On Dec. 11, the Niwot Sanitation District dedicated and named its treatment plant the Howard L. Morton Wastewater Reclamation Facility in honor of district founder and Niwot resident Howard Morton. 

Morton, a Niwot native, attended the ceremony and was recognized by the district board of directors for his efforts to bring public sanitation facilities to Niwot. In dedicating the plant, District Manager Gayle Seeberger said, “Howard Morton, through his foresight, was able to address successfully environmental issues that faced the Niwot community in the 1960’s.  To do this, he was instrumental in assisting Niwot through its transition from an agricultural community to one with a semi-rural character.  The District wishes to publicly acknowledge and thank him for his many contributions to the community and the district."  A new stone sign has been completed and erected by Jay Anderson along 95th street.  

Morton is a lifelong resident of Niwot.  After farming in the area for many years, he considered subdividing his farmland, now known as Morton Heights, in the 1960’s.  "With the completion of the domestic water system (Left Hand Water Supply Co.) in 1961 came growth to the Niwot area along with the need for sanitation facilities," Morton said.  

He and others became concerned with the public health issues created by the high water table in Niwot and the surrounding area.  At that time all Niwot homes were on septic systems, some of which became saturated, posing the threat of groundwater contamination. 

"In the early sixties with the development of Meadowdale, some homes were built with basements or tri-levels," Morton recalled. " During the irrigation period, some of the septic systems would fill up with water and back up into the homes, thus creating some very serious problems for the homeowners."   

Morton and other Niwot area residents began working toward formation of the Niwot Sanitation District in 1967.   "As I had done during the start of the Left Hand Water Supply Company, I again contacted my attorney and personal friend John Hough, and he agreed to help me with the formation of a sanitation district," Morton explained.  "A steering committee was formed and we met at the then restaurant immediately east of the Niwot Bank building.  Kent Bowron and his brother Bob were owners of Gunbarrel Estates, having inherited from their recently deceased father Robert Bowron, Sr.  We needed their participation to provide feasability as to the number of homes that could be served.  Therefore Kent Bowron served with us on the steering committee." 

"Gunbarrel Estates at that time had a small treatment facility that was totally inadequate to serve the amount of homes being built, with raw sewage sometimes rising to the top of the ground," Morton said. "Although Morton Heights did not have a problem with underground water, when I gave land to build the Niwot Elementary School, it was necessary to use a septic system, which with the rapid growth in the area, I could see a problem with such a system somewhere down the road."

After three years of work on the plan, which included obtaining a financial grant from the federal government and convincing county, state and federal authorities that the district’s plan was a viable way to serve the community, the district was approved by the voters and formed in 1970.  

In the early years the district served a very small number of homes.  Board meetings were held in Morton’s home, and Morton recalls times when the board was uncertain whether it could pay its electrical bills. 

By the early 1980’s, Niwot’s growth provided new tap fees and service revenue.  Only then did the district retain a full professional staff to operate the district.  

Growth along the Front Range as well as advances in the understanding of eco-sytstems and in the environmental sciences have created the need to reclaim wastewater to even higher standards.  As a result, Niwot’s extended aeration system has now been replaced with an activated sludge system.  Seeberger noted, 
"This means the district is fully capable of meeting present and anticipated future standards.  Test results of effluent quality are excellent.  Ammonia, for example, is at a non-detect level.  The plant’s performance is exceeding expectations." 

Seeberger thanked the citizens of Niwot and particularly the residents of Waterford Park, Overbrook, Quiet Retreat and Morton Heights whose homes are in the vicinity of the plant.  "During the course of construction, parts of the old plant, at times, had to be taken off line," she noted.  "Staff encountered significant difficulty in controlling odors.  This affected nearby residents who steadfastly coped with the problem.  They were very patient and supportive.  They were able to provide suggestions to staff that helped reduce homeowners’ inconvenience and minimize the impact of the unpleasant side effects."