Pine Cove Water District’s May 8 meeting focused largely on the draft
budget, as the financial year draws to a close. The new budget totals
only about 2% more than last year, well below the rate of inflation,
currently around 3.5%.

General Manager Jeremy Potter reported that the district’s static well
rose 4.4 feet to 74.5 feet, and is expected to raise further as high
country snow continues to melt. Water production for April was
2,539,957, down slightly over previous years as consumers have learned
to conserve during drought.

Potter discussed the process of “dialing in” the right rate to draw from
wells: each well has a rate at which water can be pumped without the
level falling. Low levels make pumps work harder, which costs more in
electricity. Electricity rates change through the day, so pumping, which
may be done from 2 to 12 hours a day, is done during off-peak hours. New
smart meters on the wells are helping make the process more accurate,
and balanced with demand.

The leaks that resulted in high water loss figures last month were all
found within a week of the report bringing them to light. Two were
attributed to hydrants not fully closed after flushing, and a
substantial leak was found where Sunrise Dr. meets the highway.

Potter said the installation of smart meters is about 50% completed. He
hopes to have all meters installed by September. The first of the new
meters went in the ground in April of last year. Each meter replacement
requires problem-solving from the crew, for both the plumbing and the
antenna placement.

The Dutch Flats equipment, a variable frequency drive, has been replaced
and the treatment plan was back on line the morning of the meeting. The
Dutch Flats wells provide a helpful supplement to the main wells, and
are especially useful in summer months.

Closer to home, the district’s back yard project now includes
landscaping; butterfly attractor bushes and trees, some fruiting, line
an upper level held back by a block retaining wall. Irrigation has been
installed. The next step will be forming and casting piers for the shade
cover over the vehicle maintenance pit, which is already lined with
blocks, and is now covered with plywood for safety. The slab will be
expensive, and the work goes slowly in stages.

One much talked-about item will not be included in this year’s budget:
the replacement of the district’s light pickup truck, which was worked
to death. The plan now is to replace its engine in-house, once the
maintenance pit is complete. Potter says he and his crew can do this for
about $7,000, well below the cost of even a used truck.

Last year’s budget was $1,261,000, and we will see how close reality
came to that figure in the next months. At recent meetings directors
have commented that actual expenses were exceeding budgeted figures, but
not by enough to sound alarms. The new total in the draft budget is
$1,285,000, an increase of around 2%.

Director and former office manager Becky Smith asked present office
manager Jennifer Hayes to make sure that the numbers used for insurance
are up to date, and should reflect an expected 3 to 5% increase in
January. The draft budget figure for medical and life insurance,
$120,000, reflects present costs, and is already 20% above last years
budget, of which 92% was spent as of third quarter. The district has
added an employee, balancing Smith’s departure, so projected salaries
and benefits have risen 6%.

The draft budget also predicts a slight increase in water sales, around
2%. The new meters will also register use more accurately, including
slow leaks. Smith pointed out that with our local districts now at
conservation level 1, rate payers may begin to use slightly more water.
The down side of creating a culture of conservation among users is that
income also goes down. Any increase in rates requires a rate study, and
Smith pointed out that this would have to wait until after the new
meters are installed.

The next meeting will be June 12, and will also be a public hearing on
continuing the standby charge rate.