STORM WATER DISCHARGE EASEMENT AGREEMENT
This
Storm Water Discharge Easement Agreement (this "Agreement") is made
by and between the _______________________________ (the "Trust"),
_______________________, a ________ limited liability company
("ABC"), and ______________________________, a ________ limited
liability company ("DEF"), and is dated for reference purposes as of
May ____, 2001. DEF and ABC are
sometimes referred to jointly as "Developers."
RECITALS
1.
DEF and ABC own
the parcels of undeveloped real property located in ___________ County,
Colorado described on Exhibit A to this Agreement (the "DEF
Property" and the "ABC Property," respectively). The DEF Property and the ABC Property are
sometimes referred to together as the "Development Property." The Trust owns the real property located in
_______ County, Colorado known as ____________________________________________,
Reception No. ________ (the "Trust Property").
2.
In connection
with the development of the Development Property into a residential
development, Developers desire to discharge rates of storm water runoff from
the Development Property in amounts not to exceed maximum rates of historic
flow into the existing pond located on the Trust Property (the
"Pond") over and across that portion of the Trust Property described
on Exhibit B to this Agreement (the "Easement
Property"). Storage levels in the
Pond are maintained by evaporation.
There are no outflows from the Pond.
3.
Storm water
run-off from the Development Property has discharged into the ____________
since the construction of the Ditch.
The _______ Ditch runs along the boundary between the Development
Property and the Trust Property. Storm
water run-off from the Development Property, during construction of the
residential development and after the development is complete, will no longer
be allowed to discharge into the ______ Ditch.
4.
Storm water
run-off from the developed Development Property will consist of run-off from
residential areas, including parks and yards, and sidewalks, streets,
driveways, parking lots, and other impervious structures. As a result of the residential development,
storm water run-off will likely contain a greater variety of pollutants and an
increase in the volume of pollutants over that contained in historical storm
water flows from the undeveloped Development Property.
5.
Developers
intend to assign the rights under this Easement Agreement to the residential
developer of the Development Property ("Builder") prior to the
construction of any improvements on the Easement Property and such residential
developer shall assume the obligations of Developers under this Agreement. Developers and the Trust understand that
subsequent to such construction, such improvements will be conveyed to, and the
right to use the easement granted herein for storm water runoff will be
assigned to, a homeowner's association (the "HOA") to be formed
subsequent to the development of the Development Property subject to the
obligation of the HOA as the representative of the owners of homes and other
improvements on the Development Property to perform the obligations of
Developers under this Agreement.
AGREEMENT
1.
Grant of
Easement. For and in consideration of the payment of
$________ and for the mutual promises set forth herein, the Trust grants to
Developers and their successors and assigns a perpetual, non-exclusive easement
(the "Easement") in, to, through, and over the Easement Property for
the following purposes: (i) to
construct, install, reconstruct, operate, use, maintain, repair, replace, and
remove storm sewer lines, manholes, mains, rip rap, boulders, wing walls, and
related improvements (collectively, the "Improvements"); and (ii) to
discharge storm water runoff originating on the Development Property into the
Pond in amounts not to exceed historic rates of flow of such storm water runoff
from the Development Property onto the Trust Property which, for the purposes
of this Agreement, are agreed to be not in excess of 3.3 cubic feet per second
for a five-year storm event and not to exceed 23.9 cubic feet per second for a
100-year storm event. Developers accept
the condition of the Easement Property and the Trust Property (to the extent of
any license or use rights therein) in their "AS IS" condition. By entering this Agreement, Developers waive
and release the Trust from any liability, obligation, damage, or claim of
whatsoever nature relating to the condition of the Easement Property or the
Trust Property, whether apparent or hidden.
Developers waive any right to require the Trust to maintain the Easement
Property or the Trust Property in a safe condition.
2.
Limitation
on the Trust's Use of the Easement Property. The
Trust shall not construct or place any structure, building, or other surface
improvements, whether temporary or permanent, or plant or locate any trees or
shrubs on the Easement Property. Any
such improvement, trees, or shrubs now or hereafter located on the Easement
Property may be removed by Developers without liability. Notwithstanding the preceding, the Trust may
construct, install, maintain, repair, and replace, in compliance with
applicable governmental requirements, a fence along any boundary of the
Easement Property. To the extent not
inconsistent with Developers' use of the Easement Property, the Trust may
install and maintain grass or other ground cover in the Easement Property with
the prior agreement of Developers, which agreement shall not be unreasonably
withheld or denied.
3.
Maintenance. At
all times, Developers shall maintain the Improvements and the Easement Property
(to the extent of Developers' use thereof) in a safe and attractive condition
and in compliance with all applicable governmental requirements. Without limiting the generality of the
preceding, all Improvements constructed by Developers shall meet or exceed all
applicable requirements and specifications of all governmental agencies having
jurisdiction of matters relating to storm water drainage in the area where the
Trust Property is located to the end that all such Improvements will be
qualified to be accepted by any such storm water district, if otherwise
appropriate. All costs of maintenance
and similar activities required by this paragraph 3 and by the following
paragraph 4 shall be borne solely by Developers.
4.
Restoration
of Easement Property. Upon completion of any activities of
Developers which disturb the surface of the Easement Property, including the
fence now located on or near the Easement Property and any future improvements
permitted by this Agreement, Developers shall promptly restore the Easement
Property and such fence to the condition they were in immediately prior to such
disturbance or as otherwise required by this Agreement, except as otherwise
provided in this Agreement or as necessarily modified to accommodate the
Improvements. If the existing fence
cannot be restored in its current location, Developers shall relocate it to a
position reasonably satisfactory to the Trust.
5.
Subjacent
and Lateral Support. The Trust grants to Developers the right of
subjacent and lateral support for the Improvements, and the Trust shall not
take any action which would unreasonably or materially impair the lateral or
subjacent support for the Improvements.
6.
Conduct
of Developers. At all times, all actions of Developers on
or about the Easement Property or in connection with the Easement Property and
all activities of Developers contemplated by this Agreement shall be taken in
full and strict compliance with all governmental requirements. Developers shall at all times be responsible
for the quantity and quality of all waters discharged onto the Easement
Property from the Development Property.
Developers shall be responsible for compliance with all applicable
federal, state, and local requirements for the construction, operation, use,
and maintenance of the Improvements and for all discharges of storm water from
the Development Property into the Pond, for storage of the storm water in the
Pond, and for any discharge of such storm water from the Pond, including
compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local water quality
requirements.
7.
Additional
Rights of Developers. Developers shall have the right to use so
much of the Trust Property which is adjacent to the Easement Property as may be
reasonably necessary in connection with the construction, reconstruction,
maintenance, repair, replacement, and removal of the Improvements. Such activities shall not unreasonably
interfere with the Trust's use and enjoyment of such adjoining property, and
all improvements and landscaping located on such adjoining property shall be
promptly restored by Developers to their condition prior to such use by
Developers.
8.
Indemnity.
Developers shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Trust from and
against any and all losses, claims, actions, damages, liabilities, penalties,
fines, or expenses, of whatsoever nature, including, without limitation, reasonable
attorneys' fees and costs on account of mechanics' lien claims, injury to
persons, the death of any person, or damages to property ("Claims")
arising from the use of the Easement Property, the Pond, or adjoining areas, or
from the discharge of storm water onto the Easement Property or into the Pond,
or from the storage of storm water in
the Pond, or the release or discharge of the storm water from the Pond, or from
any activities contemplated by this Agreement, in each case undertaken by
Developers or any other person claiming by, through, or under Developers,
except to the extent any such Claim results from the wrongful acts or omissions
or the negligence, gross negligence or willful and wanton acts of the
Trust. The indemnity set forth in this
paragraph shall be effective without regard to compliance or non-compliance
with this Agreement by Developers or the Trust, provided Trust shall act
reasonably in the maintenance and operation of the Pond and the amount of any
Claim shall be reduced to the extent directly caused by the Trust's
non-compliance with this requirement or any other requirement of this
Agreement.
9.
Insurance.
Developers shall, at all times this Agreement is in effect, maintain a
policy of general liability insurance with respect to the Easement Property,
and Developers' activities upon the Trust Property. The amount of such insurance shall be no less than $1,000,000.00
and shall be increased to an amount then commercially reasonable upon notice
from the Trust. Such policy shall name the
Trust as an additional named insured.
All such policies shall provide that they shall not be amended or
terminated except upon at least 30 days' prior written notice to the
Trust. Upon ten days of the request of
the Trust, Developers shall provide to the Trust on ACORD Form 27 evidence of
insurance coverage meeting the requirements of this paragraph. In the event at any time Developers fail to
have in place the insurance coverage required by this paragraph or fails to
provide evidence of insurance as required by this paragraph, the Trust shall
have the right, but not the obligation, to purchase, in its own name or in the
name of Developers insurance coverage as required by this paragraph and the
cost thereof shall be the responsibility of Developers as provided in
paragraph 13, below. Upon
assumption of this Agreement by the HOA, the HOA shall provide and pay for the
insurance required by this paragraph.
10.
Ingress
and Egress. Developers have the right of access over and
across the Trust Property for itself and its agents to the extent reasonably
necessary in order to exercise Developers' rights under this Agreement. In exercising such right of ingress and
egress, Developers shall provide reasonable advance notice to the Trust of
proposed activities. Developers shall
limit times of access to reasonable business hours and areas of access as may
be reasonably directed by the Trust from time to time.
11.
Mechanics'
Liens. Developers shall, at all times, keep the
Easement Property and the Trust Property free from mechanics' lien claims or
similar liens arising on account of any act by or on behalf of Developers. Prior to commencing or contracting for any
work to be performed on or about the Trust Property, Developers shall provide
written notice to all contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers with
respect to such work that any mechanics' lien claim on account of the provision
of such work or materials shall attach only to Developers' interest in the
Easement Property under this Agreement and shall not, in any event, attach to
any interest of the Trust in the Easement Property or the Trust Property. Prior to commencing any work on or about the
Easement Property, Developers shall conspicuously post, and maintain posted
during the entire course of such work, a notice containing the information in
the preceding sentence and meeting the requirements of Colo. Rev. Stat.
§ 38-22-105(2). In the event any
mechanics' lien is recorded with respect to the Easement Property or the Trust
Property on account of any activity of Developers or any use of the Easement
Property or the Trust Property by or on behalf of Developers, Developers shall,
within 30 days of notice by the Trust (or, if earlier, within 30 days
of a complaint being filed to enforce such mechanics' lien), cause such
mechanics' lien to be removed from the Trust Property by posting a bond with
the district court as permitted by statute.
12.
Reserved
Rights of the Trust. The Trust reserves the rights to use the
Easement Property and to grant further easement interests in the Easement
Property to others so long as such interest and uses do not materially or
unreasonably interfere with the use of the Easement Property by Developers in
accordance with this Agreement.
13.
Performance
of Developers' Obligations by the Trust. In the event Developers fail
to perform any obligations under this Agreement within ten days of written
notice by the Trust or fail to provide insurance or evidence of insurance as
required by paragraph 9, above, the Trust may, but is not required to,
perform any such obligation of Developers at the sole cost and expense of
Developers. Except as may be necessary
to prevent damage or injury on an emergency basis, Trust shall not commence performance
of any unperformed obligation of Developers as long as, within such ten-day
period, Developers shall have commenced curative action and thereafter shall
prosecute such curative action diligently to completion. Any amount required to be paid by Developers
to the Trust pursuant to this paragraph shall bear interest until paid at the
rate of interest six percentage points greater than the prime rate of interest
then announced by Wells Fargo Bank West National Association or other major
national banking association in Denver, Colorado identified by the Trust. All amounts so expended by the Trust plus
interest shall constitute a lien against the Development Property, provided,
however, to the extent any portion of the Development Property is subject to a
HOA, the obligations of Developers under this paragraph shall not be a lien on
the individual residence of any homeowner or condominium owner, but the
obligation shall be a personal obligation of each such HOA and be a lien on all
real property which is owned by such HOA and which, at any time, was a part of
the Development Property.
14.
Inurement. The
benefits and burdens of this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the parties and their respective legal representatives,
successors, and assigns. The rights and
obligations set forth in this Agreement are intended to run with the land.
15.
Assignment
and Delegation. Developers may, from time to time, and with
the written approval of the Trust, which shall not be unreasonably withheld,
assign or delegate to any governmental entity, to the HOA in accordance with
the provisions of this Agreement, or to any third party having an interest in
the Development Property the rights and obligations of Developers under this
Agreement to maintain, operate, repair, and replace the Easement Property and
related Improvements and the right to discharge storm water runoff into the
Pond as set forth in paragraph 1, above.
The Trust may condition its approval upon, among other things, the
adequacy of provision for performance of all of Developers' obligations under
this Agreement. Any Builder shall
assume the obligations of Developers under this Agreement until released as
provided below. Upon Developers' and
any Builder's compliance with the terms of this paragraph 15 and
paragraph 16, below, Trust shall release Developers and any such Builder
from liability under this Agreement.
Without limiting the generality of the preceding, upon the assignment to
________________ of all of Developers' obligations under this Agreement and
_________________'s assumption of all obligations of Developers under this
Agreement in a manner satisfactory to Trust, Trust shall release DEF and ABC
from their obligations under this Agreement.
16.
Assignment
to HOA. Upon completion of the construction of the
Improvements on the Easement Property it is anticipated that the ownership of
the Improvements will be conveyed to the HOA, and the rights under this
Easement Agreement to construct, install, reconstruct, maintain, repair,
replace and remove, the Improvements and the right to discharge storm water
runoff originating on the Development Property into the Pond in conformance
with this Easement Agreement will be assigned to the HOA.
a. Approval by the Trust of the conveyance of the Improvements
and the Developers' rights under this Agreement to the HOA is conditioned on:
i. the written agreement by the HOA to
assume all obligations of Developers under this Agreement and to comply with
all of the terms of this Agreement;
ii. the covenants, conditions, and
restrictions ("CC&Rs") of the HOA being satisfactory in form and
substance to the Trust, which CC&Rs shall (A) refer expressly to the
obligation of the HOA to assume all obligations of the Developers under this
Agreement; (B) provide that the HOA shall assess its members an amount
necessary to pay in a timely fashion all amounts owed to the Trust under this
Agreement; and (C) encompass all lots or parcels within the Development
Property which, from time to time, are improved with structures.
Any property not subject to assessment by the
HOA for the expenses related to this Agreement shall not be entitled to
discharge water pursuant to the Easement.
b. Notwithstanding anything in this Easement Agreement to the
contrary, unless and until expressly released by the Trust, Developers, their
successors in interest, and any assignee of this entire Easement Agreement,
shall be and remain obligated and liable for all obligations of Developers
under this Agreement. All documents
executed in connection with the assignment and assumption of this Agreement
shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Trust. Upon compliance by the HOA with the
provisions of this paragraph 16, the Developers and all Builders (upon
sale to home buyers of all homes built by them on the Development Property)
shall be released from the obligations assumed by the HOA.
17.
Maintenance
of Pond. All expenses of the operation, maintenance,
and reconstruction of the Pond, including, without limitation, desilting, if
necessary, shall be shared on a reasonable basis between Developers and the
Trust. The Trust and Developers shall
cooperate with respect to all issues regarding handling of the storm water
discharge provided for in this Agreement by the Pond and provide notice to each
other of perceived or anticipated problems in that regard so as to resolve
capacity problems expeditiously and proactively. In the event that Developers discharge storm water runoff
originating on the Development Property into the Pond in an amount that alone,
or in combination with other waters, causes the capacity of the Pond to be
exceeded, Developers shall be responsible for any resulting damages and shall
be liable for any violations of any federal, state, or local requirements,
including any environmental laws, in each case attributable to the quantity or
quality of waters discharged into the Pond that originated on the Development
Property. Without limiting the
generality of the preceding, Developers shall, at all times, use the best
commercially reasonable practices to prevent limit, as provided in paragraph 18,
below, the amounts of silt, hazardous or toxic substances and pollutants (as
defined in any applicable state or federal law), and other contaminants from
entering the Easement Property or the Pond.
18.
Conditions
of Use. The right of Developers to continue to
discharge storm water run-off into the Pond is expressly conditioned on the
run-off being of sufficient quality not to cause or contribute to any material
harm, or to otherwise materially damage the Pond or adversely and materially
impact the present or future uses of the Pond.
If at any time the Trust, or it successors or assigns, reasonably
determines that the quality of the storm water run-off has materially damaged
or is materially damaging the Pond, the Trust and its successors or assigns may
demand, and Developers shall take, such measures as may be required to correct
the condition causing such damage. If
the use of the Improvements, or the discharge into the Pond from the
Improvements has caused or contributed to any material damage of the Pond, or
the Trust Property, Developers shall take such action as may be necessary to
bring the Trust Property and the Pond substantially back to their original
condition prior to the damage, or to compensate the Trust, its successors or
assigns for such damages. The
provisions of this paragraph 18 shall be specifically enforceable by the
Trust without the necessity of demonstrating an adequate remedy at law exists
and damage to the Trust's real property shall be presumed to be irreparable
harm. In connection with any such
action, the Trust shall not be required to post a surety bond.
19.
Attorneys'
Fees. In the event of any litigation, arbitration,
or other proceeding brought to enforce or interpret this Agreement, the
prevailing party shall receive an award of its reasonable attorneys' fees and
costs.
20.
Paragraph
Headings. Paragraph headings are included for
reference purposes only and do not constitute part of this Agreement.
21.
Governing
Law. This Agreement shall be governed and
construed under the laws of the State of Colorado without regard to conflicts
of law provisions.
22.
Severability.
Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement will be interpreted
in such a manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any
provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under
applicable law, such provision will be ineffective only to the extent of such
prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this
Agreement.
23.
Notices. All
notices, demands, or other communications to any party under this Agreement
shall be in writing (including facsimile transmission); shall be sent only by
facsimile (with confirmation by United States Mail), by nationally recognized
courier service, or by personal delivery; and shall be given:
If to the Trust, to:
If to DEF, to:
If to ABC, to:
All such notices, demands, requests, or other
communications shall be deemed received on the date of receipt by the recipient
if received prior to 5:00 p.m. in the place of receipt and such day is a
business day in the place of receipt.
Otherwise, any such notice, demand, request, or other communication
shall be deemed not to have been received until the next succeeding business
day in the place of receipt. Addresses
for notice may be changed from time to time by notice to the other party.
24.
Waiver.
Waiver by either party of any one default will not be deemed to be a
waiver of any other default under this Agreement. Any remedy or election under this Agreement will not be deemed
exclusive, but, instead, whenever legally permissible, will be cumulative with
all other remedies at law or in equity.
25.
Construction. The
rule of strict construction does not apply to this Agreement. This Agreement shall be given a reasonable
construction so that the intention of the parties can be carried out.
26.
Exhibits. The
parties acknowledge and agree that each of the Exhibits attached to this Agreement
form an integral part of this Agreement and by this reference are incorporated
herein as if set forth in full verbatim.
27.
Joint and
Several. All obligations of DEF and ABC under this
Agreement shall be joint and several obligations.
28.
Expenses
of the Trust. Developers shall pay to the Trust upon
execution of this Agreement the Trust's reasonable fees of its legal counsel in
an amount not to exceed $7,500.00, and shall pay to the Trust any fees or
charges of its engineer to the extent not already paid directly by Developers.
SIGNATURE BLOCKS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
EXHIBIT
A
Development
Property
EXHIBIT
B
Easement
Property