Our goal at Corbett Water District is to provide clean, safe water for the community. We were founded in 1932 and try to provide the same level of service throughout the years. Inside our website you can pay your bill, receive an application for water service, view water quality reports, and much more.
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MONTHLY BOARD MEETING
July 17, 2018
6:30 p.m.
Corbett Fire Hall, 36930 E. Historic Columbia River Hwy. Corbett
AGENDA
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of the Agenda
4. Board Officer Rotation of Position, possible term limits- Discussion & possible Action
5. Election of Board Officers for Fiscal Year 2018-2019 - Action
6. Approval of the Minutes: Regular Board Meeting June19, 2018 & Budget Hearing June 19, 2018
7. Treasurers Report June 2018 - ACTION
OLD BUSINESS
1. Cost and feasibility of digging a well - Discussion
2. Revenue from Filter Pond 1b alternative use - Discussion
3. Leak Adjustment Policy proposal - Draft - Discussion
NEW BUSINESS
1. Engagement Letter Auditor Richard Winkel FY 2017-2018 - Action
2. Emergency Preparedness - Discussion
MANAGER’S REPORT
PUBLIC COMMENTS ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA
SUGGESTIONS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
REVIEW ACTION ITEMS FOR NEXT MONTH
BOARD MEMBER ADDITIONAL ITEMS FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING
THIS IS A PUBLIC MEETING
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Our 2018 Newsletter and 2017 Consumer Confidence Report was mailed June 20, 2018 to our customers.
To view the 2017 Consumer Confidence Report please click on
Water Quality Reports link to the right.
NEWSLETTER June 2018
MESSAGE FROM OUR DISTRICT MANAGER
Community awareness during times of limited water supply is the only way to insure uninterrupted service to our customers. Gordon Creek stream levels are at an all time low for the month of June. The Water District continually monitors the infrastructure of our system for signs of leaking water mains and preventing any overflow of reservoirs in an effort to conserve our precious resource. The following are a few water saving tips we can all use:
Ways to save Water Indoors
•
Check all faucets, pipes and toilets for leaks.
Check all faucets, pipes and toilets for leaks.•Install water saving showerheads and ultra-low-flush toilets.
Install water saving showerheads and ultra-low-flush toilets.•Take shorter showers.
Take shorter showers.•Never use your toilet as a wastebasket.
Never use your toilet as a wastebasket.•Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.•Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator.
Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator.•Rinse vegetables in a pan of water.
Rinse vegetables in a pan of water.•Fully load your dishwasher.
Fully load your dishwasher.•Rinse dishes in a full sink or pan of water.
Rinse dishes in a full sink or pan of water.•Wash full loads of clothes.
Wash full loads of clothes.Ways to save water Outdoors
•Water your garden early in the morning or late in evening.
Water your garden early in the morning or late in evening.•Don't water on cool, rainy or windy days.
Don't water on cool, rainy or windy days.•Equip all hoses with shut-off nozzles.
Equip all hoses with shut-off nozzles.•Use drip irrigation systems.
Use drip irrigation systems.•Plant drought-tolerant or low water-use plants and grasses.
Plant drought-tolerant or low water-use plants and grasses.•Use shrubs and ground covers to reduce the amount of grass.
Use shrubs and ground covers to reduce the amount of grass.•Place mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and discourage weeds.
Place mulch around plants to reduce evaporation and discourage weeds.•Set your mower blades one notch higher, since longer grass means less evaporation.
Set your mower blades one notch higher, since longer grass means less evaporation.•Use a pool cover to cut down on water evaporation.
Use a pool cover to cut down on water evaporation.•Use a bucket instead of a hose to wash your car.
Use a bucket instead of a hose to wash your car.•Use a broom rather than a hose to clean sidewalks, driveways, loading docks and parking lots.
Use a broom rather than a hose to clean sidewalks, driveways, loading docks and parking lots.Thank you for taking the time to use water wisely!
Jeff Busto, District Manager
BACKFLOW AND CROSS CONNECTIONS
Water distribution systems are designed so that water flows in one direction from the treatment plant to the customer. It is assumed that because water is always under pressure, it can only flow in one direction. However, under certain conditions, it is possible that flow can be reversed from its intended direction and cause disastrous results. If a main water line in our system should break, or if a fire occurred and the fire district opened several hydrants, the pressure in the water mains could drop dramatically, causing a reversal of water flow. If your plumbing or garden hose, carrying potable water, is connected to a fire sprinkler system, solar heating system, submerged into a hot tub, animal water trough or into your cars radiator to flush out antifreeze this could siphon that material back into the water mains. This is called a cross connection. Customers are responsible for preventing contaminants from entering the public water system through their individual plumbing systems. Backflow devices prevent cross connections.
The Water District is required by the State of Oregon to maintain a cross connection program. We recently sent out backflow test letters to those customers who currently have a backflow device installed. Backflow test need to be completed by August 1, 2018. If you have any questions regarding backflow or cross connections please contact the Water District office at 503-695-2284.
DRIP DRIP DRIP
THE SOUND OF A LEAKY FAUCET
That leaky kitchen faucet can be quite annoying, but, did you know it could be a significant waste of water and money? Count the number of drops in 30 seconds to see how many gallons of water are being wasted. 5 drops equals 292 gallons per year, 15 drops equals 876 gallons per year and 25 drops is almost 4 gallons per day and 1,460 gallons per year. Annoying and costly.
It might be time to fix the faucet.
WANT TO STOP THOSE PESKY POSTCARD BILLS?
WE HAVE THE ANSWER!
Postcard bills can get lost in the mail or on your kitchen counter. To avoid this frustration we are now offering the option of paperless billing. If you are interested in receiving your water bill by email please contact our office at 503-695-2284 or email clerk.corbettwater@rconnects.com. We will switch your account to e-bill only or if you’re not sure we can send both an email bill and postcard until you are ready to make the change. We will continue to send postcard bills to those customers not interested in the e-bill option.
BILL PAYING OPTIONS
For your convenience we offer several options to pay your bill:
* ONLINE PAYMENTS - Go to Corbettwaterdistrict.com and click on the “Payments” tab. Follow the instructions under online payments. Quickpay without registering or register and you will be able to view your water use history, payments and make your payment. A small processing fee applies to these payments.
* ACH -AUTOMATIC CLEARING HOUSE - This is an electronic banking network used for direct deposits and electronic bill payment. Water bills are paid automatically on the 15th of each bi-monthly billing period from the bank account you designate on our ACH form. ACH application forms are available at our website or by calling our office at 503-695-2284. No fees apply.
* CREDIT CARD - Credit card payments are accepted in person or over the phone. A $3 convenience fee will be applied when using this payment method.
* CHECKS - The District accepts checks delivered in person, through the mail, and through the “yellow hydrant’ payment box located next to our driveway. No fees apply.
* CASH - We accept cash delivered in person. Please do not mail or leave cash payments in the payment box. No fees apply.
HELPFUL HINT - If water flow seems low from a faucet- Screens on the end of individual faucets can get clogged. Just unscrew the screen, wash it out and that might clear up the problem.
CORBETT WATER DISTRICT FACTS
1932 --The year the Corbett Water District was officially established.
1,084-- The number of service connections in the Water District system
400 -- The total number of work orders Water District Crews completed in 2017
214,711,999 -- The gallons of water processed through the Water District Treatment plant from December 2016 and November 2017
.03--the cost per 1,000 gallons of water for chlorine and soda ash to treat our water
0 - The amount of fluoride added to water in the Corbett Water District
DID YOU KNOW? - If a family of four replaces its older, inefficient toilets with new WaterSense toilets, it could save them more than 16,000 gallons of water per year. Call our office or check corbettwaterdistrict.com for information on our toilet rebate program made possible through a grant from Union Pacific.
FILTER POND CHARGE REMOVED FROM WATER BILLS
In February 2015 an increase of $5.00 per bi-monthly billing cycle was added to begin replacement of Filter Pond#1 at the Treatment Plant. That increase was scheduled for 19 billing cycles which ended with the February 2018 billing. The surcharge collected to date is approximately $195,000. Permits, designs, and application fees totaled $83,700 and deep cleaning of filter pond 1 cost totaled $1,200. Filter pond 2 will be deep cleaned in 2018. The current ponds are old but with deep cleaning their operational life has been extended up to ten years. The Board of Commissioners has delayed the filter pond 1b project and is currently considering alternative more urgent needs for use of the remaining money raised. The Board is discussing moving forward with a second water source such as a well or other options. Further discussions will be held at the Water Board meetings in June and July 2018.
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