Central Water for Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Well Basics | Water Facilities | Wastewater | Water Conservation

Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District is the supplier for central water in our area.

The mission of the Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District is to provide safe drinking water and wastewater services in an economical and environmentally responsible manner, and to educate the community with regard to water conservation, now and into the future.

Water Storage, Treatment and Distribution Facilities

The District presently owns and operates four domestic water treatment plants which treat the District’s raw water supply prior to distribution. The total possible treated water capacity is 7 million gallons per day (“MGD”) from all sources. However, we must keep in mind that some sources are not always available and system redundancy is a necessity. A proper balance of reservoir versus river sources makes us a more drought resistant community. This water is distributed through a network of approximately 256 miles of water mains, booster pumps and nearly 1000 fire hydrants. 10 storage tanks provide storage of treated water with a combined capacity of 4.17 million gallons.

• Hatcher WTP (2 MGD)
• Stevens WTP (.5 MGD)
• San Juan WTP (3 MGD)
• Snowball WTP (1.5 MGD)
  

Wastewater Collection System

The existing wastewater collection system consists of nearly 100 miles of mains and 24 lift stations. Infiltration within the system occurs only during those times of high rainfall or a fast snowmelt. The District has an ongoing infiltration/inflow correction program as part of its wastewater maintenance effort. The wastewater collection system is not interconnected with any storm drainage system.

Wastewater Treatment

The District operates the Vista Wastewater Treatment Plant, as well as the Highlands Lagoon Treatment Plant, which services primarily the northern portion of the District. Both treatment plants are currently in compliance with all discharge standards required by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. An upgrade/expansion to the Highlands Lagoon treatment plant is being studied at this time.


Water Conservation

With toilets representing nearly 30 percent of indoor water use, the PAWSD initiated their first toilet rebate program in the summer of 2004. The goal of the program was to reduce water use within the District boundaries by encouraging the replacement of pre-1994 high-volume toilets. There have been a total of 128 toilet rebates issued since 2004 totaling $11,800. The average toilet replaced was 4.5 gallons per flush (gpf), with 3.0 average gallons of water saved per capita. The average annual household water use reduction was over 37 percent. Total water savings for the PAWSD and customers who participated in the first and second year toilet rebate program is estimated at between to be 1,781,500 gallons SO FAR. Remember, these savings go on and on. Toilets replaced in 2004 continue to save water in 2005 etc. etc. The effect is cumulative! Based on the total water savings and the cost to treat and distribute the water and wastewater, the PAWSD toilet rebate program basically has paid for itself and should be considered a great success.

Click here to see many more ways to conserve water energy inside and outside of your home from the US Department of Energy website

Click here to read the Water Conservation and Drought Management Plan.

Customer Tips & News

Info and photos courtesy of PAWSD.org.

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