Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 - (Page 25) High Costs on the Horizon? IT SEEMS THAT you read or hear about it every day – utility rates are going up! Most rates are expected to make a significant jump and possibly even double or triple in the next few years. It’s surprising in this day and age how many people still have the mindset that water should be free. There are many reasons why water and wastewater rates are skyrocketing: new federal and state mandates, replacing aging infrastructure and bad past management practices, to name a few. The upgrading and expansion of water and wastewater systems have now become the responsibilities of the municipality or owner of the utility. In the past, most public utilities were built on a combination of low-interest loans and grants. State and federal grants have all but dried up, but unfortunately, not the rules and regulations that utilities have to abide by. With higher rates has come greater public scrutiny of the operation, its maintenance and ratemaking process. In prior years, utility services were provided at a relatively low cost due to less-stringent treatment and disinfection requirements. When the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed back in the early 1970s, it required water systems to meet federal regulations. This law has been reauthorized a couple of times since then with ever-more-stringent requirements, which in turn is causing utilities to raise their rates just to keep up, much less set monies aside for the repair and replacement of existing infrastructure. Here is a review of some of the current rules and regulations: Safe Drinking Water Act – This requires all water systems to meet state and federal laws to provide safe drinking water. The disinfection of water to make it safe from bacterial contamination. Test for various chemical and other constituents every three years to make sure that no contamination has taken place (Bacteriological testing once per month, nitrate/nitrite testing once a year). Sanitary surveys (inspections by the state) of the utility to make sure it is being operated in compliance with the rules. Lead and Copper Rule – This rule was instituted in 1991 and marked the first time water had to meet state and federal requirements at the customers’ taps, not at the meter. If lead or copper is found above certain levels, the utility is required to test the water for corrosiveness. If the water is found to be corrosive, the utility has to treat the water so it will not leach these metals out of the pipes. Many times, the culprit of the high metal content is found to be customer faucets or treatment the homeowner installed that the utility had no control over. Consumer Confidence Report – This report, started in 1999, was mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. This annual report informs customers of what’s in their drinking water. The report must be mailed or published in a newspaper so that every customer can read it. Cross Connection Control Plan – This plan identifies connections in the distribution system that could cause contamination of the >>26 BY GARY WILLIAMS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FLORIDA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION Second Quarter 2008 • 25
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