Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fountain Council temporarily bans gray-water systems, approves 25-year lease for Chilcott Ditch shares
Summary
Council adopted Resolution 25-058 to prohibit gray-water treatment works in Fountain until regional permitting and Fountain Sanitation readiness are resolved, and approved a 25-year lease to add 2.5 Chilcott Ditch shares to the city's water portfolio (Resolution 25-059). Both passed by 7-0 votes.
The Fountain City Council voted Dec. 9 to temporarily prohibit the installation and use of gray-water treatment works within city limits (Resolution 25-058) and separately approved a 25-year lease for Chilcott Ditch water shares from Fountain-Fort Carson School District (Resolution 25-059).
City staff explained that House Bill 241362 enables installation of gray-water treatment systems in new construction statewide beginning Jan. 1, 2026, but the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department and Fountain Sanitation have not yet completed permitting procedures or operational readiness to implement those systems. A staff presenter recommended a temporary local prohibition "until the regional Building is ready to permit those" and until cross-connection and backflow prevention issues are addressed. Council adopted the resolution by a 7-0 vote.
On a separate item, staff described a proposed 25-year lease of the school district’s 2.5 shares (of 105 total) in the Chilcott Ditch. The lease increases the city's yield from that ditch by roughly 10 percent and retains water-accounting rights to support nonpotable uses and long-term planning. Council approved Resolution 25-059 by a 7-0 vote.
Council members said the gray-water ban is intentionally temporary and can be repealed if regional permitting and sanitation-district coordination are resolved. The Chilcott lease was described as a long-term supply hedge to support city wells and inter-district water trades.
