The cooperative water agreement between the Mesa Del Caballo Water Committee and Brooke Utilities was recently approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) and is now in effect.
The agreement had been on hold since May 18 when the ACC staff and hearing judge requested clarification of the Water Augmentation Surcharge/Emergency Rate Tariff (surcharge for hauling or temporary pipeline) and suggested changes to the Curtailment Tariff (Stages).
Listed below is a brief summary of the changes to the Curtailment Tariff (Stages) docket no. W-03514a-10-0117:
1. Customers who use 4,000 gallons per month or less based on a 12-month rolling average are exempt from the mandatory (30-40-50%) reduction in daily use.
2. The definition of "daily use" has been modified so that the percentage reductions (20-30-40-50%) are taken from the higher of: (a) the immediate preceding month's actual water consumption, or (b) water consumption for the same month in any one of the 2 previous years.
3. The requirement that a customer must face automatic fines and penalties for violation of the Stages has been changed to provide the Payson Water Co. flexibility in determining whether such fines and penalties are warranted. In the case of a water leak, or something else beyond the customer's control, Payson Water Co would not have to automatically assess fines and penalties.
4. Payson Water Co. will segregate any fines and penalties collected under the Curtailment Tariff (Stages) in a separate account to offset any water augmentation cost (hauling or temporary pipeline).
A summary of the original plan:
On March 31, 2010, Payson Water Company (“PWC” or “Company”) filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission (“Commission”) an application for the emergency implementation of a water augmentation surcharge for customers served by its Mesa del Caballo (“MDC”) water system due to potential water shortages during the summer season. Concurrently, the Company also filed an application for proposed changes to its Curtailment Tariff for its MDC System, which contains specific requirements as to when water augmentation will be necessary.
Proposed Water Augmentation Surcharge
The Company has proposed a water augmentation surcharge intended to collect costs for water augmentations made during the previous month. Each charge will be determined by taking the total monthly cost, and pro-rating the surcharge to each specific customer (currently 375) based on that customer’s total consumption for the month in which water augmentation is necessary. As currently proposed, those customers who use more water will pay a larger proportionate share of water augmentation costs than those customers who use less water.
Under the Company’s proposed revisions to its Curtailment Tariff, water augmentation activity is triggered when the MDC system reaches Stage 3, 4 or 5 conditions for water supply.
Under the new plan, restrictions are as follows:
Stage 1 No restrictions
Stage 2 Voluntary restrictions:
Reduce daily water usage by 20%
Outside plant watering permitted:
Tuesday & Saturday for street addresses ending in odd number
Wednesday & Sunday for street addresses ending in even number
Watering using spray or airborne irrigation only between the hours of 8 pm & midnight and/or 3 am and 7 am
Stage 3 Mandatory restrictions
Reduce daily water usage by 30%
The only outside plant watering permitted:
Tuesday & Saturday for street addresses ending in odd number
Wednesday & Sunday for street addresses ending in even number
Watering using spray or airborne irrigation only between the hours of 8 pm & midnight and/or 3 am and 7 am
Stage 4 Mandatory restrictions
Reduce daily water usage by 40%
The only outside plant watering permitted:
Tuesday for street addresses ending in odd number
Wednesday for street addresses ending in even number
Watering using spray or airborne irrigation only between the hours of 8 pm & midnight and/or 3 am and 7 am
Stage 5 Mandatory restrictions
Reduce daily water usage by 50%
No outside water usage permitted
Customers who use 4,000 gallons or less per month based on a twelve (12) month rolling average are exempt from the mandatory reductions in daily use requirements as outlined in Stage 3, Stage 4 and Stage 5. However all other restrictions during the mandatory conservation periods will still apply.
Mesa del is currently at Stage 3.
Mesa del Caballo News Briefs
The Houston Mesa Volunteer Fire Department is hosting their annual benefit with a bake sale. It will be held at the fire department in Mesa Del from 7 am to 3 pm, Saturday, Oct 16.
Please stop by!!! (Donations of items to sell or baked goods would be appreciated. Call 474-3362 to arrange the collections of contributions.) Houston Mesa Fire Department t-shirts for sale also.
Our next Last Saturday, aka "Donut Saturday," is October 30 starting at 7:30 am. Please join us for coffee and donuts. We will be painting the awning that was recently put up and other areas so bring your paint brush and join us.
The event is sponsored by the El Caballo Club, a nonprofit group that manages the Mesa del Caballo Community Center. New members are welcome.
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