Pueblo West Utilities
Water service is available in most areas of the District. Pueblo West owns and maintains its own water system and treatment facilities. Our primary water source comes from the 5,817 shares of Twin-Lakes water owned by Pueblo West. It is released from Twin Lakes on a demand basis, and flows down the Arkansas River to the Pueblo Reservoir. Our River Pump Station is connected to the manifold inside the concrete structure of the dam. During a year with normal precipitation, these shares can yield approximately 2.084 billion gallons of water for our use. Pueblo West also owns 266 shares of Colorado Canal water, capable of producing 52 million gallons, 292 shares of other supplemental water rights, 18 water wells and has recently acquired the water rights from the Hill Ranch in Chaffee County. There are about 440 miles of potable water mains in the ground. Currently, water treatment facilities are capable of treating a maximum of 16 million gallons per day. About 10.5 million gallons of treated water can be stored in the District now. The river pump station can pump approximately 16 million gallons of water per day from Pueblo reservoir with a new 36 inch raw water pipeline. Pueblo West Water Department has always met federal, state and local water quality standards, using established treatment methods. All plant operators are licensed and certified by the State of Colorado to operate both water and waste water plants. The water treatment plant is capable of being expanded and additional treated water storage tanks are being planned.
There is a minimum charge known as "Readiness to Serve," which is billed each month. This fee is based on the size of the water tap being used on each premise. Another fee known as "Water use" is based on the actual amount of water that goes through your water meter. The last fee, known as "Sewer use", is based on the average of your January and February water usage (residential rate only.) For an updated rate schedule for each year, you may contact the receptionist at the Pueblo West Metropolitan District main office, (547-2000) or at the Water Department main office, (547-3554).
The wastewater collection system has approx. 115 miles of sewer lines and 1778 manholes. About 1/3 of Pueblo West is on the sewer system, with the remaining using septic tanks. Not all areas of Pueblo West are served by a sewer system. If you live in an area where sewer service is not available, you will need to construct an approved septic system. Inquire with the Pueblo County Health Department for information on requirements of these systems. The type of soil you have available for a leach field will be very important in determining the cost and function of your system. It is wise to require a soil and percolation test prior to purchasing land in these areas. The sewer treatment plant capacity is currently 1.8 million gallons per day in order to accommodate the recent and any future population increases. Pueblo West reclaims some of the treated wastewater that we return to the Arkansas River. (i.e. we can pump that much more from Pueblo Reservoir.) Information on the water and waste water system can be obtained by calling 547-3554.
Xeriscaping is and will be your best option for water conservation for this area. This involves using vegetation that thrives in this environment, using only water contributed by Mother Nature. Remember that water is our most precious commodity. Conserve this valuable resource wherever and when-ever you can.
San Isabel Electric and Aquila Networks provide electrical service. For information regarding which electric company will service your needs, the staff at Pueblo West Metropolitan District, Committee of Architecture, or Community Development will be happy to answer your questions.
Electric service is not readily available to every area of Pueblo West. It is important to determine which electric company will serve the area where you will live as well as the proximity of electrical power. It can be very expensive to extend power to remote areas. This research should be done in all cases, even when you are assured that power is available to the property that you are considering purchasing. Misunderstandings may be avoided by taking this important step. If you have special power requirements, it is important to know what level of service can be provided. The cost of electric service is usually divided into a fee to bring service to the property, hook into the system and then a monthly charge for energy consumed. It is important to know what these costs are before making a decision to purchase a specific piece of property.
Natural gas service is also available in some areas of Pueblo West. Information regarding availability may be obtained from Excel Energy at 1-800-772-7858. Residences not served by natural gas have the option of propane or electrical heating. There are several companies offering propane service.
Trash removal is available from private providers who service Pueblo West. It is illegal to create your own trash dump, even on your own land. It is good to know the cost for trash removal as you make the decision to move to Pueblo West.
