No. Durango West 2 has a Metropolitan District that is a Special District political subdivision of the State of Colorado. The District collects fees for water, sewer, wastewater services and maintenance of roads and open space. It does not collect dues. As it is not an HOA, the District does not provide typical HOA functions such as enforcing covenants; managing disputes between neighbors; managing residential mailboxes or keys; handling dog complaints; providing residential fire mitigation or trash/yard waste removal.

A Metro District is a local government entity that provides public services and infrastructure to a community. A homeowner’s association (HOA) is a private organization that manages and enforces rules and regulations within a particular residential community.

A Metro District is a quasi-municipal corporation and political subdivision of the State of Colorado formed pursuant to Sections 32-1-101, et seq., C.R.S. As a governmental entity, the District is bound by similar rules as city governments. Durango West Metro District No. 2 was established to help fund the infrastructure of the community and to maintain that infrastructure after installation.

A Homeowners Association is a not-for-profit corporation in the State of Colorado. HOAs are governed by the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act (CCIOA).  The funds for HOAs are collected through dues or assessments.

Metropolitan districts, or “metro districts”, are an established unit of government with local and state regulatory oversight. Metro districts are the financing tool that allows public infrastructure and amenities like roads, sewer, trails, and parks to be built in new communities.

Metro districts have the authority to issue tax-exempt bonds to finance infrastructure construction and impose property taxes as a mechanism to repay the bonds. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs is the agency that regulates metro district activities.

Metro Districts, such as ours, collect monthly fees to cover the cost of provided services.

No. There are several private trash removal companies that serve this area, with at least one that provides recycling services as well. Residents can also take their cardboard, paper, and plastic recycling to the Durango Recycling Center in the Tech Center. There is a nominal fee. Residents can take their glass recycling to the Durango Recycling Center for free.

Sweeping the gutters along the sides of the road to remove needles and leaves is necessary to maintain proper drainage within the community. Needles and leaves clog up the road drainage system including the gutters, drainage grates and culverts. They can collect in the gutter creating a dam which results in standing water which can damage our streets. This type of debris also complicates snow removal.

The District pumps and treats water from four wells in Sheep Springs gulch. The availability of water from these wells depends on both snowpack and rainfall. It is usually necessary for the District to supplement well water with water from Lake Durango Water Authority. Many times throughout the recent drought years, we have had to rely mostly on LDWA for our water. LDWA gets their water from rights to the La Plata River and from Lake Nighthorse. This is not an unlimited source, and the treated water must be pumped up to our tank. LDWA has an agreement with Animas La Plata Project to purchase and store water in Lake Nighthorse. The amount varies every year depending on supply in the Animas River. LDWA supplies water to Durango West 1 & 2, Trappers Crossing, Lake Durango, Wildcat Canyon residents, and others. For a complete list, see their web site.

District provided water may taste or smell more sulphury and contain more calcium hardness when we are drawing primarily from our well water. Our well water is considered hard water with average levels of 500 mg/l total dissolved solids. We treat the well water with chlorine for disinfection and air to reduce the sulfur and improve oxygen levels before it goes into the storage tanks. Water from Lake Durango is considered surface water and is therefore not as hard. It is treated with convectional filters, but during certain times of the year such as early spring or fall, the lake “turns over” or has an algae bloom. This can cause a sediment, sometimes resulting in a fishy or algae taste in the water. Both sources are safe to drink, disinfected with chlorine and tested. Residents who do not like the taste can purchase a variety of filtration systems or bottled water.

Yes, it meets or exceeds all State of Colorado safety levels and requirements. The District issues a Drinking Water Quality Report – Consumer Confidence Report each year as mandated by the State and it shows all testing results. 

Because of the hard water issue, and the occasional taste and odor issues, some residents choose to purchase water softeners and/or water filtration. The District cannot treat or soften all the water because of cost and side effects. For example, R/O water often makes it more corrosive and could increase its lead or copper levels from home piping and fixtures. Also, the District is mandated to keep chlorine residual in the distribution system to protect against any possible contamination.

There are standard filtration systems with activated charcoal (for taste) and many softener systems are on the market. 

Green Analytical and La Plata County are the local certified labs or the State has list of certified labs on the web if you would like to mail it out. Check with the lab on sampling instructions and hold times. 

No. 

No. Do not put fats, cooking oil or grease down your drain. Residents and their guests need to properly dispose of FOG (Fats, Oils, and Grease). These can cause problems for the sewer collection system. They can create clogs which can create back up events further up the line.  These types of materials are not efficiently broken down by our lagoon systems and the District has to contract for manual removal of these grease balls from the WWTP every year. Help keep your plumbing cost down and help us keep your sewer and wastewater maintenance less by properly disposing of all oil and greases.

Everything you put down the toilet ends up in the sewer pipes and sewer mains which can cause back-ups at your home and in the system. Flush only human waste and regular toilet paper. See list of what not to flush at this link. (link)