvement Project 2018-2020

In 2018 the Cucharas Sanitation and Water District (CSWD) hired GMS Engineering to evaluate and provide a Preliminary Engineering Report on the Spanish Peaks Development's water system.  In the spring of 2019 RMS Construction was hired to upgrade the Spanish Peaks Water System.  The project was completed in the spring of 2020. If you'd like more in depth details please contact Terry Sykes, CSWD General Manager.

Cuchara Ave. Large Diameter Sewer Line Extension 2014

CS&WD completed a large diameter sewer line extension down Cuchara Avenue to allow commercial and residential customers to hook directly into the large diameter sewer line and eliminate the need for their septic tank on the small diameter system if they choose to do so.

Cuchara Water Tank Project 2014

CS&WD constructed a new 88,000 gallon water tank by the Cuchara Water Plant. This new tank was constructed on the McCombs property just west of Black Bear Road.  The residents of Cuchara received an increase in water pressure of about 13 psi and greatly improved flow from the area fire hydrants. 

Britton Reservoir Rehab 2012

During the summer of 2012 the CS&WD completed the installation of 760 feet of 12" pipe on US Forest Service property adjacent to the Britton Reservoirs on the Cuchara Pass.  This project stopped the erosion from Deadman Creek and South Fork Creek.  This portion of the project was funded through a grant from the Forest Service.  During the Summer of 2013 the CS&WD will be rebuilding reservoir #1 for more volume and greater control of our augmentation water.

Pandero Vista Sewer Extension 2011-2013

In 2011 the CS&WD staff completed phase 1 and started on phase 2 of the Panadero Vista sewer line extension.  The final part of this sewer extension (down the top part of Panadero Vista) will be completed in the spring of 2013.  This is the last part of the District to get sewer service. 

Cuchara Water Treatment Plant on the Dodgeton Creek 2011-2012

During Winter 2011 - Spring 2012 the CS&WD did modifications to the Dodgeton Creek water treatment plant's clearwell.  We installed a baffle curtain in the clearwell to improve the treatment process. 

Pinehaven Sewer and Water Project 2007-2008

In 2007, CS&WD chose to install a complete new sewer and water system in the Pinehaven subdivision. Previously, all homes in Pinehaven had been on private septic tanks and water wells. The project was completed in late 2008 with only supplemental landscaping remaining to be done in 2009.

Cucharas Water Treatment Facility 2000

In 2000, CS&WD chose to replace an aging water treatment facility located at MM 19 on Highway 12, right before the climb to Cucharas Pass. The building is built next to the Cucharas River as it flows down from Bear and Blue Lakes. The existing facility had been in place since 1978.