Journal 11: From Mountain Stream to Cabin Tap

Pinehaven didn’t always have access to a public water and sewage system. As the cabin community grew, patchwork solutions just couldn’t keep up. But everything changed when Pinehaven was annexed into the Cucharas Sanitation and Water District. It was a game changer for everyone.

Pinehaven’s drinkable water story began in the early 1970s when Steve Pierotti found a hidden spring higher up on Raspberry Mountain. Steve began carving a hand-dug trench downhill along what became road 401. That muddy effort marked the humble beginning of Pinehaven’s path to modern water service. Steve installed a pipeline from the spring that provided water to the early cabins.(1)  

The spring served its purpose in those early years, but as Pinehaven grew from a scattering of seasonal retreats into a thriving community, the need for a more robust water system became clear. This growing demand laid the groundwork for a lasting partnership with the Cucharas Sanitation and Water District (CSWD), ushering in a new era of infrastructure and sustainability for the mountain enclave.

That changed in a big way in 2007, when it became clear that Pinehaven would benefit from joining the modern infrastructure network that CSWD had built for the region. Between 2007 and 2008, the district designed and installed a completely new water and sewer system for Pinehaven, involving…

• Replacing aging components with modern underground pipelines. 
• Crews laying 1,500 feet of sewer mains over steep and rocky terrain.
• Upgrading roadbeds and connecting dozens of cabins. 
• Adding a new pumping station and grinder pumps to push wastewater uphill from some lower-lying homes to the main sewer line.
• Installing pressure-reducing valves for Pinehaven residents at lower elevations to protect their homes from excessive water pressure. 

By late 2008, the work was finished, Pinehaven had a brand-new water distribution system and a sewer network tied into CSWD’s treatment plant.(2)  This turning point brought peace of mind to residents and helped ensure safe, year-round service for decades to come.(3)  Today, thanks to CSWD, Pinehaven now enjoys year-round water reliability, pressure regulation for steep terrain, access to professional maintenance, and the retirement of outdated septic systems. All these benefits elevate the quality of life and the level of environmental stewardship.

The plat map to the right is one of the most accurate maps showing the plots of both Filings No. 1 and 2 in relation to utility services.10 It was produced by the Cucharas Sanitation and Water District (CSWD) in 1988.(4) 

In the end, Pinehaven went from trickles and trenches to pipes and progress. What started with a muddy shovel on Raspberry Mountain now flows with modern convenience, thanks to a few grinder pumps, a lot of pipe, and one very smart decision to join CSWD. Let’s just say… we’re no longer roughing it when it comes to flushing.(5)

← Return to Table of Contents

Footnotes

Parenthetical numbers in the text (e.g., 5) correspond to the sequentially numbered citations listed below.

1. Robert (Bob) Pierotti (son of Steve Pierotti, community leader, namesake of the Pierotti Pavilion, and current Pinehaven resident), personal interview with the author in Cuchara, Colorado, on June 24, 2025

2. Cuchara Foundation, Projects, accessed July 26, 2025, https://www.cuchara.org/projects#:~:text=In%202007%2C%20CS%26WD%20chose%20to,to%20be%20done%20in%202009 

3. Cuchara Foundation, Projects, accessed July 26, 2025, https://www.cuchara.org/projects#:~:text=Pinehaven%20Sewer%20and%20Water%20Project,2008 

4. Special thanks to Angie Glover, a clerk from Huerfano County, who found this image and emailed it to me on June 7, 2025. The image is from their online database at www.thecountyrecorder.com under select state: Colorado, select county: Huerfano, select book type: map, select book number: map, select book page number: 315. The Pinehaven map is on page 4 of the 8-page PDF document.

5. Author’s note: In preparing this article, the author used AI-assisted tools for research support, proofreading, fact-checking, and stylistic refinement. The narrative, analysis, and historical interpretations are the author’s own, and responsibility for accuracy rests solely with the author. The blog’s research methodology statement is available at:

https://cabininthepinescuchara.blogspot.com/2019/03/methodology-sources-and-use-of-research.html