Water assessment May 2, 2023

TRANQUILLO PINES WATER USERS CO-OPERATIVE 

32 BOBOLINK LANE 

TIJERAS, NM 87059 

(505) 281-3668 EMAIL: TPWUC1@GMAIL.COM 

WEBPAGE: TPWUC.NET

WATER HAULING ASSESSMENT – May 2, 2024 

With much consternation the TPWUC Board of Directors is increasing the temporary assessment to each member’s water bill to pay  for the cost of ongoing water hauling that has been required to keep the water flowing for the past 6-months. The assessment was an  increase of 50% of each member’s bill but now must be increased to 100% and will take at least six months just to catch up on the  $144,493 in water hauling costs that we’ve incurred so far. Assuming that our new well is approved to connect to the system within  the next month, the water hauling costs will end, but in the short term we are not collecting enough to continue to pay our bills. 

For the past six months the Board of Directors attempted to shield the members from the financial burden by using the money that we  had set aside for future improvements to instead pay for the water hauling costs, but that proved unsustainable. Our bank account  dropped from $118,657 to zero as of April 30, 2024. That $118,657 was intended to be used for a new well, and ongoing maintenance,  but is gone now. 

Just a reminder that this Co-Operative is a non-profit 501(c)(12) Corporation, and all funding must come from members. Background: 

Since October 30 we have been using/losing more water on a daily basis than our wells can keep up with. Normally a large leak will  surface and be found within a day or two, but something different is happening this time and the Board has taken action to isolate the  leak(s), but even though we’ve made progress, i.e. our losses are less now than they were 6-months ago, they are still more than our  wells can keep up with at least until our new well is approved. The following are actions we’ve taken: 

• The TPWUC manager, Lee Sweenhart, has been diligently searching for leaks and reading meters multiple times per month to find and repair leaks. Many of the leaks have been on the customer side and they are usually leaking toilets. Please check your toilets and repair them! 
• The manager teamed up with New Mexico Rural Water (NMRW) in November and December, at no cost, to search for leaks with  their acoustic leak detector, on every valve and fire hydrant on the system. They found one leak near the intersection of Carolino  and Kuhn Road. The leak, which turned out to be small, was repaired on November 27. 
• NMRW continued their acoustic leak detection in December, focusing on the meter cans. They identified 11 potential leaks, all  estimated to be minor. Seven of those have been located and repaired. 
• In January we began a series of isolation tests, where we shutoff valves to isolate a section of pipe and then measure the loss/gain of  water by reading the tank level depletion rate as compared to an average day. The early tests were accomplished by manually  reading the tank level hourly during the 6-hour tests. We did find a significant leak on Brandy Lane early on and it was repaired Feb.  12th, but we have found nothing significant since then. 
• At the end of February, we installed a tank level sensor to collect data on tank level about every 10-minutes so we could characterize  our water use and automate the isolation tests. This data collection over the past 2-months has helped us understand our usage  patterns and can immediately alert the manager if a significant leak occurs. It has also identified at least three 1,000-gallon thefts in  the middle of the night. 
• So far, we have executed 19 isolation tests covering 80-90% of the system. Unfortunately, the data from these tests has not  revealed another major leak since Brandy Lane, but we are unable to test a few sections of pipe because the valves are not  operational. Valve repair is high on our list of things we need to do, and we do have some repair parts on hand, but we currently do  not have the money needed to pay for the labor to install them. 

There are still significant “unidentified” leaks occurring. Please keep an eye out for unexplained wet spots or water bubbling up in or near  the road and call (505) 281-3668 immediately.  

There are occasionally water thefts, usually at night, that occur. If you see a water truck at one of our fire hydrants, please let us know and we will contact the sheriff if we have enough information. Get a license plate number or take pictures, if possible, but do not  confront these people. 

Annual Meeting Postponed Until June: 

The Manager and the Board are too busy trying to get the new well online (highest priority) and doing leak detection and repairs to  prepare for the May meeting, so we are postponing it until late June. A meeting notification will be sent out separately. 

The Board will propose a rate increase at the next annual meeting. The rate increase will target high users but will still affect everybody  because there are very few high users. Note: if you are using more than 800 gallons/month/person, you are a high user. 

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Water System Manager Retirement: 

Lee Sweenhart, the TPWUC Manager, has announced his retirement effective at the end of September 2024, therefore the Board has  begun the process of finding a new system manager, or management company. The complete job description will be posted on our  website in the next month or so. If you or someone you know, preferably in this neighborhood, is interested in the position(s) please  consider applying. 

The responsibilities of the Independent Contractor or management company include: daily system monitoring and reporting using a  contractor owned vehicle; managing the scheduling of repairs and maintenance with subcontractors, often these are emergency repairs; meter reading and billing; some background in accounting; office work, including skills with email, Microsoft Word and Excel  spreadsheets; keeping up with regulatory requirements, compliance, and schedules; people skills, including answering phone inquiries  and customer support; provide an office space, internet service, and storage space for spare parts; a Water Utility Operator Certification, or a plan to get certified, or the Co-Op will need to contract to a separate certified operator (see  

https://www.env.nm.gov/drinking_water/utility-operator-certification-program/ ) 

The Board will consider splitting these responsibilities among multiple Independent Contractors if one contractor does not have all of the  skills. 

What you can do to help and a member of this Co-Operative: 

Keep up your great efforts at conserving water! Most of our members only use less than 2,000 gallons per household per month. If you  are using more than that, please increase your conservation efforts. Below is a list of conservation measures to consider. They are listed  from low-cost, easy methods, to higher cost, but valuable, conservation measures. 

Stop outdoor watering! Summer is just around the corner, and this is against the TPWUC by-laws. 

Cut your usage on weekends and to some degree Mondays. These are by far our highest use days. 

Pay your bill as soon as you receive it so that the Co-Op can pay its bills. 

Also, please check out the Bernalillo County Water Conservation Incentive programs. They are providing rebates for toilets, clothes  washers, rain barrels, etc., at: https://www.bernco.gov/public-works/public-works-services/water-wastewater-stormwater/water conservation-program/water-conservation-incentives/ 

Water Conservation Ideas (See also: https://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve-water/ ) 

Check your toilet for proper operation. Put some food coloring in the holding tank and wait a few hours. If the bowl turns color, then the  toilet’s float valve is not shutting off or the flapper valve is not closing completely. The parts to replace both of these costs about $30 and  a handy person can easily accomplish these repairs without a plumber. 

Fix dripping faucets. It’s usually an easy repair and one drip per second adds up to 5-gallons per day. 

When brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing dishes by hand, do not let the water run. 

Only turn the faucet on with enough flow for the task at hand. Tooth brushing and hand washing can be accomplished with only a trickle. 

If you have to run the hot water for a while before it gets to the shower, consider brushing your teeth first, using the not yet warm water.  This begins to fill the pipe with warm water. Or catch the water for your houseplants. 

Designate one glass for your drinking water each day or refill a water bottle. This will cut down on the number of glasses to wash. 

Don’t wash or rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Most dishwashers don’t require it and still thoroughly clean your  dishes. If you have a really baked-on pan that needs soaking, just place it in the sink and go about your daily business of preparing food,  washing hands, etc. and let the excess water fill the pan. By the end of the evening the pan will be full, and the baked-on mess will be  thoroughly soaked. 

Dishwashers use less water than hand washing. 

Replace shower heads with new ones using less than 2-gallons per minute. Many new shower heads can be easily turned off while  lathering. 

Replace your toilet with a water-efficient one. Today’s toilets use ~1.5-gallons or less per flush vs. older ones that use five or more  gallons per flush. 

A new, water efficient, washing machine can easily save 20-gallons per load.