Evergreen Metropolitan District Capital Projects | Evergreen Metropolitan District

Infrastructure Improvements for 2025-2030

EMD Mission Statement: Providing affordable, high-quality water and wastewater services to our community.

The Evergreen Metropolitan District manages three special districts in our area: Evergreen Metropolitan District, West Jefferson County Metropolitan District, and Kittredge Sanitation and Water District.

The Evergreen Metropolitan District (EMD) manages the raw water supply, treatment and distribution for all three Districts. Additionally, EMD is responsible for the wastewater collection and treatment within its service area.

Evergreen Metropolitan District Capital Projects

Water System:

Water Main Replacements: Several of the distribution mains are over 50 years old and, due to their age, are more suspectable to main breaks. Our five-year plan includes beginning to replace some of this old infrastructure. We budget $200-500k annually. In 2025, the following project(s) will begin construction:
- Warehouse Water Main: Bidding for this project closed on April 4^th. Once a contractor is selected, this $250k project will abandon the existing1.5” water main near S Cubmont Dr, built in 1954, and replace it with a new 6” main. Construction is scheduled for later this month with completion before the JC73 project.
- Cozy Cleaners Water Main: In 2023, the District had a three-foot water main break in Downtown Evergreen next to the former Cozy Cleaners. This 1954 pipe was buried approximately one foot below Bear Creek and beneath retaining walls for the parking lot. The District, and its contractor, could not repair the water main and service has been degraded as a result. The District worked with engineers to evaluate options and decided to replace this water main with a 10” main within a steel sleeve in its current location. This $250k project was bid earlier this year and construction is expected to start as soon as permits are approved.
Fire Hydrants: Annually, we budget approximately $20k for the replacement of aging hydrants.
Lower Forest Hill Pump Station Generator: To reduce service interruptions during power outages, the District has budgeted $75k to install a generator at this pump station.
Membrane Train Replacement: There are five membrane trains at the water plant for filtration, the lifespan of which are about 10 years each. These membranes act as selective filters, using pressure to separate and remove contaminants like particles, bacteria, viruses, and salts. Train three is scheduled to be replaced in 2027 for about $850k.
Water Plant Chemical Building: The District is nearing 90% design completion for a $4.5 million improvement project at the Evergreen Water Treatment Plant (4671 Hwy 73), with construction scheduled to begin in early 2026.

This project includes key upgrades to enhance safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance at the Downtown Evergreen facility:
- Combined filter effluent improvements in the membrane building to provide a compliant sampling location and optimize membrane treatment operations.
- Chemical building upgrades, including replacement of the chlorine gas system with a safer onsite sodium hypochlorite generation system, and modernization of chemical feed systems for improved safety and efficiency.
- Remodeling of the 1962 operations building within its existing footprint to support current and future plant operations.

These improvements will support the long-term reliability and performance of the District’s water treatment infrastructure.

Wastewater System:

Cure-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP): A large portion of the wastewater collections system is constructed of clay pipes. Clay pipes are susceptible to root intrusion and infiltration. Over the years, the District has been working to line these pipes with CIPP techniques. This non-invasive process extends the life of the sewer mains by sealing the clay mains to halt root intrusion and infiltration, thereby lowering maintenance requirements. Annually, we budget about $200k for this work within EMD service area.
Abandon Tanoa Lift Station: The Tonoa Lift Station is at the intersection of Stagecoach and Evergreen Parkway. This site pumps raw sewage over the fill where it can flow by way of gravity to the wastewater treatment plant at Meadow Dr. The District evaluated if the site could be abandoned by rehabilitating an existing sewer main under Evergreen Parkway. This $300k project will save operational and maintenance costs and is at least a year out.
Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL): The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has identified Bear Creek Lake as impaired for Phosphorus. As a result, all entities with discharge permits may be required to significantly reduce phosphorus entering the lake. A draft TMDL has been submitted to the EPA which would be a 90% reduction from the wastewater treatment plant. This will have significant financial and operational impacts on all discharging agencies in the watershed. The District expects a 10 year timeline for implementation and estimates a cost of $5M.
EMD Wastewater Plant Biosolids Dewatering: Design is nearly complete for the installation of a biosolids dewatering facility at the EMD Wastewater Treatment Plant (27897 Meadow Dr), with construction scheduled for this year.

Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials left over after wastewater is treated. Rather than being disposed of as waste, they can be recycled for beneficial uses like fertilizer or land reclamation.

Currently, the District hauls these biosolids using 6,000-gallon tanker trucks—about 250 trips per year. Rising hauling costs and the environmental impacts of this volume of truck traffic have led EMD to pursue a more sustainable solution. The new facility will reduce the volume of material hauled offsite, cutting truck trips to approximately 50 roll-off containers per year.

This $2.6 million project is expected to:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 25 metric tons of CO₂ annually
- Decrease congestion and road wear from heavy truck traffic
- Save the District approximately $120,000 in annual operational costs

Evergreen Lake:

Sediment Basin: We have engaged with an engineering firm to evaluate the sediment entering the lake. Our water rights storage on the lake has decreased by 1/3^rd because of sediment. Working with Denver Mountain Parks and EPRD, we are looking into options to convert the wetlands area into a multiuse area. The proposed project would:
- Reestablish the wetlands.
- Improve the trail system.
- Reroute Bear Creek to allow sediment to settle before entering the lake.

Because of permitting, this estimated $1M project is at least three years away.

Evergreen Lake Dam: The District has submitted final design plans to the State Engineer’s Office for improvements at the Evergreen Lake Dam. This estimated $1 million project will restore the dam’s outlet works, which have been inoperable for many years, and is required to meet State safety and water rights regulations.

The Colorado Division of Water Resources mandates that the dam must be able to lower the lake level by five feet within five days—a requirement that cannot currently be met. The project will include valve replacements and slip-lining the existing outlet pipe, with construction required to be completed by the end of 2026.

Additionally, the District is obligated to measure water flowing out of the lake to comply with its water rights. Currently, this is not possible. Once the outlet works are rehabilitated, outflows will be routed through the outlet pipe, meaning that during drought conditions, water may no longer flow over the spillway.

The project is expected to go to bid this summer. Following its completion, the District will lower the lake level to perform spillway inspections and cosmetic repairs—also mandated by the State.

West Jefferson County Metropolitan District Capital Projects

The West Jefferson County Metropolitan District provides wastewater services in northern Evergreen and shares infrastructure challenges and environmental compliance needs with EMD.

Cured-In-Place-Pipe Lining (CIPP): A large portion of the wastewater collections system is constructed of clay pipes. Clay pipes are susceptible to root intrusion and infiltration. Over the years, the District has been working to line these pipes with CIPP techniques. This non-invasive process helps seal the clay mains to halt root intrusion and infiltration, thereby lowering maintenance requirements. Annually, we budget about $100k for this work within WJCMD service area.

WJCMD Wastewater Treatment Facility:

WJCMD Wastewater Plant Biosolids Dewatering: The WJCMD Wastewater Plant operates in a way that requires contract hauling of digested solids using 6,000-gal tanker trucks. This project is currently in design and is expected to cost about $2.5M.
Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL): The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has identified Bear Creek Lake as impaired for Phosphorus. As a result, all entities with discharge permits may be required to significantly reduce phosphorus entering the lake. A draft TMDL has been submitted to the EPA which would be a 90% reduction from the wastewater treatment plant. The District expects a 10 year timeline for implementation and estimates a cost of $5M.
Old Aeration Basin Rehabilitation: When the District constructed the new Activated Sludge Basin in 2022, the State indicated there may be a requirement to rehabilitate the abandoned Aeration Basin. The District is evaluating potential rehabilitation of the original aeration basin to provide operational redundancy. This project is estimated to be $1.5M and is at least three years out.

Lift Stations:

10th Filing Generator: To reduce service interruptions during power outages, the District has budgeted $10k to begin the design to install a generator at this lift station. This is a 2026 project and estimated to be $150k.
El Rancho 1 Force Main: The El Rancho 1 lift station is located behind the Evergreen Country Day School in El Rancho. This lift station pumps raw sewage over Nob Hill until Pinedale Ranch Cr near Kerr Gulch. The pipe carrying the pressurized sewage is approaching the end of its life. This $2M project is slated to begin design in the next five years.
El Rancho 1 Tanks: The tanks at this site pose a personnel safety risk when maintenance is needed. The District has included $50k in the five-year plan to evaluate options to address this risk.

Kittredge Sanitation and Water District Capital Projects

The Kittredge Sanitation and Water District provides wastewater services to the Kittredge area. Kittredge’s wastewater infrastructure presents unique challenges due to topography and flow paths. The District is exploring rerouting options to enhance long-term reliability.

Collections System: The wastewater collections system in Kittredge currently flows through the neighborhood south of Bear Creek. This is not an ideal system. To address this, the District is evaluating options to keep the flow in Hwy 74 with two projects:
- Welch to Hilltop: Estimated to cost $350k, this project would reroute sewage from its current path on Columbine Trl to Hwy 74 between the park and Post Office. Engineering is expected to begin in the next five years.
- Ave E to Meyers Gulch: Estimated to cost $700k, this project would reroute sewage from its current path to Hwy 74 from Ave E to Meyers Gulch. The current system crosses Hwy 74 and Bear Creek near Switchback Smokehouse and flows across property lines until Meyers Gulch. This project is currently being designed.
Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL): The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has identified Bear Creek Lake as impaired for Phosphorus. As a result, all entities with discharge permits may be required to significantly reduce phosphorus entering the lake. A draft TMDL has been submitted to the EPA which would be a 90% reduction from the wastewater treatment plant. This will have significant financial and operational impacts on all discharging agencies in the watershed. The District expects a 10 year timeline for implementation and estimates a cost of $4.5M.

We are committed to transparent, sustainable infrastructure investments that serve our community today and into the future. Please reach out with any questions.