GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY WATER DISTRICT #2
Newsletter for May/June 2021
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 residents 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.
POST THE EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
THEY ARE AT THE END OF THIS NEWSLETTER
Web Site
There is important information on the web site. Check it often. There is always new content. https://www.centralparkwater.net.
One piece of new information recently added was a link to the Water Quality Monitoring Schedule published by the State Office of Drinking Water. It is a document that outlines the water quality monitoring we are required to conduct during the year.
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.
Payments
We are not yet able to open the office to the public.
Water bills are payable by:
Check (mail or night drop)
Cash (night drop...sorry, no receipt available. Be sure and use an envelope and include the bill stub)
Credit Card over the phone
Credit Card through the web site
Online bill pay with your bank.
Staff
After 15 years of service, Charli Luensman, the District clerk/office manager/administrative assistant is retiring. She has been a valuable asset to the District.
To succeed Charli, we have hired Dali Stires. Dali is a retired school teacher who lives in the community. We are excited to have her on board.
Emergency Notification
Be sure and sign up with the County for emergency notifications.
“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.
Information on water system emergencies is posted on the web site in the “Notifications” section.
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.
Ongoing Maintenance/Repair
We had two unanticipated major repair projects in 2020. 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 for 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 was 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’s 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 took a big bite from those reserves. We pulled $270,000 from reserves and financed the rest from operational revenues. Replacement of those reserves will be a major concern as we examine budgets and rates for the years ahead.
In addition to these challenges, there are other increasing operational burdens and/or administrative burdens. One example is a requirement for additional coliform sampling. The State Department of Health increased the number of coliform samples and the frequency of sampling due to population increase in the community. Another ongoing pressure on our workload is increases in the number of administrative/accounting tasks delegated from the county to the district.
Audit
The water district is audited by the State Auditor on a regular basis. One such audit was conducted early in 2021. The auditor found no significant deficiencies. However, in their “off the record” comments, they “recommended” that we follow the State’s regulations and guidance on contracting for services more closely. That “recommendation” has been implemented.
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 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.
Having said all that, we have instituted online bill payment. This service is, essentially, online credit card payment. The credit card processing company will add the 2.5% transaction fee to your account.
You can not access billing information from the web site. We continue to examine this service, but placing billing information on or through the web site requires expensive cyber security provisions for which we do not currently have the funds.
The District would very much like to expand “customer service” type activities. The primary mission of the District is to provide safe and reliable drinking water to the residents and businesses of Central Park. Operational realities are the first budgetary concern. Customer service is a very close second, but still gets the short end of the stick at budget time. That means that we have limited office staff and limited office hours which limits how rapidly we can respond to your questions and concerns. We will get to you, it just might take a bit of time.
Current Projects
These are the projects that currently have our attention:
Utility Repair Indefinite Delivery Contract. Awarded to Rognlin’s, Inc.
Lower Reynvaan Extension: In engineering
North Bank Access Road Paving: In engineering
Clemons Reservoirs Access Road Paving: In engineering
Hidden Valley Mobile Home Park Service Meter Replacement: Awarded to Brumfield Construction
Clemons Road Connection to Gavett Lane Pressure Zone: Deferred due to a lack of funding
Fairway Terrace Main Replacement: Deferred due to a lack of funding
Reynvaan Booster Station Pumphouse Replacement: In planning
North Bank Reservoir Roof Recoating: In engineering
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 THE NUMBERS LISTED BELOW
Water district staff technicians are not in a position to answer billing or other account related questions.
Abbreviated Financial Information for 2020
Revenues: $912,883
Operational Expenses: $506,172
Contractor Assisted Repairs; $ 79,327
Deferred/Emergency Projects: $ 55,259
Capital Replacements: $303,589
Taxes: $ 45,728
Loan Payments: $ 50,394
Capital Replacement Reserve: $ 57,251
Contribution to Emergency Reserves: $ -270,000
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.
EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS
360-580-2172
360-589-6007
360-591-1649
DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL.
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.