At the regular Rico Town Board meeting held on Oct. 17,Town Manager Michael England reported that Polaris Drilling has completed about 600 of the bore at the S curves north of town. There is a section of approximately 450 they were unable to bore due to the formation of the rock. This 450-foot area will be shot with dynamite, then excavated out rather than bored. Polaris stated they will have the bore completed and the pipe pulled through the week of Oct. 8. BWR has completed the two other short bores under the CDOT entrance and Horse Creek, The new 6-inch pipe has been pulled through both of these bores. Rain has been a slight factor concerning their excavating and installation of the new 6-inch line, however, they expect to be able to meet the Oct. 31contract deadline for completion. They may work into November for finalizing and testing the new waterline, but it will not affect the CDOT permit requirements concerning excavation and construction in the CDOT right-of-way. Reclamation seeding along the highway north of the S curves appears to have been successful and has been reviewed by Karmen King/Grayling Environmental. The town will follow up with any additional requirements next spring. The new chlorination building is slowly moving ahead and should be completed by the end of October.
Letters were submitted from Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment concerning the new effluent limits for all membrane filtration plants beginning January 2014. The current surface water treatment rule effluent limits were 0.3 mg/1 or less and the new limits will be 0.1 mg/1 or less. The towns membrane filtration plant currently meets the 0.3 mg/1 or less effluent limits year round, however, at times in the spring runoff and heavy rains, the town can not meet the new 0.1 mg/1 limits. Mr. England plans to contact Tyson Ingels/Leading Drinking Water Engineer for the State in the coming weeks to discuss why membrane filter plants are being regulated differently for effluent water than a conventional filter plant such as sand filtration using the same raw water. It is the towns understanding the conventional filtration plants will continue to only need to meet the current 0.3 mg/1 effluent standard and the new effluent limits will only apply to membrane filtration plants. Membrane filtration plants over recent years certainly have proven to be more reliable than the old rapid sand filter type filtration plants.
The town has received notice from USDA Forest Service that the towns current MOU Cooperating Agency status between the Town and Forest Service has been renewed for another two years. A copy of the signed renewal form between the Forest Service and the Town, also the original MOU for reference was submitted.
A letter from the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) regarding new changes to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) was submitted. If the town wants to continue to be in good standing with the NFIP and continue to receive grant funding through CWCB, the town will need to pass a resolution or ordinance adopting the new updated regulations by January 2014.
