This year there are four candidates running for two seats on the city's five-member Board of Water Works.
According to the Pueblo Water website, the “board is charged with the formulation of policy, review and approval of the budget, setting rates and long-range planning that will ensure Pueblo's water system is operated and maintained in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This Board is comprised of community and business leaders elected by the citizens of Pueblo. Board members serve staggered six-year terms.”
According to a Pueblo Water official, board members receive monthly stipends. The president gets $250 per month and $225 is paid monthly to each of the other members, known as vice-presidents.
Voters will decide which two candidates will serve the six-year term that expires December 31, 2031.
KRCC asked candidates to share why they should receive your vote. Here's what they said.
Michael A. Cafasso (Incumbent)
What is your “elevator pitch” to voters as to why they should vote for you to be a member of the Pueblo Water Board?
Water is our most precious natural resource and the entire team at Pueblo Water takes that to heart. We take pride in providing our community with the highest quality water (and some of the best-tasting) at the lowest possible cost. Being a part of that has been a privilege. Water board members are elected to support Pueblo Water's mission. We should be non-partisan and not beholden to special interests. Decisions we make now will influence our community for decades down the road. I am proud to be a part of that process and would like to continue.
What are the biggest issues Pueblo Water needs to address and what is your position on them?
The primary challenge for Pueblo Water is balancing the need to maintain and invest in our infrastructure while simultaneously keeping customer rates as low as possible. The process of supplying water, from its source through treatment and distribution, is inherently complex.
Financial Responsibility and Efficiency
We work diligently to keep rates low through strict fiscal discipline, implementing wise capital planning over 5, 10, and 30 years, and leveraging our raw water leases. We ensure budget transparency by making all budget and spending records readily available online and easy for the public to understand. A key effort is reducing non-revenue water—water lost before it reaches the customer. We accomplish this by diligently maintaining our system, conducting water audits, and fixing leaks immediately.
Infrastructure and Water Resources
Our infrastructure is managed with an annually budgeted main replacement program that targets aging pipes based on importance and need. Furthermore, the board of directors ensures an adequate water supply is available to customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Since storage is critical, Pueblo Water continues to explore ways to increase water storage, including discussions about the long-term expansion of Clear Creek Reservoir. Finally, we actively promote water efficiency, exemplified by our recent partnership on a "Garden in a Box" program, which provided customers with rebates for replacing portions of grass with water-friendly plants.
Chris Woodka (Incumbent)
What is your “elevator pitch” to voters as to why they should vote for you to be a member of the Pueblo Water Board?
I have more than 40 years of experience in dealing with water issues in the Arkansas River basin, including 30 years as a water reporter and editor at the Pueblo Chieftain, 9 years as manager for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and 6 years as a member of the Pueblo Board of Water Works. The Board has done an excellent job of planning for the future of Pueblo’s water needs, having the foresight to have purchased Bessemer Ditch shares to prevent outside speculators from purchasing them more than a decade ago. This is just the latest step in Pueblo Water’s history of securing water resources for the future. Since I joined the Board in 2020, we have built the Kevin F. McCarthy Hydroelectric Power Plant, signed a contract to provide services to the Arkansas Valley Conduit, and developed Water Works Park. There is nothing that I care about as much as providing high-quality water to people at affordable prices for those with us now and for generations to come.
What are the biggest issues Pueblo Water needs to address and what is your position on them?
The biggest issue to me is continuing to provide high-quality water at the lowest possible cost. We have been very successful at this by maintaining a great leadership team and a capable and productive workforce. The water system is continuously upgraded to prevent unforeseen failures, which can be expensive.
Regarding capital projects, we have a program to regularly inspect and replace water lines, tanks and other equipment. In future years, we have to prevent wildfire degradation at Clear Creek Reservoir and plan for eventual enlargement.
The Water Board has been a good neighbor to the Arkansas River basin, as witnessed by our innovative program on the Bessemer Ditch, which allows continued farming until the water we purchased is needed for municipal use. We also participate in organizations which connect to other water users in the Arkansas River basin.
Philip J. Reynolds IV
What is your “elevator pitch” to voters as to why they should vote for you to be a member of the Pueblo Water Board?
I believe voters should vote for me because of my experience in the Water Industry. I have over 25 years of experience working with Water Projects, Operations, and Issues. I worked for the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District for over 12 years as CFO and Project Manager. I worked for the Division of Water Resources for the State of Colorado in the position of Reservoir and River Operations.
What are the biggest issues Pueblo Water needs to address and what is your position on them?
The biggest issues facing Pueblo Water currently are working with the City of Pueblo to maintain and improve the Waterworks Park on the Arkansas River in town. Also, it is working on a lead pipe problem for many older homes in Pueblo. Pueblo Water can pursue federal grants to help with the issue of replacing these problem water lines. Pueblo Water is looking at enlarging and making improvements at Clear Creek Reservoir. This entails coordinating with many Federal and State agencies and takes a long time. This is an area I have many years of experience handling when I was Project Manager for SECWCD. There I worked with Federal legislators and lobbyists to obtain legislation and funding for the Arkansas Valley Conduit. Finally, BWWP is working to handle and protect the Bessemer Ditch water rights that is has obtained. I have experience in water rights operations and protection during my time working for the Division of Water Resources. Finally BWWB needs to keep their maintenance of the water delivery system going strong. This will entail proper budgeting and cost control. Two items that I have handled through my career especially as a CFO.
Dave DeCenzo
What is your “elevator pitch” to voters as to why they should vote for you to be a member of the Pueblo Water Board?
I want to:
- Continue the Board’s good work keeping Arkansas River water in the Arkansas River Basin by buying ditch shares when available to prevent Aurora moving the water to the Platte Basin
- Reduce added Fluoride to our drinking water to improve to #1 quality in the nation from #4
- Reduce the bill’s basic charge by including NO gallons rather than the first 2000 gallons
- Bill by the gallon not by 1000 gallons to help customers understand their conservation actions
- Indicate more clearly on the bill the reasons for city passed through charges such as Storm Water charges and Sewer charges, giving suggestions on how to reduce these charges.
What are the biggest issues Pueblo Water needs to address and what is your position on them?
The biggest long term issue is preserving Pueblo’s water rights. Kansas being settled before Colorado means Kansas has senior usage rights. We need to take any actions required to preserve our rights which includes purchasing shares in ditches and leasing those shares out to downstream farmers until they are needed. These water share leases need to be regularly extended well before the lease terms are over so farmers can plan their growing investments and continue to preserve the rights for Pueblo and the whole Arkansas Valley.
The second biggest issue is improving water quality as delivered to the meters. This means sampling water at the end of the lines as well as at the output of the filtration plant. Pueblo is rated 4th in the nation but we could be number one with some work. It also means reducing the use of Fluoride which is reported to lower IQ of children by 7 points but may mean adding other minerals that improve the taste.
Thirdly, improve the billing experience so customers are happy and understand their costs.
