Presidents Letter

June 14, 2010

Dear Fellow Homeowner:

With the end of the wet spring weather and as we enter Steamboat’s hot dry months, it is time once again to focus our attention on conserving our precious water resource. While we were blessed in the valley to have a very wet last half of April/first half of May (and welcome the rain of this past weekend), this moisture did not bring the snowpack/water content in the Upper Yampa River Basin to 100% of the average over the past thirty years.

Against this backdrop of lower than normal water availability and with the hot summer months ahead of us, I want to remind you that Dakota Ridge has its own water system and that our water resource—both our right to draw water from our well adjacent to the Yampa River and our right to pump that water for various uses (primarily domestic household and irrigation)—is limited both by general principles of and patented claims under Colorado’s “prior use” water law and by potential administrative actions by the authorities that have control over our water sources. Further, we are limited by our water system tank storage capacity of 75,000 gallons.

Some of you have taken this concern to heart and conscientiously keep the water you use to a minimum. You are rewarded by having low water bills even during the third quarter (July through September), typically the highest use quarter.

Others have not. Our records show that 9 homeowners collectively accounted for more than half of the total water used by our association in the third quarter last year. That is, nine homeowners used more water than the other 48 built-out lots combined. That is, on average, these nine homeowners each used more than 5 times as much water as the others and the highest user more than 10 times. Clearly that means that some are taking far more than their fair share and more importantly, as the subdivision completely builds out, if their behavior does not change, will likely result in our total water demand being greater than our water rights, our pumping rights and our storage capacity. This is the primary reason your Board adopted the water usage schedule which was put in place last year. The good news is that one homeowner fixed a leak that led to their heavy use and others are installing water controls to lower their water use.

The water usage schedule implemented last year remains in effect. I attach a copy of that schedule to refresh your memory of it. I have added a column to the schedule to help you understand what your water bill would be at the top of each tier, and at the bottom include the high water use levels reached last year by some homeowners. While I hope that no one will again use this much water, I want it to be clear as possible to everyone the immediate cost of water usage at various levels. The broader cost is much higher and is borne by us all if there is a “call” on the water and our ability to draw water is restricted.
Dakota Ridge Homeowners
June 14, 2010
Page Two

While we did have a wet spring, the snow in the high country is rapidly melting and all that precious water is flowing downstream past us. In the event that there is a limitation placed upon our freedom to draw water, the Association will be obligated under Colorado law to take action to restrict water usage by homeowners. Initially we will ask for even more voluntary cut backs on use and could implement a prohibition on irrigation, but if this is insufficient or ignored, we will be forced to take further action, including possibly physically limiting water use by restricting water flow to those taking more water than just for domestic household use.

While I hope that harsher restrictions never come to pass, we can all help avoid this outcome by being very aware of our water usage and conserve where possible. Many thanks in advance for doing your part!

Sincerely,


Thomas A. Stone
President