Watchdog says Roundup letters inaccurate

[Gazette Blog editor's note: Longtime Gazette contributor and Pine Strawberry Water Improvement District (PSWID) watchdog Sam Schwalm has pointed out some inaccuracies in a two-part letter printed recently in the Payson Roundup.  We are posting below an excerpt from Schwalm's newsletter providing, according to him, the correct information:] 

The Payson Roundup recently ran a two-part letter by Mr. Ralph Bossert, the PSWID District Engineer, in response to some examples of poor PSWID board decision making that had been provided in an earlier Letter to the Editor.

Mr. Bossert provided lots of interesting details about PSWID’s wells, but for the most part did not actually address the issues that had been raised. In several places he was incorrect in the statements that he made:

1.  Mr. Bossert stated: “…the system (SH3) is completely controlled by the PSWID.” However, a covenant in the deed states: “Water from the Well shall be delivered to Grantee through SHDWID’s water system”. This gives Strawberry Hollow physical control over the delivery of water to PSWID. 

2.  Mr. Bossert stated: “…yield was determined to be 85 gpm, hardly a non-functioning well.” That was the yield after the $150,000 worth of repairs that PSWID made. The yield before the repairs was zero. Thus the well was non-functional. 

3.  Mr. Bossert stated: “(Milk Ranch No. 2) is not a “replica” of Milk Ranch No. 1”. While there are physical differences between the two, they are a replica in the sense that both are expected to produce a maximum of 85 gpm, one at a total cost of $720,000 and the other at a cost of $163,000. 

4. Mr. Bossert stated, when referring to the Solitude Trails wells: “They produce less than 40 gpm, certainly not high production wells”. There are two wells owned by the Solitude Trails water system, one is a low producer. The main well produces 30 gpm, which is the highest producing shallow well that PSWID has access to. 

5.  Mr. Bossert stated: “Solitude Trails is not receiving 'free water.' and, “I don’t believe this agreement violates any of the district’s rules.” Article VII, Section 1.2 of the PSWID Rules and Regulations states that electricity and maintenance costs must be shared on a pro-rata basis between PSWID and the well owner. Solitude Trails uses about a million gallons a year from the well. The Water Sharing Agreement with Solitude Trails does not contain this provision. Solitude Trails financial statements show electricity costs for the wells went from $2,900 to $0. The PSWID board also put into place a wheeling charge (for water traveling through PSWID pipes) that does not appear to be applied to the water that PSWID transfers to Solitude Trails. No cost to Solitude Trails equals free water.