Move-in on hold for dozens of homebuyers in Colorado county after water taps denied

Dozens of homebuyers in Jefferson County are sitting in limbo after learning their brand-new homes have no water.  

"Right now, we've put all our eggs in one basket. You know, this is our house. This where we registered our kids in school based on this address," Tim Rawson said.

Rawson and his wife Carolyn and their two kids moved to Colorado from Washington, just ahead of closing on their dream home in Red Rocks Ranch.

Initially that date was in August.

"It got delayed a little over a month and then another week on top of that and now we have no sign of a move-in date," Carolyn Rawson said.

The family of four is now living with his mom. She's transformed her unfinished basement into a makeshift bedroom in an effort to try to ease the transition for everyone.

"They have to get up every day. Tim has to go fly and Carolyn has to get up and take the kids to school," she said.

It wasn't until the latest delay that Tim says he learned that brand new home didn't have water running to it.

"It seems like it's the town versus Mount Carbon and they are just butting heads," he said.

Water and sewer services for the Red Rocks Ranch falls on the Mount Carbon Metropolitan District. In a 2008 agreement they signed on to build a new water treatment facility with more capacity for the town of Morrison. In return, the town would sell them the water needed for the development. That new facility isn't done but the district is asking for more water taps for the development.

"The town has both the intention and the capacity to meet its obligation to the development, but we cannot do that until the district meets its infrastructure obligations," Town Trustee Katie Gill said in a special meeting held on Sept. 26.

At that meeting the town council approved 50 additional taps and then denied a request to convert already-operating irrigation meters into 39 domestic taps for homes.

"As a municipal water provider, it would be reckless of the town to issue taps behind our capacity to reliably serve water through those taps we cannot and we will not do that," Gill said.

One of those 39 taps would have gone to the Rawson's dream home.

That was the latest information they had about their water. Without it, they cannot move in.

While their builder, Lennar, is helping with unexpected costs during the move-in delay, they and dozens of other families are left questioning how long they can wait.

"That is the worst. If I could just. ... I need to know if I need to move on," Carolyn Rawson said.

CBS Colorado reached out to the Town of Morrison and to Mount Carbon Metropolitan District for a comment.

In a statement, an attorney for Mount Carbon says, "The district and town are working in collaboration and in conjunction to address the current and future needs of the development."

CBS Colorado asked about the potential for other homes currently being built to see similar delays. He says once the new water treatment facility is running it won't be an issue, and that could happen in the next few weeks.

As for those 39 taps now in limbo, they will likely hold another special meeting to put in certain conditions before reconsidering their approval.