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Welcome!Northwest Lakewood Sanitation District provides sewer services to approximately 4,000 homes and 500 commercial buildings spread over six square miles in Lakewood, Wheat Ridge, and unincorporated Jefferson County. The District maintains over 65 miles of sewer pipeline, 1,400 manholes, and processes some two million gallons of wastewater a day. On this web site you will find information about the District's policies, fees, board meetings, contact information for the district, and links to other relevant sites, as well as information for developers and what to do in a sewer emergency. If you have additional information to suggest, please contact us. We hope you find the site useful and informative.
Recent NewsThe District has finished all the construction work on our 2009 sewer improvements and renovation project. The repairs were completed at many different locations in the District, all of which were judged to be of the highest priority for immediate attention. The name of the construction company awarded the contract was T. Lowell Construction, and, because repairs occurred throughout the District, it is assumed that most our members noticed company trucks and other equipment in their neighborhoods at one time or another during the last several months. The District strived to minimize personal disruptions and hopes that this was the case. Specific construction sites can be found on a map by clicking "2009 sewer Improvements". (Use PDF zoom feature to view map.) With the completion of the 2009 sewer renovations and replacements, the District will have spent a total of $259,857 on this project. This money came from the $150 Facilities Renovation Fee (FRF) levied on our members last spring. It should be noted that not all of the money raised from the 2009 FRF was spent on renovation projects. Rather, some of it was used to establish a reserve fund, the goal of which is to establish a sufficient reserve level where the District feels that we have adequate money to address an unexpected, and possibly extremely costly emergency situation, such as a collapse of one of our sewer lines under Kipling Street. The amount budgeted for the 2010 sewer improvements and renovation project is $1,250,000 which includes Phase 1 of the Kipling Street renovation project. If any project that is budgeted in 2010 is not completed, the funds will be carried forward into 2011. It is the Board's intention to use essentially all of the money obtained from the 2010 FRF of $150 per single family residence or equivalent for the actual replacement and renovation of our system's sewer lines or for the replenishment of the reserve fund as noted above. It is hoped that our District's members understand what we are all now undertaking. That is, a proactive renovation and replacement program that will renew our aging sewage system over the next 20-30 years. As noted in previous newsletters, public meetings, etc., the current system is becoming increasingly subject to collapse, blockages, and cave-ins. Should this happen, our members may experience a sewage backup into their homes through their lowest level sink, toilet, or basement floor drain. We hope that our members agree that this is a scenario that is totally and absolutely unacceptable as we are concerned for the health, safety and welfare of our constituents. When the program is complete, the lifespan of our sewer system will be greatly enhanced. The duration of this enhanced lifespan is impossible to predict, but we anticipate up to 50 years in those locations where our engineering firm has chosen relining existing pipes and up to 75 years in those locations where complete replacement was judged necessary. One last subject that, although not mentioned above, is very relevant. That is the continuously rising costs for treating the wastewater entering our sewers. This treatment is done at the Metro Wastewater Reclamation District located next to the South Platte River in North Denver. Costs for the treatment of our sewage have been rising rapidly due to stricter state and federal water quality standards. These standards require more sophisticated and expensive levels of purification. In 2009 our District was assessed, and paid $ 1,013,946 as our share of the cost of running this regional plant. After more than 50 years of operation, the District finds itself faced with a problem shared by sewer utilities across the nation -- an aging sewer system reaching the end of its life expectancy (at the same time that costs of sewage treatment are rising rapidly due to stricter water quality standards). Over the next several years, it will be necessary for the District to systematically repair or replace aging pipes before their condition deteriorates to the point of failure. We hope that the aforementioned description of funding helps explain the proactive approach the District is implementing to provide for long term viability of the District and its constituents.
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