About Parker Water
Parker Water and Sanitation District was formed in 1962 and has grown to serve more than 22,000 residents today. Over the years, the District has expanded its objectives to include water conservation and protection of nonrenewable resources.
The District is governed by a five-person elected Board that meets twice a month in open, public meetings at District headquarters in Parker. A district manager serves as chief executive officer and day-to-day manager.
PWSD's Board of Directors has open public meetings at the District office at 19801 E. Mainstreet on the second and fourth Thursdays each month at 7:00 p.m.
Source of Water Supply
The Parker community currently gets its water primarily from one source: groundwater. The District relies on 30 wells located throughout the Parker area which penetrate the Cherry Creek Alluvium, as well as the Denver, Dawson, Arapaho, and Laramie Fox Hills aquifers to depths ranging from 51 ft. to 2745 ft.
Parker is not in danger of running out of water, however, it must act now to protect its resources and prepare for growth. Parker Water has proposed the Rueter-Hess Reservoir to meet demand and serve as a water management tool to extend the life of the aquifer.
Parker Water Facilities
Parker Water and Sanitation District facilities include two wastewater treatment plants, thirty wells and five water storage tanks. Rueter-Hess Reservoir is now under construction and has a planned capacity of 70,000 acre feet.
Wastewater treatment plants: These facilities use the highest standards of advanced wastewater treatment to filter, treat and clean water to meet and exceed federal clean water standards. The treated water is then discharged into Cherry Creek.
Shallow wells: Also called alluvial wells, Parker Water maintains wells that draw from the alluvial water system at the edge of the Cherry Creek. They are each between 50 and 75 feet deep.
Deep aquifer wells: These wells draw water from deep, underground reservoirs known as aquifers. They range from 515 and 2745 feet deep.
Lift stations: These facilities "lift" sewage from areas lower than the wastewater treatment plants in order to produce a gravity flow into treatment plants.
Pump and/or booster stations: These facilities help pump water from one pressure zone to another, especially when the water is located and/or stored at a lower elevation than its destination (homes and businesses).
Storage Tanks: Hold water for business and residential use as well as Fire Flow Prevention.
District Office
All Correspondence should be directed to:
District Office
19801 East Mainstreet
Parker, CO 80138
Board of Directors
Doug Neves - President
I moved to Parker with my wife Marcia and three children in 1985 to pursue an improved way of life. We immediately became enthused with the people and surroundings of the area and decided that we would remain in Colorado and particularly in the Parker area. Our children have grown and looked at other areas of the country to live and ultimately decided to stay here for the same reasons we did, and in one case returned to Colorado, making the decision to raise their children here.
In 1987 I was asked by a board Director of the Parker Water and Sanitation District to join the District. Having a great interest in the welfare of the Parker area I applied and was appointed soon thereafter. I have now proudly served as a Director of the District for 18 years.
During this time we have seen many changes in this little town of Parker. The most obvious is that it is no longer a little town as it continues to draw both residents and businesses at a fast pace. One less visual change is that during these times PWSD has developed at a pace to stay ahead of the growth. Always anticipating the needs of a rapidly growing community, supplying the services needed to do so. Today PWSD is not only supplying these required services but continues to stay ahead of the game with water for the future. We have acquired renewable water and are in the midst of building the Rueter-Hess Reservoir to manage the water needs of Parker and supply a great recreational facility for areas residents.
Although I can not take full credit for all the great things that have happened within the District, I feel that my contributions have been a huge part as to why Parker Water and Sanitation District is financially strong and a leader in public service in Colorado.
As progressive as the District has been, there is a massive amount of work to be done. We need to continue to pursue additional water rights, strengthen water partnerships with our neighbors and grow with financial stability without overburdening the residents.
Greg Pekol - Vice President
Since May of 1997, Greg Pekol and his family have called Parker home. Greg is a current board member and past President of the Rowley Downs Home Owners Association.
"Parker Water and Sanitation has become such an integral piece of the
Front Range water system, that I feel it is important that the best interests of our customers are fully represented by the organization and its elected officials."
Mary Spencer - Secretary/Treasurer
A native of the Cincinnati area, I moved to Colorado in 1981. Before moving to Parker in 1999, my husband Rich and I lived in Colorado Springs and Castle Rock where I was actively involved in Junior Achievement teaching Business Basics to fifth and sixth grade classes. While Branch Manager for Compass Bank in downtown Parker I was an active member of the Parker Chamber of Commerce and acted as Chair for the Parker Days Parade.
In December 2007 I was unanimously approved and appointed to serve on the Community Board of Parker Adventist Hospital. I am very excited to have this opportunity to serve my community and fellow residents of Parker. I feel it is my responsibility and duty to improve the quality of life for those in our community and this is a way I hope I can make a difference. I am also active in my community and serve as a Director on the Board of the Downs Home Owners Association.
The last twenty-fives years of my professional career have been spent in the banking industry. I am currently Assistant Vice President in the commercial loan department at Mile High Banks in Greenwood Village. My hobbies include playing golf, travel, fossil hunting, reading, quilting and spending quality time with my husband, children and grandchildren.
I believe it is critical for those who have the privilege of serving on the Board of Parker Water and Sanitation to protect what the District has worked diligently to achieve while pursuing policy that is not only in the best interest of the district but also of the rate payers we represent. It is important to me that I ensure that my children and grandchildren can count on having sufficient water now and in the future. To accomplish this we must continue to develop not only new sources of water, but find new ways to store and protect the water we have.
Sheppard Root - Board Member
Sheppard Root is completing his second four year term as a publicly elected director of the Parker Water and Sanitation District in Parker, CO. He is a Bradbury Ranch resident who leads a team of explosive detection officers for the Department of Homeland Security at Denver International Airport.
After visiting a Red Sea refugee camp near Port Sudan in 1977 he committed himself to a thirty-year course of public service in hunger mitigation, affordable housing, safety of life and the arts. NOAH (Neighbors Organized for Adequate Housing), an organization he co-founded in rural Belle Glade, Florida, had it's success acknowledged on the front page of the New York Times. He was founder and director of the Museum of New Arts (MoNA) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Shep Root was recruited to sit on the executive committee that founded Douglas County’s housing authority, the Douglas County Housing Partnership, whose name he provided. He also sat on the executive committee that oversaw creation of the long range cultural plan for the future of Douglas County, Colorado. He was an appointed Cultural Commissioner for the Town of Parker for seven years. He is the founder of Halloween with Horses, Parker's unique family cultural festival produced at the Colorado Horse Park and attended by 10,000 visitors annually.
Shep was an international racing sailor, a winner of the Hong Kong to Manila, South China Sea Race and the Hong Kong to Macao, Boxing Day Race, who also set a world record voyaging his forty-foot motor yacht China Blue 20,000 miles from Hong Kong to the United States across the China Sea, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Mediterranean and Atlantic. He has lived and traveled overseas extensively. Sheppard holds a Master of International Management degree from the American Graduate School of International Management.
Root says, “I'm the father of a thirteen-year-old daughter who's grandmother was a Newlin. The Newlins were among the first pioneer settlers in Parker. Parker Water and Sanitation District's 72,000 acre-foot Rueter-Hess Reservoir is being constructed in Newlin Gulch, named for her family. So, for me, I feel a strong and personal connection that goes back in time more than a century into the past and forward more than a century into the future to a time when Parker residents will still be enjoying the benefits of Parker Water’s vision, planning and resolve."
Mark Lewis - Board Member
Mark Lewis and his family have lived in Parker since 1976. Mark and his wife Debbie reside in Canterberry Crossing. They own a local real estate firm and also operate a family residential property management business in Parker. Mark is one of the founding members of the Douglas County Open Space Advisory Commission, which has preserved over 40,000 acres in Douglas County. Mark is the past chair of the Town of Parker Parks and Recreation Commission, former President and board member of the Rowley Downs Home Owner's Association, former board member of the Parker Chamber of Commerce, and past President of the Optimist Club of Parker. Mark was also a past recipient of the Adkins Community Service Award in Parker.
"I care about the availability of water for my grandchildren and their grandchildren here in Parker. I am also excited about seeing the new reservoir completed along with the possibility of more recreation and open space for our community. I think the commitment of the residents and the hard work by the previous boards has given us a foundation for a better tomorrow."
