Mountain Village and Telluride to hold worksession with County to discuss wastewater treatment site feasibility
The Town of Mountain Village and Town of Telluride will hold a worksession with the San Miguel County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on Wednesday, March 19 at approximately 1:45 p.m. to discuss the current wastewater treatment plant and the feasibility of an alternate site located Down Valley.
Mountain Village and Telluride have shared ownership and management of the current wastewater treatment plant near Lawson Hill since 1985. In 2017, a wastewater master plan was completed to identify necessary improvements, estimate future capacity needs, and ensure the plant meets state water quality and effluent standards. The current site has little land expansion opportunity beyond its 2.5 acres of buildable land.
Recent estimates for the total cost of upgrading the current plant have totaled over $133 million. Because these improvements would only increase capacity by 0.2 million gallons per day and meet regional needs only through 2047, the municipalities decided to explore alternative options.
In June 2024, the Town of Mountain Village put 5 acres of land under contract for $1.1 million. This land, owned by the Alexander Family, is located next to the CDOT/County shops along Highway 145 and is being considered as a site for a new regional wastewater treatment plant.
"This worksession aims to inform both the Board of County Commissioners and the public about the current wastewater plant, the feasibility of the new site and Mountain Village's investments in Ilium Valley since 2022," said Mountain Village Assistant Town Manager Michelle Bulson. "We also plan to file a subdivision exemption plat to separate the 5-acre parcel from the rest of the Alexander family's land for a critical facility, though this application has not yet been submitted."
After conducting technical studies, officials have determined that the site is suitable for this purpose. There are approximately 3.7 acres of developable land on the parcel, it is flat and adjacent to both Highway 145 and San Miguel River without requiring bridge crossing.
Current feasibility studies have shown that the future plant could accommodate the build-out of Mountain Village and Telluride and provide gravity-fed sewer to more neighborhoods in the east end of San Miguel County.
The towns are working toward creating a sewer authority to oversee the future plant after finalizing the purchase of the property. The sewer authority would ultimately decide the final population and boundary to be served, although some analysis will be shared at the meeting.
“We invite the community to tune into the worksession to learn more about how much work both Towns have put into this regional solution to date and to better understand our current wastewater treatment plant status and future plant feasibility,” Bulson added.
The public is encouraged to attend the March 19 work session in person or virtually. The session time is subject to change, so interested parties should confirm the schedule after the meeting material is posted on the county’s website.
To view the PowerPoint presentation for the worksession, please visit: bit.ly/WWTPpowerpoint. The presentation PowerPoint will be provided in the packet and available for distribution after the meeting, and BOCC meetings are typically recorded for those unable to attend in person.
