The District
The Evergreen Metropolitan District was created February 27th, 1979, when the water treatment and distribution system was acquired from Public Service Company of Colorado and merged with the Evergreen Sanitation District. The Evergreen Sanitation District was formed on October 15th, 1948. The District currently owns, operates and maintains one wastewater treatment plant, three wastewater pump stations, one water treatment plant, eight water pump stations and ten water reservoirs. The District also maintains approximately 300 miles of wastewater collection system piping and an equal amount of water distribution piping.
Other Mountain Districts
Evergreen Metro District maintains inter-district agreements with three water and sanitation districts within the mountain area. These Districts include West Jefferson County Metropolitan, Kittredge Sanitation and Water. Inter-district agreements allow the Evergreen Metropolitan District to operate and maintain the West Jefferson County and Kittredge wastewater treatment plants and all the collection system piping and eight pump stations within the other districts.
- History of the Metro District
Evergreen Colorado began to be populated by settlers as early as the 1860’s. Due to the rich soil derived from Bear Creek, farming was prevalent and worthwhile. Settlers in the area also made a living on an ample supply of lumber and furs from the area. In the early 1900’s Evergreen became a popular place to escape. Resorts beckoned visitors with promises of lavish retreats and breathtaking landscapes.
In the 1920’s a plan was put in place to create a dam in Evergreen which would create a lake. The purpose of the dam was to control Bear Creek which was flood prone and to increase the tourism in the area. Construction of Evergreen Dam began and was complete in the late 1920’s. The management of the dam and the water system that provided water to all connect properties in the area was owned and operated by Public Service Company of Colorado (now Xcel Energy).
In 1948 Evergreen Sanitation District was created to help solve the issue of failing individual septic systems and to create a centralized sewer system. Along with ESD there were 8 other districts that were created as early as the 1950’s in and around Evergreen: West Jefferson, Wah Keeney Park, Evergreen Central, Bergen Park, Kittredge, Upper Bear, North Evergreen, and El Rancho.
In the late 1970’s Evergreen Sanitation District was changed into Evergreen Metropolitan District. The reason for the change was to gain authority to buy the water system from PSCo and to enter into a long-term agreement with the City and County of Denver for the lease of Evergreen Lake and to make necessary repairs to the dam. EMD took over responsibility for the administration, operation, and maintenance of the water system. EMD also entered into agreements with each of the 8 other special districts to continue to provide drinking water to each of the districts. The agreements also allowed EMD to provide the personnel to manage, operate and maintain the other District’s respective service systems (Except for Kittredge Sanitation and Water District which provided their own staff until around the mid 90’s). The agreements not only provided for a more streamlined service system but reduced the cost of operating and maintenance since they did not have to hire their own staff for administrative and operational business.
The special districts in Evergreen remained unchanged for the most part until the 2000’s when the District Boards began to understand and acknowledge that consolidation with the other districts would bring even more efficiency and cost savings. There was no longer a reason for each of the districts to continue on their own. So, a series of consolidation elections began, and voters for each district decided to consolidate.
Districts were consolidated based upon the wastewater treatment facility that their respective sewer systems were connected to. Hence, North Evergreen, Evergreen Central, and Upper Bear Creek all consolidated with EMD. Wah Keeney Park, Bergen Park and El Rancho consolidated with WJCMD. Now there are only 3 separate districts, Evergreen Metro (EMD), West Jefferson County Metro (WJCMD), and Kittredge Sanitation and Water (KSWD).
EMD, WJCMD, and KSWD are responsible for their respective sewer systems, including the treatment plants, sewer collection systems and pump stations. WJCMD and KSWD have their own separate boards that make decisions for their districts regarding the sewer system and rely on EMD for providing drinking water. EMD operates and maintains the entire water system for all 3 districts. EMD administers the water and sewer billing for all 3 Districts. The EMD Board makes decisions concerning all water issues as well as the EMD wastewater system. EMD reports to and engages WJCMD and KSWD in conversations regarding the water system. WJCMD and KSWD contract with EMD to provide the manpower to administer and operate the respective sewer systems.
Departments
EMD is an organization composed of departments including Administration, Collections and Distribution, New Services & Environmental, Wastewater, and Water. The District has twenty-nine full-time employees.
Miscellaneous
The EMD Board of Directors oversees the operations of the District personnel. The Board is comprised of local businesspersons and property owners who must operate under Colorado statutes regarding special districts. Additionally, the other districts that EMD serves must conduct business under those same statutes.