Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of Fountain Sanitation District will consider amendments and changes to the rates, charges, fees, and monetary penalties related to the wastewater management services provided by the District. The proposed changes will specifically address an alternative plant investment fee (PIF) structure for those areas within the corporate boundaries of the City of Colorado Springs and the service area of Colorado Springs Utilities with wastewater management services provided by the District.  The proposed changes will be considered at the regular meeting of the Board of Directors to be held at 11545 Link Road, Fountain, Colorado 80817 on Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. with an effective date of June 6, 2022. This meeting is open to the public.

BY ORDER of the Board of Directors of the Fountain Sanitation District this 3^rd day of May 2022, this Notice is provided in accordance with C.R.S. Title 32-1-1001(2)(a)(III) and shall be posted on the District's website at least 30 days prior to June 6, 2022.

Fountain Sanitation District

/s/James E. Heckman

Manager & Secretary to the Board of Directors

Wastewater Worker Recognition Week

Most of us turn on our faucets and flush the toilets without considering where the water ends up. Wastewater treatment plant operators work quietly behind the scenes ensuring to clean, test and monitor this vital resource protecting public health in our state. The duties of wastewater treatment plant operators vary depending on the size of the treatment facility. The operators run and maintain the pumps and motors that move wastewater through filtration systems. They are responsible for making sure treatment facility equipment works properly. Before the wastewater reaches the treatment facility, other operators are busy taking care of the collection system and all of the maintenance and repair of pump stations and collection lines. They are continually adapting to challenges and new technologies to keep up with customer and regulatory needs. This also includes consideration of occupational risks associated with COVID-19 to ensure these essential workers stay safe and the wastewater service to the community remains uninterrupted.  

Many people do not realize that wastewater requires monitoring 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.  The availability of safe and reliable water is often taken for granted and that wastewater workers usually don’t get the credit they deserve for providing ready access to the treatment of wastewater. It is the daily work of our dedicated professionals that minimize environmental impact our community.

Thankfully there are some wonderful men and women whose job is just getting started after you flush the toilet or watch water disappear into the sink drain. It’s a job that doesn’t garner a lot of notice, unless something goes wrong.

Some stats on our wastewater collection and treatment system:

• Approximately 103 miles of pipe
• Approximately 1,790 manholes
• 4 lift stations
• Two wastewater treatment plants
• We treat more than 1.5 million gallons of sewage a day

Once again, Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared April 17-23 Wastewater Worker Recognition Week so if you see a wastewater worker this week, please take time to give them thanks for all they do.

WHEREAS, Colorado’s water is a valuable economic, environmental, and recreational resource that should be protected; and

WHEREAS, Colorado’s wastewater treatment workers consistently work to improve the cleanliness of Colorado’s streams, rivers, and lakes; and

WHEREAS, Colorado’s wastewater treatment workers include operators, maintenance personnel, laboratory workers, sewer maintenance workers, biosolids workers, industrial waste pretreatment workers, administrative workers, engineers, and suppliers; and

WHEREAS, Colorado’s wastewater treatment workers have served as essential workers through the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, it is fitting to honor Colorado’s wastewater workers for protecting the water and environment of this state;

THEREFORE, I, Jared Polis, Governor of the State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim the time period between April 17, 2022 and April 23, 2022 as

WASTEWATER WORKER RECOGNITION WEEK

in the State of Colorado.	GIVEN under my hand and the Executive Seal of the State of Colorado, this seventeenth day of April, 2022
	Jared Polis Governor

 DO NOT flush wipes of any kind down toilets and drains

The Fountain Sanitation District would again like to remind residents of our community, DO NOT flush wipes of any kind down toilets and drains. Please dispose of used wipes in the trash.

Just because the packaging on disposable wipes state, “flushable,” it does not mean they are degradable. The so called “flushable” wipes do not break down as they travel through the sewer collection line on the way to the treatment facilities. Toilet paper is specifically designed to breakdown as it travels.

The fibrous material in wipes get caught up on the smallest things, starts to collect and eventually can create a significant back-up in the sewer collection system. We are seeing the same type of problems at the District’s wastewater pump stations. The pumps were not designed to pass large volumes of wipes, rags, latex gloves, etc. which clog the internal parts, and eventually lead to an overabundance of labor and costly repairs.

Several of our community members also have an internal “mini” sanitary pump station inside their home which is a private system that pumps wastewater up to the District’s main sewer line in the street or easement. If a blockage occurs on a private system, the property owner is responsible for those repairs.

Please call the District should you have any questions about what should and should not be used.

In the spirit of continuous improvement, the Fountain Sanitation District is partnering with the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System to publish solicitations and we welcome your participation. 

Click here to view Open and Closed Solicitations.