ECHOES
of DEER VALLEY
_________________________________
A Publication of Deer Valley Property Owners’ Association
April, 2007
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Spring is nudging winter aside in Deer Valley as buds begin to open and the grass begins to green.
Winter was not too harsh in the Valley this year and our dirt roads held up well, in part thanks to some
late fall grading which we will plan again this year. Culvert cleaning last fall saved us a lot of
headaches as the snow began to melt. We have had some expected dirt settling around the front
firewater storage tank that we will correct soon. Roadwork is being planned for the first of May.
Our “big” volunteer project this year (last year was the “firewater” tank burial), moving 2000 feet of
perimeter fence to the proper boundary line, has met a legal snag. It seems the private landowner on the
other side of the fence wants more legal maneuvering before work begins. We had proposed a simple
yet descriptive agreement outlining the work we planned to do with volunteers. Their attorney has
asked that we have our attorney draw up a formal contract, that we hire a “professional” fence company
to move the fence, that we survey the fence location, and that we not re-use any of the existing
materials! We will work through these issues one way or another and hopefully, still get the fence
moved “economically” this spring.
In all, we have had a great year thus far and life is good in the Valley.
WELCOME
We wish to welcome our new property owners who have joined us since the last newsletter was
published.
HOMES
Jim and Mary Henely- Lot 25
Wendy Jorgenson- the Johnson home on Lot 54
Emil and Ellen Maxton- the Norkooli home on Lot 67
Alden and Anne Vervaet- the Sanders home on Lot 72
Paul and Gina Bradford-the Trabing home on Lot 75
Steven and Janet Jurgens- the Stevens home on Lot 80
Charlie Muir and Nancy Brooker- the Bowen home on Lot 21
John Van Schaik & Tracy Buell-the Porter home on Lot 48
Bob Gorey and Anne Derose- the Lanagan home on Lot 41
Ralph and Barbara Pistor- the Batt home on Lot 24
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PROPERTY
Bryan and Tammy Ferguson- Lot 22
Wayne and Marty Lane- Lots 32 & 62
Bradley Parker- Lot 57
Kenneth Hale-Lot 77
Jim and Bonnie Taylor-Lot 65
Les and Linda Kole-Lot 83
TJB Enterprises, LLC-Lots 4 & 5
We also welcome those who have been building and have moved in during the last year:
Jon and Sandy Robison- Lot 36
Les and Linda Kole- Lot 82
Scott and Andie Davidson- Lot 14
John and Stella Welcher- Lot 34
NEW STATE STATUTE MANDATED
Conflict Resolution Process
In 2006 the Colorado State lawmakers passed, and Gov. Owens signed into law, statutes requiring
“Associations” like Deer Valley POA have a documented process for resolving conflicts between
members of the “Association” and the “Management” of the “Association”. The Board of Directors of
Deer Valley POA passed and placed on record such a process.
However, since this concept can have such a wide ranging impact, your Board decided to widen the
scope of our approach to include both conflicts between Members as well as between the Board and
Members. A new section of the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions has been
prepared and will be presented to the Membership for vote as part of the Annual Meeting process.
The essence of the law and added Section is as follows: The Conflict Resolution Process is designed to
minimize the expense and anguish associated with legal court battles and thereby free up those courts’
resources for more important matters. In the event of a disagreement or offense, the “Plaintiff” must
approach the “Defendant” in an attempt to resolve the issue as “good neighbors”. Should that contact
prove unsuccessful in resolving the issue, the Plaintiff has the option of contacting the Chairman of the
Resolution Committee to seek “arbitration”. This begins a defined schedule of events beginning with
the submittal of written “Position Statements” from both the “Plaintiff” and the “Defendant”. There are
defined points that must be addressed in these “Statements”. The Resolution Committee then meets
with the two parties present to reach a consensus for resolution of the disagreement. Should this fail,
“binding arbitration” may be sought as defined in the State Statute outlining that process. This will be at
the expense of the “Plaintiff” and “Defendant” as described in the statute.
Before entering into this process it should be remembered there are state and county statutes for many
issues such as animal control and other safety and “aggravation” type issues. These will always take
precedence over any “arbitration” process carried out by the Committee. Referring an issue to these
state or county officials will occur unless there is a possible “extenuating” issue defined in the “position
statement”.
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ANNUAL ELECTION FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
This is the year that three of the five Directors on the Board are to be elected. The formal request for
resumes will be issued soon. Those of you with worries about not being “qualified”, not having any
experience, not living in the development long enough, or not having enough time to devote to the task,
should not let these concerns stand in your way. Only three of the five current Board members had any
experience when elected. In the past, several of the Directors have served even before moving to Deer
Valley and attended the Board meetings by telephone. The time required includes attending the monthly
meetings and assigned projects that are shared by the five members. The amount of time spent on these
projects is a function of what each individual member is able to include in their personal activities.
The primary characteristics for being a Board member are the willingness to get involved and not being
afraid to “speak your mind”, and, at the same time, being willing to represent the best interests of all the
Property Owners. The very nature of the five-member Board structure creates discussion on any points
of concern followed by a vote on the issue to seek a majority opinion. There are critical issues for the
Deer Valley on the horizon and people with fresh views and ideas are needed. You are urged to think
about running and to begin developing your resume.
(The Board appointed position of Secretary will need to be filled for next year as well. Anyone
interested in serving in this important position is requested to make that known to the Board.)
FIREWISE COUNCIL OF SOUTHWEST COLORADO
At the August 2006 Annual Meeting of the POA, it was suggested by special guest Pauline Ellis, District
Ranger / Field Office Manager USDA/USDI that the Association have a volunteer to serve as a
FireWise Neighborhood Ambassador. Your Board of Directors has recruited Les Kole to become the
Ambassador and John Van Schaik as our alternate. Les has attended the bi-monthly meetings of the
FireWise Council. These meetings have provided a great deal of valuable information for our Members
and Association. We are currently setting up a Saturday event to hear about what homeowners can do to
reduce the risk of wildfire within our subdivision. We will also be learning about additional fire
mitigation planning in the Forest surrounding Deer Valley.
The following are preventative actions that can be taken well in advance of fire season and are critical:
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create defensible space;
develop islands of vegetation;
thin weak, dead, overcrowded trees; remove under-story vegetation;
move woodpiles away from home;
evaluate driveway for access;
create a family emergency plan;
annually prepare for fire season;
keep up on maintenance efforts.
Help your Deer Valley Neighborhood become “FireWise”. For more information about reducing the
risk of wildfire as well as upcoming events visit: www.southwestcoloradofires.org Telephone – (970)
385-1210. Les Kole can be reached at (970) 884-0560.
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UPCOMING ROADWORK
The contract for this year’s roadwork is almost finalized. Neil’s Construction is scheduled to begin
work on Deer Valley roads early in May. Owners will be notified of the dates for application of the mag
chloride as soon as they are known. These notices will be emailed and placed on the bulletin board at
the dumpster pad.
NOTICE TO ALL DOG OWNERS
From a tragic incident a few years ago, the Board of Directors learned much about the La Plata County
Dog Control Ordinance that all dog owners should know (no such ordinance exists for cats). While we
have Covenants concerning animals, Deer Valley residents should know that dog control is out of our
jurisdiction and controlled by La Plata County government and law enforcement. Penalties for violations
include fines and may include misdemeanor criminal charges.
In the meantime, if you own a dog or dogs, you should know that you may be cited for the following
violations:
Dog Not Vaccinated Against Rabies;
Dog Not Licensed;
License Tag Not Displayed;
Dog At Large;
Defined as:
Dog not restrained on owner’s property by means of fence or chain
OR
Dog not under the control of the owner’s direct supervision and verbal command; verbal
command requires the owner to be outdoors within sight and hearing of the dog and to
give it needed commands which must be carried out by the dog.
Dog Injuring a Person.
If you have questions, please contact Animal Control 259-2900 or the Humane Society at
259-2847.
MAINTENANCE OF SEPTIC SYSTEMS, LAGOONS & WATER WELLS
During recent Board meetings, the subject of odors from septic lagoons was discussed with the
following research documented to assist Owners with proper maintenance. For neighbors, these odors
can become an “annoyance” that falls under Section 5.6 of the Covenants and should be addressed by
the offending Owner. The Board’s research was expanded to include septic tank and well maintenance
to assist Owners in these important health maintenance issues.
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Septic Tank Maintenance:
- Avoid excessive water (use of high volume of water will flood your system and flush solids out of
tank).
- Get your septic tank pumped regularly (every 4-5 years).
- Don’t use a garbage disposal (double solids) or pump out your septic tank more often if you do.
- Biological & chemical septic tank additives should be avoided (does not improve performance of
septic tank and may be harmful to environment).
- Avoid excessive use of household cleaning products (bleach, powdered detergents, toilet bowl
cleaners).
Lagoon Maintenance
- Mow grass and control weed growth in and around lagoon. (long grass and weeds block wind and
provide breeding areas for insects and can trap trash, grease and scum, which causes odors & attracts
insects, and weeds are used as food by burrowing animals, that can cause damage).
- Control weeds that grow on the water surface, like duckweed & watermeal (they take up valuable
space that should be occupied by algae, and they can stop sunlight from penetrating, and slow mixing by
the wind).
- Remove scum that collects on water surface (same reason as duckweed, but also to control odors and
insects).
- Check depth of sludge layer in lagoon (sludge eventually accumulates to a point it must be removed,
although this may take years).
- Odors (lagoons may have odors occasionally from alga blooms, anaerobic conditions, scum and
turnover (spring & fall) of the lagoon contents after thawing.)
References: San Juan Basin Health, The Laundry Alternative Inc., US Inspect, EPA,
Pipeline – adapted for use by Purdue University
Water Well Maintenance
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Water Quality Control Division – 4300 Cherry Creek Drive South
Denver, CO 80246-1530 (303) 692-3500
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets drinking water standards and has
determined that the presence of coliform bacteria is a serious health concern. Their presence in drinking
water is serious because they are usually associated with sewage or animal wastes. The presence of
these bacteria in drinking water is generally a result of a problem with water treatment or the lines which
distribute the water, and indicates that the water may be contaminated with organisms which can cause
disease.
Disease symptoms may include diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and possible jaundice and associated
headaches and fatigue. These symptoms, however, are not only associated with disease-causing
organisms in drinking water, but also may be caused by a number of factors other than drinking water.
Disinfection of Water Supply Wells
Has your water supply recently been tested and the sample results were Confluent Growth, Too
Numerous To Count (TNTC), or Total Coliform Positive with or without Fecal Contamination? If so,
the water supply should be disinfected as follows:
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1. Add 1 gallon of 5% available chlorine household bleach into the well. Use the “regular”
CHLOROX, PUREX, etc. DO NOT use the “fresh scent” or “unscented” kind. If
possible, mix together 10 gallons of water plus the bleach and introduce the mixture into
the well, between the well casing and the pump drop line. You will need to carefully
remove the well cap and seal.
2. Put the well cap back on and start the pump and;
 OPEN all faucets (sinks, tubs, etc.) on the system;
 FLUSH all toilets on the system;
 PUMP until the chlorine odor is detected at the faucets;
 CONNECT a hose to an outside faucet and wash down the well casing (for 15
minutes) and all parts of the well equipment which are exposed to the elements;
 CLOSE all faucets and;
 STOP the pump.
Allow the chlorine solution to remain in the well, storage tank, and distribution system for a
minimum of 8 hours (24 hrs. is ideal). This procedure completely flushes and disinfects the
entire distribution system which is necessary to eliminate all points of bacterial
contamination.
3. Pump well water to waste until the odor and taste of the chlorine has disappeared. DO
NOT run all this super-chlorinated water into your septic tank! It will kill the organisms
that make your septic tank work. Excessive amounts of contamination in the well or
water system may require repeating the disinfecting process. It is suggested that this be
done once a year as a precautionary measure.
4. Two days after disinfection, collect a sample of water for bacteriological analysis, using
only a sterile container furnished by the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment, the local Health Departments* or any other Certified Microbiology
Laboratory.
TEMPORARY MEASURES FOR TREATING WATER
Boil the water briskly for 5 minutes.
OR
Disinfect water with household bleach (5%)
Gallons of Water
1
2
5
100
1,000
For Clear Water
For Cloudy Water
8 drops
1 teaspoon
2 teaspoons
1 ounce
1 cup
1 teaspoon
2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon
1 ½ ounces
1 pint
All water to be treated should be relatively clear. After adding household bleach, cover, shake
well and allow to stand 20-30 minutes to allow the disinfection process to occur. Boiled and
chlorinated water must be stored in clean, covered containers.
*Note: You can obtain sterile containers from San Juan Basin Health in Durango.
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