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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-01-11 WSB AGENDA' WATER& SEWER BOARD AGENDA Tuesday, January 11, 2005 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE ROOM 1. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 14, 2004 MEETING. (ATT. 1) 2. SOUTHGATE SUPPLEMENT #159. (ATT. 2) 3. LETTER FROM STATE OF COLORADO DATED 12-28-04 ADDRESSING DENVER POST STORY, "WATER PROTECTION ADRIFT." (ATT. 3) 4. WATER HARDNESS AND ALTERNATE SOURCES. 5. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. "WATER RATE STRUCTURES AS AN ECONOMIC TOOL." (ATT . 4) B. "RESIDENTS A DRAIN ON AQUIFERS." DENVER POST ARTICLE DATED 11-8-04. (ATT. 5) C. "BELLEVUE HOMEOWNER STUCK WITH $10,000 WATER BILL." ARTICLE FROM SEATTLE TIMES DATED 12-8-04. (ATT. 6) D. "FAMILY DISPLACED FOR 5 MONTHS AFTER SEWER BACKUP." ARTICLE FROM 9NEWS DATED 12-8-04. (ATT. 7) E. "PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS." (ATT . 8) 6. OTHER. .. WATER AND SEWER BOARD MINUTES December 14, 2004 AT T. I The meeting was called to order at 5 :45 p.m. Members present: Members absent: Also present: Cassidy, Clark, Bums, Bradshaw, Habenicht, Higday Otis, Garrett, Moore Stewart Fonda, Director of Utilities David Hill, Water Attorney Joe Tom Wood, Water Engineer 1. MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 14, 2004 MEETING. The Englewood Water and Sewer Board approved the minutes from the October 12, 2004 meeting. Mr. Habenicht moved; Ms. Bradshaw seconded: Ayes: Nays: Members absent: Motion carried. To approve the minutes from the October 12, 2004 Englewood Water and Sewer Board Meeting. Cassidy, Clark, Bums, Bradshaw, Habenicht, Higday None Otis, Garrett, Moore 2. MARTIN & WOOD'S REQUEST FOR CONSENT TO WORK FOR MILLIKEN SOUTHWEST. Joe Tom Wood presented a "Request for Consent to Work for Black Hawk and Milliken Southwest" to the Board. In this case David Hill believes that working for Black Hawk and Milliken Southwest would be in Englewood's interest with costs being split among the common work done for clients . Each would be billed separately for work unique to that client's interests. Black Hawk and Milliken are seeking to ensure that Central's decree will keep the river whole and will not result in increased calls on their rights. The Board approved the "Request for Consent to Work for Black Hawk and Milliken Southwest. Mr. Bums moved; 2. DAVID HILL-WATER RELATED CASES. David Hill appeared to discuss three Englewood-related cases he is monitoring. The first may require farmers to use wells to supplement water not being replaced in the river. The second involves Bebe Draw east of Greeley, and could affect Englewood's senior rights on the S. Platte River. The last case is between the City of Thornton and the Metro Sewer District and involves Thornton's sewer discharge and Englewood's stand on replacing the return flows. David Hill will keep the Englewood Water Board apprised of new developments . 3. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR 2004 . The Board received a list of major accomplishments from the Utilities Department for 2004. Accomplishments for the Administration, Water Production, Water Distribution, Wastewater Collection and Stormwater divisions were listed. 4. LORRAINE SMITH -1080 W. RADCLIFF A VE. The Board received a memo from John Bock, Utilities Manager, describing an encounter with Lorraine Smith of 1080 W. Radcliff Ave. Ms. Smith's inappropriate behavior was discussed and John Bock's resolution to her late bill. " 5. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: Price of Woodinville Treatment Plant Rises 10%: An article appeared in the November 4, 2004 Seattle Times discussing the escalating cost of building materials pushing the price of the King County Brightwater wastewater treatment plant to $1.48 billion . Bottled Mineral Water May Not Be Safer to Drink: An article appeared from the 441 h Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents. Researchers noted that patients with weakened immune systems are often given bottled mineral water under the assumption that it is safer to drink than tap water. Research has shown that infection is still possible from legionella bacteria which can be found in bottled mineral water. 2004 Front Range Demand vs. Normal Use: The Board received a graph from Denver Water showing Englewood's customers conserving more water than the other Front Range municipalities in 2004. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. The next Water and Sewer Board meeting will be Tuesday, January 11, 2004 at 5:00 p .m . in the Community Development Conference Room. Respectfully submitted , John Bock Acting Recording Secretary • ATT. 2 COUNCIL COMMUNICATION Date Agenda Item Subject January 17, 2004 Southgate Supplement #159 INITIATED BY Utilities Department STAFF SOURCE Stewart H. Fonda, Director of Utilities COUNCIL GOAL AND PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION None. RECOMMENDED ACTION The Water and Sewer Board , at their January 11 , 2004 meeting, recommended Council approval of a Bill for an Ordinance approving Southgate Supplement #159. BACKGROUND, ANALYSIS, AND ALTERNATIVES IDENTIFIED The City of Englewood provides sewage treatment to a population of about 70 ,000 peop le outside the City through contracts with numerous connector districts. The area is defined by the natural drainage and extends south and east from Broadway to the Valley Highway and from Hampden to Lincoln Ave. excluding Highlands Ranch. By contract the City of Englewood must approve any additions of land to be served by the districts. These are usually in-fill situations that are within what the City considers to be the area it has committed to serve . Adequate capacity has been provided in the treatment plant to accommodate all such futu re inclusions. Annexation of this parcel of land will not increase the tap allocation of the Southgate Sanitation District. A request was made by the Southgate Sanitation District representing the owner, Tim Hester, for inclusion of Supplement #159 consisting of a parcel totaling 2.5 acres into the Southgat e Sanitation District. This is vacant land zoned R-4. The proposed use is to erect a single- family home , with construction beginning December 2004. No changes in zoning or use are anticipated. The legal is attached as Exhibit "A ". The property is located between Belleview and Powers, west of Quebec in Greenwood Village. FINANCIAL IMPACT None. LIST OF ATTACHMENTS Bil l for Ordinance Southgate Sanitation District Supplement #159 SUPPLEMENT NO. 15 't TO CONNECTOR'S AGREEMENT THIS AGREEMENT, made and entered into by and between the CITY OF ENGLEWOOD, acting by and through its duly authorized Mayor and City Clerk , hereinafter called the "City," and SOUTHGATE SANITATION DISTRICT, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, Colorado, hereinafter called the "District," WITNESS ETH: WHEREAS, on the 20th day of June, 1961, the City and the District entered into an Agreement in which the City agreed to treat sewage originating from the District's sanitary sewer system within the area served by the District, which Agreement was most recently renewed by Connector's Agreement dated November 16, 1988 ; and WHEREAS, said Connector's Agreement provides that the district may not enlarge its service area without the written consent of the City ; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and undertakings herein set forth , the parties agree as follows : 1. The City hereby consents to the inclusion of certain additional area located in Arapahoe County , Colorado , owned by Tim Hester and more fully described on Exhibit A attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference , into Southgate Sanitation District. The City agrees that said additional area may be served with the sewer facilities of the District, and that the City will treat the sewage discharged into the City's trunk line from said additional area , all in accordance with the Connector's Agreement dated November 16 , 1988. Accordingly , Exhibit A referred to in Paragraph 1 of the Connector's Agreement dated November 16 , 1988 , is hereby amended to include such additional area . 2. Each and every other provision of the said Connector's Agreement dated November 16 , 1988 , shall remain unchanged . IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have set their hands and seals this __ day of , 200 _. ATTEST: CITY CLERK (SEAL) CITY OF ENGLEWOOD By:---------- MAYOR SOUTHGATE SANITATION DISTRICT, ARAPAHOE AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES, COLORADO By 1?4J4j,K PRESIDENT ' I EXHIBIT A Tract 5, Longview Acres Subdivision, County of Arapahoe, State of Colorado . LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 6921 East Powers Ave., Greenwood Village, Co. 80111 Tract 5 Longview Acres subdivision 1. This is a 2 Yi acre residential lot. 2. The property is zoned R-4 3. The proposed use is to erect a single-family home on the lot. 4. The construction could start in December 2004 and last approximately 12 to 15 months. 5. The service requirement will be what is normal and customary for a single family residential home. . t: R ENT 00 ·'·L -4 119 00 . cc ;o 11 a 6586 G I 04 n ... ·---. --.. -. F ~ .._ Q:: ~Lu <3~ ~(j ::! t) Lu~ <:: <:: (j crj crj -. F.2-.5 . 6600 CLARK COLONY NO. 3 TRA T 71 AMENIDMENT NO. 1 ;: 3 I 2 6601 6691 F3-2 5597 . 90 6666 6657 6777 678J 6575 '"~ I 1---=::.-t<(L---"] I _J I~ U I 665() 8767 I I 6600 E I (SEE SHEET 7) ~ E:lt-: ~CJ) 0 crj ,~ E2-• VJ-a ........ .. D ~ V) ~ ~ crj L O N G 7150 c S. BERRY A VE {55005) ....... "' _.... _,,,_, v E W 7180 ..,.. ______ ..,.__A--C-R -s~~+--'-~~--..j 6951 4 P A R 0 N E TRACT .,,.. OHNSGATE 1 6800 RD. 6787 6785 1~ 124 £. ORCHARD RD. (5900 SJ (SEE SHEET 15) 128 PONO nos 7155 a .., 16 w ATT. 3 STATE OF COLORADO BiU Owens, Governor Douglas H . Benevento, Executive Director Dedicated to protecting and improving the health and environment of the people of Colorado 4300 Cherry Creek Dr. S. Laboratory Services Division Denver, Colorado 80246-1530 8100 Lowry Blvd . Phone (303) 692-2000 Denver, Colorado ~928 mo Line (303) 691-7700 (303) 692-3090 Located in Glendale, Colorado http:Jlwww.cdphe .state.co.us December 28 , 2004 Greg Moore, Editor The Denver Post 1560 Broadway Denver, CO 80202 Dear Mr. Moore : Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment As the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment , I am writing to express my strong objections to and concerns about the Sunday , December 19 , story in The Denver Post , which ran under the headline , "Water protection adrift ." When I first spoke with Theo Stein, I was assured that he and Miles Moff eit were working on a balanced story . Unfortunately , I was misled by Theo and found that when I spoke with he and Miles on the issue, they had their minds made about what to write and shaped the facts to support their opinions . For example , they wrote that throughout the 1990s, the Denver Regional Office of the U.S . Environmental Protection Agency rejected over 300 water quality standards issued by the state. This was true in 1991 and 1992 when EPA rejected 315 such standards . However, since 1999 , EPA has rejected only 23 . Further, since 1999, all of previously rejected standards have been approved . You would think this was good news and that it would demonstrate a program that is doing its job well and conscientiously . However, Miles and Theo managed not to mention those facts and instead noted that in a January 2004 letter, EPA expressed some concern about temporary modifications. What is hypocritical about this is that EPA 's "criticism" was to ask us to take our approach to our stakeholder group for review -the same group that Theo and Miles had criticized earlier as an example of the department's Water Quality Control Division and the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission being too close to industry. Also , Miles and Theo wrote critically of "waivers" being granted to water quality standards . First , there is no such thing as a "waiver" and , once again they failed to note an important fact. Standards are developed nationally and states have the option of adopting generic national standards or developing site-specific standards . A site-specific standard must be based upon better science for the water body to which it would be applied ; that's why it's called a site-specific standard . So what they attack as a "waiver" is actually better science designed to ensure that our water quality standards are based upon our state 's water quality needs . They are specific to not just Colorado, but to specific water bodies in Colorado . We are protecting water quality and aquatic life in Colorado through science that is specific to a Colorado water body as opposed to a generic national standard. In short, if the reporters had their way , the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would be spending taxpayer dollars protecting water quality in Colorado for manatees, obviously a silly outcome. This approach also has Mr. Greg Moore December 28, 2004 Page2 the advantage of being recommended to the U.S . Congress by the National Academy of Sciences . Finally, I would note that when site-specific standards were used to a more restrictive end, the reporters failed to cite that in their story. For example, they failed to cite the enhanced standard for Phosphorus at the Cherry Creek Reservoir; the enhanced standard for Dimp at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal; the enhanced standard for Radionuclides and so on . These are but a few examples of the biased work that Theo and Miles did in order to represent a viewpoint that is demonstrably incomplete and , as a result, misleading . Theo and Miles similarly misled Post readers relative to temporary modifications. First, temporary modifications are not a waiver of standards, but rather are temporary standards used in segments where the existing condition already exceeds the underlying standard . The commission has decided it would rather try to achieve better water quality than, as the regulation states, endorse a "permanent downgrading." Temporary modifications are employed where the existing degradation, such as abandoned mine drainage or elevated selenium levels from unregulated non-point sources, cannot be remediated in the short term. Except in the case of a temporary modification granted where there is uncertainty as to what underlying standard can be achieved over time, such as may be the case with shale soils and selenium leaching, permit limits and other controls are "geared toward fully attaining the underlying standard." There is no "allowance to pollute" as Theo and Miles alleged. Finally, over 97 percent of all the standards currently in effect in Colorado are the underlying standards, a fact contrary to the impression left by the reporters when they stated that we have waived st andards for 1 out of 6 stream segments in the state. I also must take exception with the claims by the reporters that, "during the Owens administration the panel that sets water quality policy has lost technical expertise in favor of attorneys and industry veterans." This claim cannot be substantiated . And, in fact , it could have been reported that there were no substantial changes to the Water Quality Control Commission over the past decade . In 1998 , the Commission was comprised of three consultants, an industry environmental professional, a vegetable farmer, a county commissioner, an engineer with Denver water, a retired physician, and the former head of Tri-County Health Department. Today, the commission is made up of three attorneys, an employee of a local government water supply district, a dairy farmer, a vegetable farmer, and a cattle rancher, a former Vail councilwoman and the former head of Tri-County Health Department. I fail to see how the reporters claim that this commission lacks the technical expertise of the previous commission. There certainly was no reason for the story to be incomplete. The Post's two reporters conducted a two- hour, in-person interview here at the department. Involved in the interview session were myself; Howard Roitman, the department's director of environment programs ; and Mark Pitber, director of the Water Quality Control Division. During the interview, Theo took notes on a laptop computer and also recorded the session . In addition to this long and very comprehensive interview, the department provided written answers to two sets of questions . The first, 10-page document provided answers to 32 questions . The second, five- page document provided answers to nine follow-up questions . Surprisingly, very little information from the interview or the written answers was used in the story. Miles and Theo obviously came to this subject and to the department with their minds made up . They only sought the requisite response from the department because they had to obtain it. They were not interested in either the facts or in presenting the true complete picture of water quality protection efforts in the state . And, almost all department responses appeared toward the end of story, far from the insinuations earlier in the story about the quality of work performed here . · Mr. Greg Moore December 28, 2004 Page3 Among facts that should have been and could have been included in the story are : • Colorado's streams, rivers and lakes are among the cleanest in the nation. In a September 2004 report to Congress, the Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators found that Colorado's streams and river are the second cleanest in the nation; the state 's lakes are the seventh cleanest. Colorado obviously is doing something right. • Ninety-four percent of Colorado 's public drinking water systems are in full compliance with federal health-based standards. Only 13 states in the country had a better compliance rate for health-based standards. • Only 2.7 percent of major dischargers in Colorado, which are inspected every year, had significant non-compliance issues, as compared to 8.4 percent nationally. Further, I am amazed that in a four-page Sunday feature story, The Post chose not to run any favorable comment from individuals outside the department . I know for a fact that numerous people were contacted and that numerous people spoke approvingly of the water quality protection work done by the department. I question why their favorable comments were excluded from the story. I have attached a document, which delineates the facts about a number of the key allegations made in this story on this very complex topic . I am hopeful that you and your top editors will carefully review it so that you can better understand what really is being done and being done quite successfully to protect the quality of Colorado 's water and waterways. After reviewing this document, it's my hope that you would support our effort to have an op-ed placed in a Sunday edition of the Post in order to clarify the bias in the original story. However, most importantly, I am disappointed that The Post chose to mislead the citizens of Colorado about the quality of water in our state. The good quality of Colorado 's water and the good work the department, the division and the commission have done to protect one of Colorado 's most precious resources is a fact that has been recognized by independent groups who also were ignored when it came time to write the story. Sincerely Douglas H. Benevento Executive Director Attachment cc : Miles Moffeit Theo Stein "\VTaterWrse interviewed John Gallagher, W a director of Black & Veatch Engineering in Aurora, CO. John has been a consultant in the area of water rates for 30 years, helping utilities all actT& America. He is also a JX1.5t OOard member of Metro Water Conservation, Inc., which is one of the organizations now part ci the CWWC. John is conducting a survey and analysis of water rates strucrures in water utilities in the West. When that is completed, WaterWise will do a follow-up interview with John. John, do you agree that financial measures are an effective conservation tool? Has your viewpoint changed over the years you've been helping people design rate structures? How so? Financial measures are starting to be a good tool, but until cusr.omers understand the rate structure applicable to them, rates won't be a really effective cool. Many years ago, most water utilities didn't use conservation-oriented rate structures. Now many utilities are beginning co think about using rates to achieve water savings, especially in dry areas of the country. Also, me& CU'itomers don't even know what the water rate is. They only care about the bottom line on the bill . Until recently, the price of water has lost ground compared to other things like cable TY. Now, the discU'isions are slowly moving from the question, "What is the COST of water?'' to "What is the VALUE of water?" Therefore, when CU'itomers really pay attention, their water bills don't necessarily go up just because rates go up. For example, in a small Front Range utility, A TT. '-I First in a series of articles ahout u:uter conscrration rutc structures block. Do you still promote that? If not. what do you recommend these days? Currently, I recommend a minimum of 20% difference between each block. Any less will likely not get the attention of the customers. 1 wish a device could be provided to customers to allow them to conveniently monitor their water usage on a daily basis. It would be great if the device would automatically reset itself every time the water provider reads the meter, and it would be super if the device would give a warning when the family approaches the next block in the rate structure! What is the most conservation-0rient.ed rate structure you've seen and how do you know it saves water? It's hard to choose jll'it one. A medium size Front Range utility put a surcharge of 80 cents per thousand gallons o n top of their water rates. Thu; the base rate of $2.34 per thousand increased to $3.14, and that got customers to conserve watet In the Las Vegas area, water use is going down, ~due co faccocs ocher than conservation rate structures: The water level in Lake Mead is at a historic low; new houses are on smaller lots and have conservation devices indoors. One community in that area has seen a 4% reduction in water use for the past five years. I:Aought restrictions really do achieve savings, but water rates alone don't save enough. In Colorado over the JX1.5t few years, rna>t: utilities reduced water use by 20% even without drought restrictions. Some ci this could have been due co higher than average rainfall, but some of the savings could be due to increased awareness by cusr.omers, even without rules. Some utilities say they cannot implement conservation-oriented rates because they have too many fixed costs. How do you respond to that? Reduction in water usage through conservation does not rnually reduce a utility's fixed ca>ts. This means that usage- based rates will need to be much higher to offset conservation in usage. It is prudent in water rate design co expect customers to continue to conserve. Historical trends in water usage, particularly over the past three years, need to be carefully examined to forecast future water usage. Water conservation rates can be implemented to offset fIXed coru, but they muse be based on a detailed analysis of water usage. Is it possible to have an effective conservation rate structure without accompanying publicity/education? Why, or why not? No, rates are only the engine of the conservation program. Without public information on the entire water conservation program, rates will not be effective and will likely produce negative reaction to conservation. The report by Western Resource Advocates on water rate structures in Colorado states that Colorado Springs has the most conservation-oriented rate structure in our state. Do you know of any (smaller) water provider that bas an even better rate structure? I have not had an opportunity to fully research the Colorado Spring; water rate the price of water went up to $5 per thousand gallons. Some people choose to use less water, so their bills stay about the same as hefore. structure so am unable to .---E-xp_l_os-lv_e_g_ro_wth __ i_s_o_n_e_re_a_so_n_c_o_m_m_u_n_itl_es __ tu_m_t_o_c_o_n_se_rv_a_t_lo-n-. determine if it is the most AtaRMSAWWA conservation meeting years ago in Santa Fe, NM., you said that conservation· oriented water rate structures had to be increasing block styles, and that there should be a minimum of 20% difference between each rate structures. conservation-oriented structure. There are many effective water conservation rate structures in Colorado. These structures send a strong message to customers co use water wisely. What do you think about the water budget rate structure as used in Irvine Ranch, CA and more recently in Highlands Ranch, CO? Continued on page 6 ~ Eco-Based Panni n g contin ued from page 1 including inappropriate geographic boundaries, insufficient pre-project managers. An article coauthored by Jill Baron, Sustaining Heallhy Freshwater Ecos,scem.s provides key requirements to balance the needs of human use with freshwater ecosystems. These requirements include: planning, inadequate implementation, and oversimplification of ecological functions. One of the most efficient ways to come together in the future will be to organize around ecological principles such as freshwater ecosystem functions. The water community is in a unique position to organize across political bounderies and disciplines and work toward a healthy future for Colorado's water resources. To get started will require first, using effective language to articulate the value of landscape functions and to explain how cumulative local decisions are affecting our quality of life. Second, water resource managers need to become more involved in community decisionmaking by having a more vocal role in planning and development activities. Ideally, a planning process can be developed that allows local and scientific input to be considered in site selection, design and monitoring of land management decisions. Stakeholders need to understand that freshwater ecosystem planning and restoration are not only about protecting the "environment, n they are about pretecting public safety and property and health. Many resources are available to water 1. Incorporating freshwater ecosystem needs into local policies. 2. Using watershed boundaries. 3. Increasing communication and education. 4. Increasing restoration efforts based on ecological principles. 5. Maintaining and protecting intact systems. 6. Bringing the "ecosystem" concept home For more details see Issues in Ecology www.esa.org/science/Issues/FileEnglish/ issue I O.pdf. The new AWARE program- Addressing Water and Natural Resource Education-has recently produced a "Water Protection Toolkit for Local Officials" ( www.aware.org) that provides useful educational material on background issues, water protection tools, and resources. Ecosystem principles for restoration have been identified by the Society for Ecological Restoration (see Primer at www.ser.or~). One of the most powerful messages from the Society's Primer is that we don't Water Rate Structures as an Economic Tool continued from page 5 The water budget rate structure can be an drought, their water allocation is higher effective tool to encourage water than for a previous rronth. It may take conservation. It is tailored to each more staff time for the utility to explain customer's water demands. There are some these things to c~ers. challenges with the strueture. Customer What else do you wish Wolter providers service representatives at Irvine Ranch (readers of our newsletter) knew about report having to continually provide water rates and conservation? exceptions to its generalizations about Joe There are a few things. First, it is prudent size, usage, etc. ~t-of-service-based rates to build a definite philosophy into a rate are more difficult to develop using this smnure. This will greatly improve structure. Water btx:lgecs can wock well if a cu&omer understanding and accepcance of water utility can distinguish between the strueurre. For example, residential rate customer clas5es, has detailed data oo each blocks should be set based oo definite customer, has iS&Jes around water conservation or drought or production capacity, and has a billing system capable of monitoring all the required information. If a utility is experiencing drought conditions, water luiget rates could ~ iliewrongmessagetocustaners.Ouringa drought, actual water neOO; by the plants go UP at the same time the water utility wants water deliveries to go IXJWN. This becomes difficult when the water utility notifies customers that, despite the criteria -the first block could capture typical domestic usage and be priced at the lowest rate, the second block could inclixle reasonable irrigation demaruk and be priced at the medium rate, and the third block would be applicable to excessive irrigation and have a much higher rate. Second, water utility managers need to annually perform a bill frequency analysis ci residential usage. This analysis will provide the number of residential customers using water at varying usage need to have figured out everything before we begin ecological restoration. Ecological planning is not about thick planning documents taking up space on bookshelves, but instead, it is a dynamic, iterative process based on collaboration and dialogue. The Primer idenifies the need to initiate a trajectory toward ecosystem health that incorporates self- sustaining functions and resilience and allows for the future monitoring and adjustments. It is going to take creativity on the part of water managers to integrate the available ideas and tools into existing management positions. Active participation in the planning and decisions being made within one's own neighhorhood can provide valuble insights into the realities and challenges we face. Some will argue that individual property rights preclude planning measures that cake such a broadreaching "benefit of the commons" approach. However, it can he countered that to require consideration of natural processes or ecological functions in the planning process is, in fact, a protection of private property rights -protecting property owners and citizens from the high costs and threats posed by poor planning. levels. This can be used to determine the numher of accounts and amount of usage being hilled in each rate hlock. Each year's analysis can be compared with iliose from previous years to predict water usage trends. Similar analyses can be perf onned for non-residential customers. Third, customers need to know what their rate structure is and why rates may have to go up to actually cover the costs of providing water service. Last, water conservation people need to partner wim me financial people and the planning people in meir utilities to be sure conservation is pan of an integrated, synergistic program that achieves the diverse goals of the water utility. Thanks, John. It's d ear that the ecmomic mes6¥ is one of both price and value. It's ~ that this is fuully happening.. H our readers would like to contact you, what is the best way to reach yo u ? Call me at Black & Vearch. 303-834-4200 or e-mail me at gallagherj@bv.ccm or see the report at: www. westemresourceadvocates. A TT. 5 The Denver Post Residents a drain on aquifers Levels falling inch a day By Katy Human Denver Post Staff Writer Monday, November 08, 2004 - Communities south of Denver are pumping water out of the ground three times faster than previously estimated, according to new research presented at the Geological Society of America meeting in Denver on Sunday. "The good news is we now have a number to work with," said geologist Kyle Murray from the University of Texas at San Antonio. 'The bad news is that number's quite a bit higher than we want it to be." Planners have worried for several years about plummeting water levels in wells that serve 500,000 people in Highlands Ranch, Castle Rock and other rapidly growing communities nearby. Water levels in some of those wells are dropping as quickly as an inch a day, according to state statistics. Earlier calculations suggested people were pulling about 35,000 acre feet of water from the Arapahoe and Laramie Fox Hills aquifers every year; Murray's calculations put that figure closer to 110,000 acre feet. That means it will quickly become very expensive to extract the water, and that the aquifers are likely to fizzle out much sooner than expected. The geologist, formerly with the Colorado School of Mines, was one of 12 scientists gathered to present new data on the geology of the Denver Basin, a formation that contains several aquifers. The precise geology of the Denver Basin is of tremendous practical importance, said Jim Nikkel, district engineer for the Parker Water and Sanitation District. The details may reveal whether communities have 20 years to buy alternative sources of water -or far fewer. One new geography detail was a surprise: Chris Sanchez from the water resources firm Bishop-Brogden reported on the sudden disappearance of water and mud used to lubricate drilling machinery from three deep wells drilled recently in or near Aurora. "We encountered a zone in three wells in which all our fluid went screaming out of the bottom of the hole," Sanchez said. "We hit some sort of fracture or fault." Sanchez's report was not just a cautionary one for well-diggers; that structure could be a crucial one for geologists and water planners. The U.S. Geological Survey is building such detailed information into a new computer model of the Denver Basin and its aquifers, which should help water planners know what to expect from the basin in upcoming years. Bob Raynolds, a geologist with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, compared the situation to a person http://www.denverpost.com/cda/article/print/0, 167 4 ,36% 7E53% 7E2520700,00.html 11/8/2004 Page 2of2 in an SUV barreling down a highway. "You're driving on and on and you're perfectly happy and there's no gas stations. None," he said. "The groundwater's going away and the people are increasing .... They're not going to run out of water, but they're going to be paying more for their water, and this is going to happen soon." Staff writer Katy Human can be reached at 303-820-1910 or khuman@denverpost.com . http ://www .denverpost.com/cda/article/print/O, 167 4 ,36% 7E53% 7£2520700,00 .html 11/8/2004 .- The Seattle Times: Local News : Bellevue homeowner stuck with $10,000 -water bill ~ [iJ Action canceled f- 0: w :> Cl a: Internet Explorer was unable to link to the Web page you requested. The page might be tempor arily unavailabl e . A TT. (o The Seattle T i mes Company NWclassi fieds I NWs ource I seattl1 (Jbe Sc attlc mi mes j . 7 - sealt lebmes.com Your account NEWS I HOME LOCAL Eastside Snohomish County COLUMNISTS Nicole Brodeur Danny Westneat Sherry Grindeland On Politics Inside The Times Here and Now The Rev. Dale Turner BUSINESS/TECH NATION/WORLD POLITICS CONSUMER EDUCATION OBITUARIES SPECIAL PROJECTS OPINION SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT HEALTH TRAVEL/ OUTDOORS LIVING PACIFIC NW MAGAZINE COMICS / GAMES PHOTOGRAPHY NW CLASSIFIEDS NWSOURCE SHOPPING SERVICES Hor- LOCAL NEWS Sea Today's news index Weather Traffic Movies Restaurants Today'! ~ Wednesday , December 08, 2004 -Page updated at 12 :00 A.M. Bellevue homeowner stuck with $10,000 water bill By Natalie Singer Se attle Ti mes E astside bureau By the time Leslie Schofield opened her two-month water bill last May, the damage had already been done. Unbeknownst to he r, 1.4 million gallons of perfectly good water - enough to fill about two Olympic-sized ~ E-mail this article ~ Print this article Q. Search archive li!> Most read articles ~ Most e-mailed arti cles swimming pools -had been flowing from her property into Lake Washington for weeks , or even months. And the city of Bellevue billed her more than $10 ,000. After months of back-and-forth , Schofield was told this week that the city will not adjust the bill nor sell her the wasted water at a wholesale rate . It turns out that a leak had developed in a hose running to the boat lift at Schofield's lakefront home on Yarrow Point. Schofield argued that a meter reader should have noticed in February that her water usage, then at 78 ,000 gallons, was higher than usual and should have alerted her. The city's policy , however, is to alert a customer only when their usage is the highest it has ever been. Because Schofield had once registered a usage slightly higher than 78 ,000 gallons , she was not contacted , explained Brad Miyake, city utilities director. He said the approach is similar to that of other cities . And it's uncertain , Miyake said , whether the leak existed at the time of the February reading . By the end of the next billing period in mid -April , it was obvious that something was wrong , and Schofield was notified by the city that she had LOCAL NEWS SI (i Today (' Ar Advanced search NWSOURCE SHC shop newspa I By category I Go [!] I AD V ERT IS See your message AO V ERTIS ~ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/I ocalnews/20021125 89 _ waterbill 08e. html 12/8/2004 The Seattle Times : Local News: Bellevue homeowner stuck with $10,000 water bill used 1.4 million gallons over the two-month period . But by then it was too late. Schofield told city leaders this week that some help with her bill would be the right thing for them to do. 'Wholesale is fair," she pleaded. "There is no loss [to the city]; there just isn't profit." However, a staff report presented to the City Council on Monday night said selling Schofield the 1 .4 million gallons at a discounted price would "create an inequity and precedent for future and past leaks." 'We really feel bad for her," Miyake said. "It's really unfortunate. But our policy is very straightforward." The city is allowing [iJ Action canceled Internet Explorer was unable to link to the Web page ~ The page might be temporarily unavailable. Please try the following: • Click the ~ Refresh button, or try again later. • If you have visited this page previously and yo what has been stored on your computer, click I cl ick Work Offline. • For information about offiine browsing with Int· rl irlr tho M~ln rnon11 ~nrt thon rlirL-r..nn•-n•c: Schofield to pay the bill in installments of $1,000 every two months ; three installments have been paid so far. It's not uncommon for water customers to be billed hundreds, even thousands of extra dollars for water they don't realize they're wasting, Miyake said. Water lost because of broken toilets, leaky faucets , even garden hoses accidentally left on can add up. Although cautious residents can check regularly for leaks, in some cases it may be impossible t o know that one has occurred, he acknowledged . If the leak had happened a year earlier, Schofield's bill might have been adjusted. But last July, the city revised its policy to allow adjustments only when a leak occurs in the buried water-service line (between the meter and the building) or the fire line. The rule change was a cost-cutting measure: Bellevue lost $130,000 through bill adjustments in 2002 , the equivalent of a 0.5 percent rate increase to all customers.Natalie Singer: 206-464-2704 or nsinger@seattletimes.com Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company IS?l E-mail this article ~Print this article Q. Search archive http ://seattletimes.nwsource .com/html/localnews/2002112589_waterbill08e.html Page 2of3 12/8/2004 , 9news.com ATT. .... 9Wants to Know: Family displaced for 5 months after sewer backup written by: Paula Woodward (9Wants to Know Reporter) Created: 12/8/2004 10:08 PM MST -Updated : 12/8/2004 10:55 PM MST .. GREENWOOD VILLAGE - After five months of wa iting, the Wittmer family of Greenwood Village has moved back into the upper part of their tri-level home. They've been out of it since raw sewage backed up and flooded their basement while they were on vacation in July. Repairs to their home still aren't finished. They are $35,000 out-of-pocket with a $100,000 damage estimate. They hope what they learned can help you. The Wittmer's home was innundated with sewer sludge and is still being cleaned up five months later. Dec. 8, 2004. The family lived on a border line of several sewer districts. By the time the finger pointing ended, it was three weeks after the original mess. It turned out they are part of the South Englewood Sanitation Sewer District . It's a small district with homes in parts of 7 different municipalities . The district has no employees, no office, and no number in the phone book. The part-time attorney hired by the part-time board of homeowner directors for South Englewood Sanitation Sewer District told us "ultimately who's at fault is between the district and the homeowner." Attorney Don Marturno says it's been a long process for the Wittmer family because of the confusion over what sewer district they lived in and the size of the one they are in. Insurance companies for the family and the district are fighting it out. So far there is no solution. The reason for the backup will have to be decided in court or in mediation . Here's what we learned from their story. 1. Always know what sewer d istrict you're located in. Keep the information with your records . The larger districts usually bill on a quarterly basis. The smaller ones may bill you yearly on your property tax bill. 2. Get a sewer pipe inspection about every 15 years. You're responsible if the back-up happens between the main sewer line and your home. Keep the documents from that in spection. 3. Know what 's i n your i nsurance policy about this kind of damage. The Wittmer f amily had a $5,000 cap on actual damages, but they were covered for their five-month hote l stay . 7 http ://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=b63a396f-O... 12 /9/2004 , 9news.com Page 2 of2 4. Keep copies of essential papers like insurance policies and tax information in a safe place outside of your home. A lot of the Wittmer family information was stored in the basement and ended up destroyed from the sewage. http://www.9news.com/acm _ news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=b63a396f-O... 12/9/2004 ATT 8 Pharmaceutical Compounds and Personal Care Products • The water community is committed to protecting public health . Water professionals are researching the occurrence of personal care products and pharmaceutical compounds in drinking water supplies and are paying close attention to health effects research in th is area . • Water professionals have the technology today to detect more substances -at lower levels -than ever before. As analytical methods improve, pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products are being found at very low levels in many of our nation's lakes, rivers and streams. • The fact that a substance is detectable does not mean the substance is harmful to humans. To date, research throughout the world has not demonstrated an impact on human health from pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in drinking water. • While these compounds may be detected at very low levels in source waters, people regularly consume or expose themselves to products containing these compounds in much higher concentrations through medicines, food and beverage and other sources. The level in which they are found in source waters is very small in comparison . • The U.S . Environmental Protection Agency maintains an active program called the Contaminant Candidate List (CCL) to identify contaminants in public drinking water that warrant detailed study. The CCL does not currently include any personal care products or pharmaceuticals but EPA will likely consider these compounds when it prepares the next CCL. • While research has not demonstrated human health impacts from these compounds, the ongoing conversation should remind us of how precious our source waters are and the need to protect them from harmful substances. As a society, we should encourage policies that protect source water from contaminants introduced by pesticides, gasoline or industrial products . The best and most cost-effective way to ensure safe water at the tap is to keep our source waters clean .