ACSD Water Reclamation

Reclamation– getting something beneficial back from what was previously thought of as waste.

Water Reclamation Facilities are staffed by state certified operators who use physical, biological and chemical processes to treat wastewater from homes and businesses to a level of water quality that can be used for other purposes. The processes used mimic what would happen in nature only without causing pollution. Water of a quality similar to the Roaring Fork River is reclaimed through this process.

ACSD- Our mission is to protect the water quality of the Roaring Fork River while providing reliable and effective water reclamation services for our Aspen area customers.  We are a Division of Local Government with an elected Board of Directors. As a Special District (similar to the hospital, library and fire districts) we specialize in a single purpose function and can avoid most of the politics associated with municipal and county governance. Our service area includes the City of Aspen and outlying metropolitan areas.  Our goal is to provide reliable and uneventful service at a practical cost.  Our charges are based upon our approximate costs of providing service and planning for capital replacement. We are funded primarily through user fees.

ACSD Solar Farm:  We partnered with Holy Cross Energy and Primergy Solar to complete a 5 Megawatt Solar Farm. The Solar Farm was built in three months, in 2021, following three years in the Pitkin County Community Development Review Process. The ACSD Solar Farm adds Five Megawatts of local renewable energy directly to the Holy Cross grid. The development was built on land owned by ACSD. We are an investor in the project and our customers will benefit directly from future reduced electrical costs we incur for the process of water reclamation. Our investment in the Solar Farm reduces our water reclamation electrical costs by about one third.  The current cost of electrical power for the water reclamation facility is about $275,000 / year. This is the first utility sized solar development ever built in Pitkin County. The electrical output of the solar farm could power up to about 1000 homes.

Budget Process- The 2024 Budget is on file at the District office. A 3% rate increase for 2024 was approved. District rate increases typically track with the CPI. The electrical savings associated with the new ACSD Solar Farm cut in half the additional operating revenue needed to off-set inflation in 2024.