Change in Weathersfield Common Water Model/Option Offered to Close Residents
NOTICE: ACTION REQUIRED BY OWNERS BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2016
The purpose of this notice is to advise all the owners in Weathersfield of a major change to the management of the common water faucets/meters, and the manner in which common areas and plantings are watered beginning January 1, 2016. The change is required due to the substantial increase in water system costs. As the data below indicates, the cost is not commensurate with the benefit received.
What is your Board doing?
Effective January 1, 2016, the common water meter in each Close will be removed.
Why is your Board doing this?
This action will save more than $7000/year which can be applied to other areas of the budget providing greater benefit to our community.
Do I have a choice?
Yes. Any Close which does not want its common water meter removed may take full ownership of the meter. An individual in the Close must be designated to receive the water bill for the meter, collect monies from the other Close owners, pay the bills, and maintain the system. This individual must be on record as the “customer” not later than December 31, 2015, with Chatham County Utilities.
Background
There are 20 neighborhood common water faucets in Weathersfield for residents to use when watering common area grass, hedges, bushes, and shrubs during a six‐month period, May 1 to October 31. Drip Systems have been attached to seven of the faucets and two Closes have installed Automatic Irrigation Systems.
Inventory of Common Water Faucets
Common water faucets (11): Units (530‐533) (534‐539) (540‐545) (552‐557) (564‐569) (570‐571) (572‐575) (576‐579) (580‐581) (588‐593) and (594 A‐F)
Drip Systems (7): Units (508‐513) (514‐519) (520‐523) (524‐529 [timer removed]) (546‐551) 558‐563) (582‐587). The drip systems were installed by the Weathersfield Service Group (WSG) after major replacements of Close common area hedges, bushes and shrubs. The operation of the drip systems is the responsibility of the WSG and they are managed by Ruppert.
Automatic Irrigation Systems (2): Units (595 A‐F) and (596 A‐F). The original residents of Closes 595 and 596 installed automatic irrigation systems to water the common areas. These residents paid for the installation of the automatic systems and the current residents are responsible for the cost of maintenance. Operation and maintenance of these systems are not the responsibility of the WSG.
Paying for the Common Faucet Water
Each common faucet has a water meter. Each meter has a billing account number. The WSG, through homeowner assessments, pays the monthly water bills for the water usage recorded by all 20 meters (faucets, drip systems, and automatic irrigation systems) and for the meters’ monthly Base Administration Fee.
Cost of Water
The cost of water has gone up considerably. In the last 10 years the Base Administration Fee for each meter has doubled. The cost of water has tripled. Current Chatham County water rates:
Base Administrative Fee/Meter $15.00 Per meter per month plus usage rate below
Reconnection Fee/Meter, $35.00
Block 1 (0 to 5000) gallons, $7.00 per 1000 gallons
Block 2 (5001 to 8000) gallons, $8.50 per 1000 gallons
Block 3 (over 8000) gallons, $10.00 per 1000 gallons
The monthly Base Administration Fees for the 20 common water meters in Weathersfield cost $3600 a year (20 x $15.00 x 12=$3600.) This cost is incurred whether or not any water is used. Turning off the water to our 20 common water faucets during the winter months to avoid burst frozen pipes will incur a $35.00
Reconnection Fee per faucet in the Spring (20 x $35.00 = $700).
Common Water Usage
A very thorough review of the monthly water usage records revealed that a large majority of the Close Common Water meters recorded minimal or no water use.
Aging Common Water Infrastructure
We are faced with an aging infrastructure that will need repair and/or replacement and our exposed common water faucets need freeze‐proofing. By mid‐Aug 2015 water leaks had already consumed 19,000 gallons of water.
Has any other neighborhood in Fearrington done something like this?
The Countryhouse V neighborhood cut off common water in their Closes several years ago due to overuse and leaks. They chose to have Chatham County remove all the common water meters. New plantings in the common areas are watered by the residents. Grass is not watered. If a resident wants the grass watered, it is his responsibility. Countryhouse V reports that they always find volunteers to water new plantings in a common area.
2016 Common Water Policy Summary
Considering the increasing cost of water, the small number of Closes which regularly use common water and the aging of the water system infrastructure, your Board has determined that the current Weathersfield common water model is not sustainable. Encouraged by the success of Countryhouse V, your Board has voted to abandon the current model. However, recognizing that one size may not always fit all, the Board is offering each Close the option to keep the Close common water faucet meter thereby assuming responsibility for the cost of the monthly Base Administration Fee, the water usage cost and the cost of system maintenance. The Close will appoint a designated representative who will be on record as the “customer” to receive the Chatham County bills for these costs. In all cases, if major new landscaping is planted by WSG in any Close, the residents will be encouraged to keep the new plantings watered.