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Show J ' ? ' :,, r1- ; r-i . W j ; : yM-v4y s .... n1 ; ..s THE BLACKED IN PORTION of the map shows the 1966 city boundaries which were used to show if Vernal Crty has complied with its contract con-tract with the outlaying areas. S w3fter loss According to a water system factfinding fact-finding report made by Vernal City, the Ashley Valley' Water Sysem "needs to plug its leaks and find new sources oi water," said ShaneLuck City Manager, in a press conference Oct. 26. The fact-finding report came about as a need for "the city to tell its own story," Luck said. The report shows that the water system is presently losing 54 percent, Aen oil tff rTnllnHt. nt Jtc iiTtar (mm fVo time it enters their system per year. It is estimated that twenty-three percent of the losses are due to leaks in the lines. Nineteen percent is attributed to inaccurate individual meters and 12 percent is due to unmetered users and main line breaks. During the last three years there has been 270 main line breaks out of the city, Luck said. Another reason for the water loss is the main water meter runs 94-96 per-" cent accurate, letting about 5 percent go unmetered. A similar study of 16 other cities before plugging their leaks shows an average loss in the water systems of 45 percent. Because of the large amount of leakage in the water system, it is necessary for the city to do a water audit, "We need to find our leaks and plug them," Luck said. Luck continued saying that the intent of the fact-finding report is not to create more conflict in Ashley Valley. "It is meant to be used to provide factual information to the elected officials in arriving at a positive and firm decision as to what direction the water system can take legally and in the interest of the people being served." The report contains a water use table figured according to the 1969 city limits (table no. 1) to ascertain if the contracts con-tracts the city has made with outside entities have been met. The table no. 1 shows that the Glines-Davis Glines-Davis area and the Ashley areas used more water than they have a right to according to the 1969 boundary and before loss of water to the system. All other areas except Jensen used less water than they have rights to including in-cluding Vernal City. Jensen's water is delivered to a master meter to which - point it pays the city to deliver. Using the present boundaries of the city only the Glines-Davis areas have a deficit, 53,437,000 gallons, excluding loss to the system. According to the report, all areas in the Ashley Valley Water System use more water than they have right to if losses of water due to the system are figured in. The rerjort shows the water fund having a net balance, Sept. 30, 1979, of $385,541.92 which does not include outstanding accounts payable. "This money is not just fat sitting there," Luck said. "It will go to $1.2 million of construction on the water system next year." The balance of the water fund in February 1979 was $238,546.67 and since that time to Sept. 30 the water system has collected $332,407.83 in sales, $157,720.00 in connection fees and $24,859.89 in other areas. Total expenses ex-penses to the water system during that time (Feb. 1 to Sept. 30) were $367,992.47. "After talking with the city's maintenance crew we figured that 70 percent of their time is spent outside of the city," Luck said. Revenues collected out of the city were $365,828.67 and expenses out of the city were $257,594.73. According to an audit done by the Naples Water Company, areas out of the city have a right to 365,173,000 gallons of water and the system delivered only 165,617,000 gallons of water in 1979. The assumption being drawn from the Naples audit was that Vernal City Water system is subsidized by the outlaying areas. The Vernal City audit shows that the outlaying areas have a right to 414,545,000 gallons of water and the system delivered 501,567,000 gallons in . 1979. To explain the "double rate" for people outside of Vernal, Luck said that it is impossible to tell the cost of delivering water outside the Vernal area. The present rate of $3.30 monthly delivery cost in the city and $4.96 out of the city is an arbitrary figure and an engineering study will be made to - determine its accuracy, but it will never be exact. The report also shows that without Steinaker Reservoir the water system would be dry from October to April. The fact-finding report concludes with a historical documentation of the progress of the water system up to this point. Interested persons may obtain a copy of the fact-finding report at city hall. |