В Чиффи-каунти аннулировали лицензию на работу лоджа из-за нарушений водоснабжения

Chaffee County commissioners directed staff to revoke the certificate of occupancy for Monarch Mountain Lodge during their Aug. 10 special meeting; notice was delivered to the owners Aug. 11. Beth Helmke, county administrator, told The Mail Aug. 12 the notice would be posted on the lodge that afternoon, giving lodge guests 48 hours to vacate the premises. As clarification, this business is not associated with the Monarch Mountain ski resort, but is in Garfield, a community about 30 miles west of Salida. Helmke said the decision was made based on some building code violations, coupled with recent issues cited by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. In addition to a hotel for visiting guests, the lodge owners operate the Monarch Mountain Lodge Wastewater Company, which is responsible for water and wastewater for most of the 20 or so full-time residents in Garfield. CDPHE issued a boil water advisory to Garfield residents Aug. 5. However, several residents told The Mail they had no water at all. Kat Adams, a full-time resident for the last six years, told The Mail Aug. 12 that her water had returned briefly early that morning, but was off again as of 10 a.m. “They have not communicated with us at all,” Adams said. “We got an email (Aug. 11) from Kelly (Ritz) in Texas that we have to boil the water. But we have no water, haven’t had water for a week.” Adams said she was told more than a year ago by a CDPHE staff member that she shouldn’t drink the water unless they have a “reserve osmosis filtration system.” So, Adams said, she got one. But before that, they had a leak in front of their cabin that was bubbling up on the road. The lodge shut off the water to Garfield customers for two weeks to fix the leak, she recalled. Adams said if this is another leak, with an unknown location, she believes it will take much longer to repair. Tessa Adkins, stakeholder engagement specialist with the CDPHE Water Quality Control Division, told The Mail Aug. 10 their job is to ensure the water from the lodge complies with federal and state regulations. “We have been closely monitoring Monarch Mountain Lodge for many years and, since 2013, have issued three enforcement orders for failing to comply with state and federal regulations. The most recent enforcement order was issued in March 2026 and remains open. The lodge currently owes $54,840 in drinking water enforcement penalties, and has previously paid fines totaling $13,575.” Kelly Ritz, asset manager for the wastewater company, told The Mail Aug. 11, “The purpose of the (CDPHE) advisory is to protect public health while required monitoring, testing and corrective actions are completed. Prior to the December 2025 advisory, the Monarch Mountain Lodge public water system had provided approximately four consecutive years of uninterrupted water service without a boil water advisory.” Ritz said, “As of last evening (Aug. 10), water service had been restored to the majority of customers, although service availability has varied depending on operational conditions. Not every customer served by the system has experienced a complete loss of water during this event.” Ritz said “temporary shutdowns are a normal and necessary part of operating any public water system. … While no one likes service interruptions, they are often the very means by which reliable water service is maintained and restored.” Adkins said, “Acute risk situations like this are a high priority, and the department issued a boil water advisory to protect public health on July 28, which required the lodge to issue public notice within 24 hours.” They did not give notice, so CDPHE stepped in and issued its own boil water notice to residents Aug. 5. Another issue that led to the latest violations against the lodge is the fact that the system lacks a “certified operator and had failed to resolve numerous issues identified during a recent department inspection,” Adkins explained. Ritz said they have been “actively working to retain a certified Operator in Responsible Charge.” She further explained that since taking over the management responsibilities they have “significantly increased operational attention to the water system” including hiring a utility technician, increasing monitoring and testing and have been “actively evaluating the distribution system.” Adkins said, “We have worked closely with the system for many years to help them understand and comply with the regulations. To date, we have offered extensive virtual compliance assistance and visited the system numerous times for both regulatory inspections and nonregulatory coaching visits. Significant noncompliance, as is the case here, can result in escalated enforcement actions, such as penalties and, in some cases, court action.” In order for the lodge to reopen, Helmke said they will have to rectify the plumbing and water treatment system issue “as well as get back into compliance requirements.” In response to the certificate of occupancy revocation, Ritz told The Mail Aug. 12, “Based on the corrective actions completed and the updates submitted to the county yesterday and this morning, we believe the items identified by the county have been addressed and that the system is presently operating in compliance with the applicable requirements. We understand the county is reviewing that information, and we are hopeful its review will confirm the progress that has been made.” Ritz explained that as part of their monitoring process, they “have identified several significant water losses occurring beyond the utility's service connection on privately owned property.” Ritz continued to say that while their lodge is getting shuttered, to her understanding the county has not required short-term rentals to cease operations “despite all being served by the same public water system.”