GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY WATER DISTRICT #2
Newsletter for May/June 2020
In general, things are going well at the water district. Deferred maintenance items are being addressed, older equipment is being replaced, and routine maintenance is, for the most part, on track and the bills are getting paid.
The mission statement for the district is “Provide safe and reliable drinking water to the residences and businesses of Central Park”. The “safe” part is absolutely bottom line. The district is completely up to date on all water testing and all tests have returned satisfactory. Take a look at the included Consumer Confidence Report.
The “reliable” part is an ongoing endeavor as we maintain, repair and replace the millions of dollars worth of equipment and facilities that deliver water to each service connection.
Web Site
The Newsletters get thinner as we add content to the web site, found at: https://www.centralparkwater.net. We also post timely information on the Facebook page. The web site includes a lot of basic information that we used to include in the newsletter. Check it often. Content gets added on a regular basis.
Power Outages
When power outages occur, it impacts the District’s ability to pump water from the wells up to the reservoirs. It is important to minimize water use during power outages.
About Leaks
The property owner is responsible for the condition of the plumbing on their side of the meter. The district offers one hour of free leak detection subject to operational considerations. This is a courtesy and does not relieve the property owner of the liability for all water passing through the meter.
Credit Card Payments
The District can accept payments by credit/debit card at the desk (once the County can implement Phase 3) or over the phone. There is a transaction fee of 2.5% with a minimum $2.00. The transaction fee is not a district charge. It is added to the transaction by the processing company, not the district.
An option for paying online is to use the online bill paying services offered by most banks.
Emergency Notification
The County Emergency Management office has implemented a new program. The result is that the list of phone numbers did not carry over. Please contact them. You can find them through the County’s web site:
“Google” Grays Harbor County
Once on the web site click on “Departments”
Click on “Emergency Management”
On the links on the left, in green, click on “Emergency Alerts”
Fill in the blanks
THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you don’t have web access, ask a friend to help getting registered. If your contact information is not available to the County you may miss important emergency information not only from the County, but from the water district as well.
Conditions of Service
There are conditions attached to the provision of water service. If you don’t have a copy, please request one. We can mail it or email it to you. The Conditions of Service are also posted on the web site.
Special Needs
It is absolutely vital that you inform the District if you have special needs. If you suffer from an immune deficiency or other problem where a lack of water could be life-threatening, we need to know.
Projects
There is a number of deferred projects that the district is trying to catch up. These are projects that are past due and are not included in the Capital Asset Management Plan. Deferred maintenance/replacement projects are one of the drivers of rate increases as we try to catch up before serious problems occur.
The Capital Asset Management Plan details the district’s major assets and the planned replacement schedules. It is still a work in process and is very much a part of the ongoing rate study. It does not include some very major assets, such as water mains and reservoirs. Including those in the plan would instantly double the current water rates, in addition to other upward pressures on rates. We are working on ways to plan for replacement of water mains and reservoirs but do not have a clear path at this time. The Capital Asset Management Plan is a relatively new requirement within the requirements for water utility planning. A few years ago a study was conducted by the American Water Works Association that concluded that most water utilities do not have adequate funding to replace failing infrastructure. Therefore, most utility customers are not paying the full cost of water service. Therefore, the implementation of the “Full Cost Budgeting” requirement in water utility planning. This district is not yet there.
The current strategy is for the general manager, through involvement in the Washington Association of Sewer & Water Districts, to bring the plight of not only our district but small districts throughout the state to the attention of the legislature. It is hoped that a chorus of voices will be more effective than one small voice. That strategy is largely on hold, as it involves lots of meetings and a good deal of travel. All of which is not happening at the moment.
Ongoing Maintenance/Repair
We have had two major repair projects in recent months. The first, and largest, is replacement of the water main west from Aberdeen Lake Road to the end of the system, about 1,200 feet. That replacement was necessary due to the presence of cast iron pipe that was in failure mode. In the last couple of years this length of main has experienced three major leaks, two of which caused major problems on Highway 12. While in the process of laying the new line, the old line had it’s fourth break which damaged a part of Highway 12. The total cost of that project was just shy of $300,000. This was not an anticipated replacement. Yes, there is more cast iron pipe along Highway 12, and, yes, we are worried about that.
The second major project in this first half of the year is the replacement of the Well #5 pump. We were hoping to hold off replacement of that pump for least a couple of more years. However, it went into failure mode early this year. This project costs came in at just under $70,000.
Over the past ten years the district has managed to increase reserves from essentially zero to just under $725,000. Obviously, the two big repairs will take a $370,000 bite from those reserves. Replacement of those reserves will be a major concern as we examine budgets and rates for the years ahead.
Requested new/expanded services
There have been requests for either new or expanded services. Requests have included expanded office hours, online billing/bill payment, email bills, and elimination of the 2.5% credit card transaction fee.
The implementation of each one of these services would come with an increase in water rates, usually by an indeterminate amount. That is, increases in addition to increases as a result of operational considerations. The district is a local government agency, we do not have profits or other sources of income that could be tapped to cover the additional costs. In fact, Title 57 (the collection of state regulations under which the district operates) requires that the district recover all costs.
A survey is included with this newsletter. If you would like to see any of the above services implemented, and are willing to shoulder the upward pressure on water rates, check the boxes and return the survey in your next bill payment. The results will be presented to the commissioners.
Tours
The District is offering a very limited number of system tours. We can only accommodate two people at a time and tours are limited to one per week. A full tour takes about two hours. If you are interested call the office for scheduling. Tour availability is subject to operational and weather considerations and adherence to the “Stay Safe, Stay Home” requirements. You must be physically able to get into and out of a pickup truck.
Emergencies
There are water district staff available to address water emergency situations 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you have an emergency, or even think you might have an emergency, do not be bashful about using the emergency contact numbers.
POST THESE NUMBERS
360-508-2172
360-589-6007
Emergency crews are not in a position to answer billing or other account related questions.
Abbreviated Financial Information for 2019
Revenues: $856,868
Operational Expenses: $462,171
Contractor Assisted Repairs; $ 72,005
Deferred/Emergency Projects: $114,448
Equipment Repairs: $ 42,775
Taxes: $ 40,859
Loan Payments: $ 50,394
Capital Replacement Reserve: $ 32,823
Contribution to Emergency Reserves: $ 41,393
Thank You
Thank you for wading through all this information. If you have questions, or there are issues that we have not addressed in this newsletter, please feel free to call the office (360-532-1828) during posted hours, or email the General Manager (reg@centralparkwater.net). You are also always welcome at commissioners' meetings held at 7:00PM on the second Wednesday of each month in the District office, once the “Stay Safe” initiative is lifted. You can learn a lot at commissioners' meetings. The District office is located on East Cross Road just off of Hill Road.
Feel free to call or email if you have questions or concerns. We love to talk with you.
Grays Harbor County Water District #2 is an equal opportunity provider and employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, or religion.