Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Sewer Policy And Losses topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Saltville utility report shows 64% of pumped water unaccounted for; council reviews proposed water/sewer policy
Summary
The town's September water-use report showed 16.7 million gallons pumped and about 6.0 million gallons accounted for, leaving roughly 10.7 million gallons (64%) unaccounted for. Staff presented a proposed water and sewer policy and recommended committee review; the SCADA system and meter projects are cited as ongoing investments.
Saltville's contracted water operator reported a striking disparity in the town's September water accounting: of 16,695,480 gallons pumped, the report listed 6,007,103 gallons accounted for and 10,688,377 gallons (64.0 percent) unaccounted for, according to the monthly water-use report presented to the council on Oct. 14.
Gary L. Johnson of EMS, Inc., who prepared the water-use report, provided the summary figures to the council. The report breaks down water sold to town customers (3,690,698 gallons), water sold to Smyth County (647,000 gallons) and Washington County (1,580,990 gallons), and other accounted uses; after those entries the report shows the large unaccounted-for volume.
Public Works Director Brandon Frye and Town Manager Cecile Rosenbaum discussed ongoing and planned measures to address system losses and billing accuracy, including a proposed Water & Sewer policy introduced at the meeting. The policy covers monthly base charges, volumetric charges with a 3,000-gallon minimum, reconnection/transfer fees, a 10% late payment charge after the 15th of the month, a $300 unauthorized-use penalty, and a one-time leak-adjustment allowance when documentation is provided. Proposed connection fees by meter size were also included in the packet, and staff asked that the Water-Sewer committee review the policy.
The council packet also lists a planned SCADA system line item (budgeted/identified expense of $105,729 in the water fund reports) and ongoing radio-read meter and meter-replacement projects intended to improve metering accuracy and remote reading. Rosenbaum noted the town has outstanding loan/grant closing items tied to the municipal audit that affect some infrastructure projects.
What council asked of staff: refer the proposed Water & Sewer policy to the Water-Sewer committee for detailed review; provide further analysis of the causes of high water unaccounted-for (meter accuracy, leaks, theft, billing errors) and a recommendation for next steps to reduce losses; and provide updated cost estimates for the SCADA and meter replacement work.
No rate changes were adopted Oct. 14; staff presented the draft fee schedule for consideration and committee review.
