Hard water issue has drained coffers, homeowners say
Hard water has led to hard times for residents of the Pitkin Iron affordable housing subdivision near Woody Creek. And now their homeowners association is looking to Pitkin County and the local housing authority for relief.
The 15-unit development on the Roaring Fork River has, in the phrasing of a letter from Pitkin Iron Homeowners Association president Ted Schuster to Pitkin County Commissioner Michael Owsley and Aspen/Pitkin County Housing Authority director Tom McCabe, “been plagued by significant and expensive infrastructure problems” since its opening in 2001.
Schuster states the HOA is “on the brink of bankruptcy” after seven years of repairs and litigation related to a water-softening system that damaged their septic leachfields, caused one septic system to fail, and made using water in homes difficult.
“The ability of Pitkin Iron to function as an affordable housing development and provide a safe, healthy environment for its residents is seriously at risk,” the letter states.
In 2005, the developer who built Pitkin Iron — former Aspen city councilman Tim Semrau — agreed to drill a new water well for the subdivision, tapping softer water across the river. The well agreement was forged after the homeowners association dropped a lawsuit against Semrau and his engineer. (A suit against the water consultants who recommended the problematic water softener for Pitkin Iron is still pending.)
However, a pipeline carrying the water across the river leaked and froze in January 2007, most likely because it was improperly installed.
Schuster calls for relief from the county, writing that “a lack of adequate review by Pitkin County at the subdivision stage creates a moral obligation for Pitkin County and the Housing Authority to provide assistance.”
Specifically, Schuster cites a section of the county code stating that the county will assure availability of water of “adequate quality, quantity, pressure and dependability for fire protection” on land where residential development is proposed.
He claims the homeowners association has spent approximately $45,000 in repairs, plus uncalculated costs for consultants, lawyers and infrastructure repair. He claims it will cost more than $133,000 to repair the septic leachfields. He does not quote the total debt of the homeowners association.
Schuster is asking for cash payments, not a loan, “as loans will merely make an already deep hole deeper.”
andrew@aspendailynews.com
