GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY WATER DISTRICT #2
Newsletter for May/June 2024
We can’t live without water
POST THE EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
THEY ARE AT THE END OF THIS NEWSLETTER
COMMISSIONER POSITIONS
Interim commissioners have been appointed to fill out the terms of two retiring commissioners. They will be up for election at the next election cycle.
GENERAL MANAGER POSITION
After 13 years of serving the district (and 35 years in the water business) the general manager will be retiring at the end of 2024. It is not too early for the district to start looking for a successor.
The job announcement is attached to this newsletter.
Web Site
There is important information on the web site. Check it often. There is always new content. https://www.centralparkwater.net.
There is general information about the water district, plus quite a bit of detail. The monthly Manager's Reports are posted, along with the meeting agendas and minutes, financial statements are posted, and this newsletter (along with historical newsletters) can be found on the site as well.
You can pay your bill from the web site. There is a "Pay My Bill" button. Xpress Bill Pay seems to be a very popular service. A lot of folks have signed up for it in one way or another. It is obligatory for me to address the occasional comments about the fees. The fees are charged and collected by Xpress Bill Pay, not the water district. In case you are not aware, every time you use your credit card or a service like Xpress Bill Pay, you pay a fee. Private sector companies can include those fees in the pricing of their goods and services. Government agencies typically cannot. Of course, if the fee is included in the price, you are paying the fee whether you use a card or not. In the case of Xpress Bill Pay, you only pay the fee if you use the service, and you are aware that the fee is being charged.
The district has a Facebook page. Updates are posted as time allows. The general manager will, from time to time, post discussions on the issues of the day or general water industry philosophy and happenings. Facebook content is accessible from the web site for those who don't do social media.
Do not use the Facebook services for substantive questions or information. Facebook does not get checked regularly. For questions, or to pass information to the district, use email. The best one is ghcwd2@centralparkwater.net. That email gets checked often.
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.
The district is not a licensed contractor so we cannot repair leaks on the customer side of the meter.
Payments
Water bills are payable by:
Check (in-office, mail, night drop)
Cash (in-office, mail, night drop.)
Credit Card over the phone
Online bill pay with your bank.
Online payment through Xpress Bill Pay accessed through the district’s web site.
Xpress Bill Pay offers a variety of services. It is worth checking out even if you are not paying by card or online.
If you send your payment through the mail or use the night drop, be sure and include the bill stub so we know to whose account to credit the payment. If paying cash through the night drop be sure and place your payment and the bill stub in the provided envelope. Or any other envelope. If paying cash be SURE and note how much cash you are including on the bill stub. We have strict cash handling processes which includes confirming that the cash received is the cash the customer intended to include. Payments made into the night drop go into a secure locked box.
If you are struggling to pay your water bill, for whatever reason, the district offers a payment plan for past due accounts. It is best to contact the district early. Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Everybody experiences occasional tough times.
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.
An example is the water main break between Holbrook and Schrader Lanes. There were simply too many people out of water or with reduced pressure to notify individually. The district utilized the County’s emergency notification system to get information to the community. That system uses a recorded phone message, a text message, and an email to each person for whom they have contact information.
Information on water system emergencies is posted on the web site in the “Notifications” section.
During emergency situations our plan is to have someone on the phones to answer questions as best we can. We also try and post ongoing updates on Facebook and the web site. That kind of communication is important, but our ability to pass on information is secondary to addressing the problem.
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. You can pick up a copy at the office and they are 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
A lot has happened in the past few months.
We have a new booster station for Reynvaan. The district was reimbursed almost 90% of the cost from FEMA and the State of Washington Emergency Management Department.
It is important to keep fire hydrants maintained so that they function as expected when needed. They need periodic testing and maintenance and testing. Flushing is an important part of the testing, and is necessary to keep the water mains free of sediment. When hydrant maintenance is occurring in your area you may experience short periods of reduced pressure.
Projects
These are the projects that currently have our attention:
Utility Repair Indefinite Delivery Contract. Awarded to Brumfield Construction.
Lower Reynvaan Extension: In engineering.
North Bank Access Road Paving: Deferred due to a lack of funding.
Clemons Reservoirs Access Road Paving: Deferred due to a lack of funding.
Clemons Road Pressure Issue: Included in the Water System Plan. Hope to find grant funding.
Fairway Terrace Main Replacement: Deferred due to a lack of funding.
Water System Plan Update: Five year plan required by Washington State Department of Health
As-Built Drawing Update: Underway
Cross-Connection Control
A vital aspect of proving safe drinking water is preventing contaminated water from entering the system. The situation usually arises when a reduced pressure event occurs in the water main and water from connections backflows into the system.
The hazard this presents varies with the nature of the service connection. A simple check valve provides sufficient protection for most connections.
However, if the service connection has higher hazards, more protection is necessary. Higher hazards include in-ground irrigation systems, hot tubs filled from the system, ponds filled from the system, other water sources (wells) interconnected on the property, residential booster pumps, pressurized soft drink dispensers, and the list goes on.
Those situations require higher levels of protection. The district conducts questionnaires and surveys to determine hazards and the necessary level of protection.
If you get a questionnaire, please respond completely and promptly. If you have questions, please feel free to contact the office.
Water Quality Monitoring Report
Included in this newsletter is the required annual water quality report. Some additional information is necessary regarding this report.
One of the things on the web site is the annual Water Quality Monitoring Schedule, issued by the Department of Health and detailing the required sampling for the year. Check it out.
A complete history of the District’s water quality monitoring (as well as some other information) can be found on the Department of Health’s web site at https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/eh/portal/odw/si/Intro.aspx. The district’s state ID number is 29250.
There has been a lot of discussion of PFAS’s (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances) in the news lately. These are a family of “forever” chemicals that are found in fire fighting foam and various industrial processes. The district has tested for these substances under the Unregulated Contaminant Rule and none were detected.
More information can be found in the attached Consumer Confidence Report, which is attached to this newsletter.
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. 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. Office phones are answered between Noon and 4:00PM Monday through Friday. If you have an urgent need CALL THE EMERGENCY NUMBERS. If in doubt, call. Really, we don’t mind.
When leaving a voice mail, all that is necessary is your name and telephone number. You can pose your question when we return your call. Please speak slowly when leaving your number so we have time to write it down.
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. 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.
Employment Opportunity:
General Manager
Grays Harbor County Water District #2 serves the community of Central Park, located between Montesano and Aberdeen, Washington.
Central Park is a community of approximately 4,400 residents served by the water district through just short of 1,500 connections: residential, multi-family, and commercial.
The general manager reports to three elected commissioners and is responsible for implementing the policies instituted by the commission.
District staff consists of the general manager, one field supervisor, one field technician, and one part time district clerk. A seasonal laborer is usually retained in the Summer months.
The general manager is responsible for overseeing all the district’s activities and operations. Since the district is small, the general manager not only discharges typical management responsibilities, but is responsible for the completion of some administrative tasks as well.
Minimum Qualifications:
Minimum five year’s experience related to the management of a Special Purpose District
Water Distribution Manager Level II or above
Certified Cross-Connection Control Specialist
Experience with the Washington State Budgeting, Account, Reporting System (BARS)
Experience managing construction projects including history working with Washington State Prevailing Wage regulations
Demonstrated positive relationships with state agencies
The district has undertaken to develop a positive customer service corporate culture. It is expected that culture will be continued.
Salary dependent on experience.
$100,000-$120,000 DOE
State Deferred Compensation Plan
Medical
Dental/Vision
Vacation/Sick Leave
The position remains open until filled. Respond by email to:
Reg Hearn
General Manager
Grays Harbor County Water District #2
reg@centralparkwater.net