Biddeford & Saco Water Company

The Latest Biddeford & Saco Water News Updated March 5, 2008 Welcome to our web site. The site was created as an informational, educational, and historical tool for our customers and the general population. We intend to regularly update this page. Please let us know what you like about the site, what you don’t like, and what’s missing. Rate Adjustment Approved by Maine PUC The Maine Public Utilities Commission has approved a rate increase for the Biddeford & Saco Water Company effective March 1, 2008. The percentage increase for most customer classes will be slightly more than ten percent. For residential customers, this will amount to about $25 per year, or less than ten cents per day. There will be a second step increase sometime later this year; the amount of the step increase will be approximately 3.5 percent, substantially less than the March 1 adjustment. This is the first adjustment in rates in more than four years. Increased energy costs, and the resulting inflationary pressures were the main driving force behind the need for the increase. If current trends continue, it is likely that we will be forced to adjust rates more often going forward than we have in the past. We Now Offer Direct Payment! We are pleased to offer a new service - The Direct Payment Plan. Now you can have your payment made automatically from your checking or savings account. There is no extra charge to become part of the program. You will still receive a bill showing the amount that you owe, and when it will be withdrawn from your account, which will be at least three weeks after the billing date. If you have a question or concern with your bill, simply call us when you receive the bill to discuss. If you would like to take advantage of this free new service, either send us an email at info@biddefordsacowater.com or give us a call at (207) 282-1543 and ask us to send you a blank authorization form. New Vehicles for Meter Readers You may notice our meter readers in your neighborhood driving a small car instead of the more traditional little blue or red pickup truck. The new cars will have our water drop decals on the doors to identify them, and are considerably more fuel efficient than the pickups. We have purchased one car already, a light blue Chevrolet Aveo, and expect to put a second car on the road later this year. 2007 Water Quality Report Will Soon Be Available Like to know what’s in your drinking water? Or what’s not in your water? Our 2007 Water Quality Report will tell you. A copy of the report will be mailed to all the customers on our mailing list later this spring. If by some chance you are a customer but did not receive a copy of the report, or if you would like to have a copy of one of our reports from prior years, simply call our office at 282-1543, and we will promptly respond. New Saco River Crossing We are currently installing a new transmission main across the Saco River. Once completed, the new main will parallel an existing main, and will enhance the reliability of our system by providing back-up for this critical and difficult to repair pipe. In order to minimize the environmental impact of construction, the new main is being installed using directional drilling techniques, which will require excavation only at the start and end of the new main. A hole is bored between the start and end points; the new pipe is then pulled into place. The funds necessary for this project are being made available through a state revolving loan fund, which is set up to provide money for such projects at a low interest rate. Monitoring Violation We will be including with our 2007 water quality report a notification to all of our customers that recent monitoring performed by the Biddeford and Saco Water Company did not satisfy all regulatory requirements. Monitoring violations do not indicate that there is a problem with your drinking water, rather that there was a failure to complete all contaminant testing that is required by regulation within a compliance period. In this instance, we did not complete all of the required testing for total coliform bacteria during the period of time between December 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007. This monitoring violation resulted from our misunderstanding of the number of recheck samples required following a particular positive coliform test result. A recheck sample was taken which tested negative for total coliforms. All other samples taken during the month of December 2007 tested negative for total coliforms as well. However, a sufficient number of recheck samples to satisfy regulatory requirements were not taken during the month; this is a monitoring violation which requires dissemination of a notice to our customers. The Biddeford and Saco Water Company has revised testing protocols so that a similar monitoring violation will not occur in the future. For more information, please contact Chris Mansfield, Deputy Manger, at (207) 282-1543. Water Conservation We have a supply of conservation kits that can help reduce water use in your home. The kits include a low flow showerhead, two faucet aerators, and a weir that can be placed to reduce the amount of water used each time a toilet is flushed. The cost for each kit picked up in our office is eight dollars ($8.00). If you can’t come to our office, we would be glad to mail one or more kit(s) out to you if; postage and handling costs are four dollars for the first kit and one dollar for each additional kit in the same request. Simply send us a check for the number of kits you want and we will mail them along to you. Saco River Watershed Monitoring Program A few years ago, the Saco River Corridor Commission initiated a water quality monitoring program. For the last few open water seasons, volunteers have monitored various water quality parameters at over twenty locations along the Saco, Ossipee, and Little Ossipee Rivers. Each of these three rivers is located within the Saco River Basin. The basin covers an area of 1,700 square miles in total. The data gathered through this process will establish a water quality baseline for the entire watershed. If anyone is interested in becoming a volunteer and participating in the valuable program, please contact the Saco River Corridor Commission.