Frequently Asked Questions

Customers should be aware of the location of the water meter and where the inside water shut off valve is located, in case of an emergency. (Please note the MXU located on the outside of your home is not the water meter – the MXU is connected to the meter for meter reading purposes.) You should also know where the PSOV (Property Shut Off Valve) is located.  If you have a water emergency during business hours (8:00AM-5:00PM, Monday through Friday), please call our business office at (719)687-7937. If you have a water emergency outside of business hours, please call our emergency line at (719)247-1191 and leave your name, phone number and address in the message.    

Highland Lakes Water District owns the meter inside your home, the MXU or meter reading equipment located on an outside wall of your home and the PSOV (or Property Shut Off Valve) also located outside the home and marked with a blue and white utility marker. This equipment is maintained and updated by the District. If this equipment is damaged (for example, if the meter is allowed to freeze or the PSOV gets damaged from a vehicle or plow) you are responsible for payment for the repairs. The service line which runs from the District’s water main, through the PSOV and brings water to the home is the responsibility of the homeowner. If repairs need to be made to that line, the homeowner is responsible. The property owner is also responsible for paying for any water loss due to leaks or breaks in the service line and associated costs related to finding the leak. Please see the current fee schedule for charges of operator time and water leak/ loss rate.  (PICTURES OF 2 TYPES OF WATER METERS W/ SHUT OFF VALVE, MXU UNIT & PSOV)

The District is served by a series of twenty-three wells, all connected to the Treatment and Storage Facility located at 928 County Road 512. There, the water is treated in accordance with the EPA Safe Water Drinking Act of 1974. After treatment, the water is distributed throughout the subdivision. The water system infrastructure was originally built in 1974 and includes approximately thirteen miles of transmission and distribution pipeline. In 1995, senior water rights were purchased by the District to ensure that the water supply is available to us now and in the future.

Your billing for water used is sent on or about the first of each month for the previous month; if you have not received yours by the 5th, please call our office manager, Mary Schnierle, at (719) 687-7937 (also the number to call for any problems with your water service). You are billed for water used in the previous month plus a minimum charge of $35 per month. Payment is due by the 15th of each month. The District now has the availability of Automatic Bank Withdrawal. Auto draft forms are available under New Owner information on the District website. Incidentally, in this subdivision, a family of four uses an average of 2,400 gallons of water each month and pays approximately $85.29 per month.

You should be aware of where your inside water meter and water shut off valve are located. Water should be shut off at that valve when you leave your home for an extended period.  Or, if you prefer, the District offers one free “turn off” and “turn on” of water service at the PSOV (Property Shut Off Valve) on your water service line which must be done by District personnel. It is a good idea to leave the heat in your home on during colder months and set at 55 degrees or higher.  Open closets and cabinet doors in your home to allow the warm air to circulate. If your meter is located in a closet, garage or crawl space be sure the area is heated at all times to avoid frozen pipes.  

Every winter, we usually have at least one home that is not heated properly with water left on resulting in frozen or broken pipes, which has led to an extremely expensive clean up and loss of important property. Even just a couple of days with exceptionally low outside temperatures and no heat in your home can be a catastrophic event. This can lead to a major loss of service for the rest of the homes in the subdivision as well. For extra peace of mind, get to know your neighbors and have someone available to check around your home whenever you are gone! More information on winterizing your home can be found on the District website.

Highland Lakes Water District has Rules and Regulations and a Schedule of Fees and Charges which are available for customers to read and understand on the District website as well as in printed form from our office manager at (719) 687-7937. These documents are included in the new customer packet you received when you opened your account. Other sources of information are available in the quarterly newsletters which are mailed to each customer and emails that are sent to each customer when there is an alert or district update of immediate importance (PLEASE be sure we have your current email address!) This District website is the official information site of the Highland Lakes Water District (highlandlakeswaterdistrict.colorado.gov). Also, the public is always invited to attend our monthly board meetings held on the third Tuesday of each month, 6:00PM, at the Community Building. The Highland Lakes Residents Facebook page is a wonderful way to meet your neighbors, but it is not an approved method of any communication from the District.

Highland Lakes Water District purchased the senior water rights for our wells and lakes in 1995. These water rights show that we have legal claim to 28-acre feet of consumptive use water as designated in the Elk Lake Storage Agreement. Our water rights mandate that water can be used for consumptive, in-house use only. Washing cars, watering landscaping (including gardens, lawns, trees and flowers), staining, painting or power washing homes or decks and watering livestock animals needs to be done with water purchased from a local supplier, trucked in and placed in a cistern. In August of 2016, it became legal in Colorado to capture run off from roofs in rain barrels – each resident is allowed to collect and hold for personal use only 110 gallons - or two 55-gallon drums. We always encourage you to do all you can to conserve our water - water is like liquid gold in Colorado!

Elk Lake, Deer Lake and the seven Beaver Ponds located in the Highland Lakes subdivision are owned by the Highland Lakes Water District.  The District leases the lakes and ponds as well as the common areas surrounding the lakes and ponds back to the Highland Lakes Property Owners Association.  Access to this property shall be limited to HLPOA members in good standing for recreational purposes only (fishing and motorized boating provided the motors are electric motors of no more than five horsepower). The Highland Lakes Water District is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the lakes, ponds and dams. Highland Lakes Water District shares the cost of weed control in the lakes and ponds with the Property Owners Association. The Water District and the Property Owners Association also share the cost of the general liability insurance policy for the property.

There are three main reasons why septic system maintenance is so important. The first reason is money.  Failing septic systems are expensive to repair or replace and poor maintenance is a common cause of early system failure. The second and most important reason to maintain your system is to protect the health of your family, your community and the environment.  When septic systems fail, inadequately treated household wastewater is released into the environment.  Any contact with untreated human waste can pose significant health risks and untreated waste from failing septic systems can contaminate nearby wells, groundwater and drinking water sources. The third reason to maintain your septic system is to protect the economic health of your community.  Failed septic systems can also cause property values to decline. You will find more information on septic system dos and don’ts elsewhere on the website.

A boil order is issued when the water system develops a line break and the system loses pressure. The line break will be repaired as soon as possible. The District will inform you when tests of the water show that there are no traces of bacteria in the water, and you would no longer need to boil your water at that time.

Highland Lakes Water District has over thirteen (13) miles of pipeline in the subdivision. Most of the lines were put in the ground in 1974 when the subdivision was developed. Some of those lines have been replaced over time and at a significant cost. However, the majority of the leaks or breaks that we have are due to breaks in a homeowner’s water service line. Large unknown breaks can completely drain our system of water in a relatively short time. Service lines are the property and the responsibility of the homeowner – be sure you know where your service line is located as well as its age, type and condition.

Highland Lakes Water District treats our drinking water in accordance with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) regulations. The EPA has established protective drinking water standards for more than 90 contaminants, including drinking water regulations issued since the 1996 amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act that strengthen public health protection.  Chlorine is a disinfectant that is added to the water supply to kill disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and protozoans.  It is effective against pathogenic bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, campylobacteria and cryptosporidium. Chlorine levels in the water here in Highland Lakes are monitored daily and our water is sent to a lab for testing every month. High nitrates in our water (which incidentally reach our drinking water through improperly maintained septic systems) are removed at the treatment plant using an ion exchange system.  We are currently building an extension to our treatment plant that will house a GWUDI (or Ground Water Under the Direct Influence of surface water) filtration system – another product of poorly maintained septic systems. Our water is tested throughout the year as required by the EPA and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for different elements such as TTHMs, HAA5s, lead, copper, volatile organics, radium, uranium and synthetic organics.  The results of these tests can be found in the District’s Consumer Confidence Report on this website.  Our water is also treated with sodium carbonate (soda ash) to increase the pH of our water to an average non-acidic level which is much easier on plumbing and has a water softening effect.

No, they are two different entities. Highland Lakes Water District is a Special District of the State of Colorado entrusted with providing safe, clean drinking water to the residents of the Highland Lakes subdivision. The Highland Lakes Property Owners Association is the group that maintains the Rules and Regulations, Bylaws and the Policies and Procedures established by the Highland Lakes community and maintains and improves community assets. Check out their website at https://hlpoa.net.

HLWD – Highland Lakes Water District – a special district of the state of Colorado with the mission to provide the residents of Highland Lakes subdivision with clean, safe drinking water.

HLPOA – Highland Lakes Property Owners Association - the mission of the Highland Lakes Property Owners Association is to develop a sense of community, to provide a safe and fun place to call home, and to instill a sense of pride in the community as a whole. 

PFAS/PFOS – Per & Polyfluoroalkyl Substances - a group of chemicals that are resistant to oil, water, heat, and grease. They are also known as "forever chemicals" because they don't break down easily in the environment.  The District is required to begin monitoring PFAS by the year 2027 and has already done some preliminary testing.

TTHM – Total Trihalomethanes – a group of four chemicals (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform) that are formed as byproducts when chlorine is used to disinfect drinking water. There is an MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) set by the EPA and the tests are done once per year.

HAA5 – Halo Acetic Acids – another group of five chemicals that are formed as byproducts when chlorine or other disinfectants are used to treat drinking water. These chemicals are monochloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid and dibromoacetic acid. There is an MCL (Maximum Contaminant Level) set by the EPA and the tests are done once per year.

GWUDI – Ground Water Under Direct Influence of surface water - the wells that HLWD uses are classified as GWUDI wells meaning that the source is located close enough to nearby surface water to receive direct surface water recharge (for example, the surface water is affected by improperly maintained septic systems). It has the potential to contain chemicals and organisms including viruses and bacteria that can have detrimental acute and chronic public health effects. An addition to the treatment plant is currently being built and will allow the District to treat the water as regulated by the State.

PSOV – Property Shut Off Valve – located nearest to the road and the water main within the road.  The PSOV is owned by the HLWD and only personnel authorized by the HLWD can operate the PSOV.

MXU – Meter Transceiver Unit – located on an exterior wall of the home. The MXU is remotely read each month by the water operator so that the District can know how many gallons of water the resident has used.

CDPHE – Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment - The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is one of 16 cabinet-level departments whose executive director is appointed by the governor. The department serves Coloradans by providing public health and environmental protection services that promote healthy people in healthy places. Public health professionals use evidence-based practices in the public health and environmental fields to create conditions in which residents can be healthy. In addition to maintaining and enhancing our core programs, the department continues to identify and respond to emerging issues affecting Colorado's public and environmental health.

ORC - Operator in Responsible Charge – a licensed water operator, hired by the HLWD Board of Directors, to oversee the operations of the Water District.

EPA – Environmental Protection Agency - the mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.

The EPA works to ensure that all Americans have clean air, land and water.

SDA – Special District Association - the SDA of Colorado is a statewide membership organization created in 1975 to serve the interests of the special district form of local government in Colorado. Special districts fill a vital role in providing many of the basic services and public needs of the people of Colorado, including fire and rescue services, water, sanitation, parks and recreation, hospitals, libraries and cemeteries.  A portion of your property taxes is paid each year to the Water District due to our Special District designation.

WQCD – Water Quality Control Division – the CDPHE Water Quality Control Division is responsible for overseeing water systems, issuing permits, ensuring compliance, and taking action against entities who violate state and federal regulations. The WQCD works in partnership with utilities, counties, and other agencies to oversee, improve, and maintain quality drinking, surface, and ground water.

DWSRF – Drinking Water State Revolving Fund - offers loans with very low-interest rates so that they are affordable to pay back. These loans come from the State Revolving Fund program.  The State Revolving Fund finances the design and construction of Colorado water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure. The SRF administers the fund along with the Department of Local Affairs, and the Colorado Water Resources & Power Development Authority. They manage environmental reviews, engineering design approvals, and conduct overall project management. The power authority manages the finances and loan approvals. Local affairs staff members work with applicants on credit reviews and reports.  As of 2025, Highland Lakes Water District holds two of these low interest loans which were used to build the Water Treatment and Storage Facility in 2017 and the GWUDI treatment process addition in 2025. 

DOLA – Department of Local Affairs - the Department of Local Affairs is an agency of CDPHE and is responsible for strengthening Colorado's local communities and building capacity by providing strategic training, research, technical assistance, and funding to localities.  Highland Lakes Water District has been able to secure two EIAF (Energy Impact Assistance Fund) grants from DOLA to help with the building of the Water Treatment and Storage Facility and the GWUDI treatment process addition.  Both grants are matching fund opportunities and do not have to be paid back by the District.

BIL – The Bilateral Infrastructure Law, also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is a $550 billion investment in U.S. infrastructure. It is a U.S. Federal Statute enacted by the 117^th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2021. The law includes water infrastructure funds to strengthen and rebuild water infrastructure.  Some of this funding was used to pay for the addition of the GWUDI Filtration Skids at our water treatment facility and does not have to be paid back by the District.

CDC – Center for Disease Control – The CDC tracks drinking water quality (this data helps determine if contaminant levels pose a public health risk), protects water sources (such as lakes and rivers from sewage and other pollution) and promotes safe water practices (such as how to prevent water-related illnesses and injuries and the guidelines for testing well water). 

CCR – Consumer Confidence Report – The EPA requires community water systems to deliver a Consumer Confidence Report, also known as an annual drinking water quality report, to their customers each year by July 1^st. You will find the most recent CCR on the District’s website.