The Commerce news. (Commerce, Ga.) 1???-current, June 01, 2016, Image 15

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The Commerce news., June 01, 2016, Image 15

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Newspaper Page TextWEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2106 THE COMMERCE NEWS • THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS PAGE 15A Basin authority moving to reduce wasted water The Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority is taking steps to reduce the amount of water it “loses” as part of the water production process at its 21-million- gallon-per-day water treatment plant on the Bear Creek Reservoir, located off Hwy. 330 in southwest Jackson County. Steps to be taken could cut those losses several hundred million gallons a year. Regional reservoir drying up water waste Like a homeowner replacing a leaky flap per valve on a commode, the owners of the Bear Creek Reservoir are trying to reduce water losses. The reservoir, which serves Barrow, Jack- son, Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties, has a capacity of almost 5 billion gallons, and it’s full. However, last Wednesday, the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority, which owns and manages the 505-acre reservoir in southwest Jackson County, approved steps aimed at cutting annual water losses by 365 million gallons. It’s a savings that could become cmcial should the region enter another extended drought. Former Athens-Clarke deputy city manager Bobby Snipes — now the authority’s “owners’ representative” — told the authority that on average 18 percent of the water taken from the reservoir — almost 365 million gallons a year — goes to waste. Snipes, an engineer, said he began looking at water volumes late last year. “It became apparent that there was a signif icant amount of water used in the treatment process that was not ultimately getting into clear wells and distribution system, he said.“ “Today’s environment is different than when plans were designed years ago, when water was not as precious as it is now. I came to the conclusion there is a significant amount of water not being used as effectively as it might be.” Snipes recommended and the authority approved the following water-saving steps: •reduce the number of times the sedi mentation basins are cleaned from two per shift to one per shift at a savings of 36 million gallons a year •scaling back two faucets that mn con stantly for water sampling purposes to save 22 million gallons annually • returning water used in the treatment pro cess but now drained into Bear Creek below the dam to the reservoir itself, saving over 365 million gallons a year (based on 2015 num bers). The water used to wash sedimentation basins or backwash filters currently goes into lagoons where the solids are settled out and only then is returned to the creek. Snipes pointed out that there will be energy savings as well from not having to pump the water. The cost of that project is estimated at $9,000 to $12,000. The latter step, Snipes noted, will require approval from the Environmental Protection Division, but he said he did not anticipate any objections. He will come back at the author ity’s next meeting with a “plan of action” for accomplishing the diversion. “The lagoons has already done its work,” commented Gary Duck, an engineer with Athens-Clarke. “All of the solids have been settled out.” The authority is limited by its state permit in both the amount of water it can pump from the Middle Oconee River and the amount it can remove from the lake itself. In times of drought, the authority is often prohibited from taking any water at all out of the river, at which point the reservoir level begins to fall. While the authority expects to achieve some energy savings from Wednesday’s actions, the focus of the effort is to stretch the existing water supply in times of extended drought. Authority sets rates for intra-authority water sales The owners of the Bear Creek Reservoir approved a system for establishing a water rate for sales among the member counties last Wednesday. Owners’ representative Bobby Snipes, formerly deputy manager of Ath ens-Clarke, outlined a pro cess for establishing that rate based on each coun ty’s fixed costs and operat ing cost. The decision was made, he said, to use the highest cost for any individ ual county. “Each member has a different cost per 1,000 gal lons based on their fixed costs plus their unit charge,” Snipes explained. “None of you should be asked to sell 1,000 gallons of water to another member govern ment at a cost less than what you are paying.” Snipes based the 2016 cost on Barrow County’s cost, which is $2.84 per 1,000 gallons. He added a multiplier of 1.05 to cover administrative costs and came up with a cost of $2.98 per 1,000 gallons of treated water and 72 cents per 1,000 gallons for raw water. The authority approved both the process and the rate, which is to be evaluat ed and reset every year. In addition, all such sales are to be recorded with the author ity, although the authority does not have to approve such arrangements. Snipes pointed out repeat edly that the May 25 action does not cover sales of “entitlement shares” in the reservoir, nor in the water treatment plant. Short-term agreements are defined as for periods of less than 10 years. Jackson County Water and Sewerage Author ity manager Erik Klerk appeared leery of the pro posal at first. He asked if the authority could force a member to sell water to another member. “No,” replied Snipes. “That’s what the Finance Committee thinks too,” added member Elton Col lins. The authority’s engineer, Chip Ferguson, agreed. “If two counties get together, they have to use the same rate that would be used by any other (mem ber) county,” he said. “The authority’s only involvement in the process is to set the rate.” Their responses satisfied Klerk, who ultimately voted for the concept. Other Business In other matters, the authority: •voted to renew the res ervoir and water treatment plant management contract with Jacobs Engineering for another year. • heard Snipes report on investigations of the water meters at the water plant. His findings included a recommendation that Ath- Civil Air Patrol has openings for new adult, youth members The Barrow Jackson Civil Air Patrol Squadron #156 of the U. S. Air Force Auxiliary has open slots for a variety of adult member positions. Examples of positions with in a squadron include aero space education, communi cations, logistics, emergen cy services, administration, scanners and information technologies, among oth ers. Cadet openings for teens ages 12-17 are also available. Cadets get to fly O-Flights (Cessnas) and in gliders as part of their CAP experi ence and scholarships are available through CAP. In addition, CAP cadets who achieve the rank of 2nd Lt. or higher are eligible to join the military at a higher pay grade and rank. It is all volun teers, however, Captain Tim Ledford, Southeast Region director of recruiting and Retention states. “Adult membership in CAP looks great on a resume and the training received in CAP as part of your duty status could make a great impression on a future employer and give you an edge if someone otherwise your equal is interviewing for the same job” Ledford said. No military experience is required. The CAP is an avenue where an adult of any age can serve their country and community. In addition, CAP has recently received recognition as the fourth member of the Air Force Total Force team and can now call themselves Air man while supporting the Air Force mission. The group meets each Thursday at 6:15 p.m. at 841 Ronald Wood Road (Nation al Guard Armory at the Barrow County Airport) in Winder. For more informa tion, contact Maj. Jeff Garrett at 678-361-1451 or jgarrll7@ gmail.com. ens-Clarke consider install ing “additional sensors” on two of its meters, which may not be accurate during low-flow conditions. The authority asked that Jacobs prepare a cost estimate. • learned that the Finance Committee had solicited requests for proposals for auditing services. The RFPs will be accepted through June 15, and the Finance Committee will make a rec ommendation on auditing services at the authority’s July 27 meeting. •heard Brad Lanning of Jacobs Engineering report that the authority’s sales of treated water averaged 8.1 million gallons a day for the prior eight-week period, down slightly from 2015. Lanning also reported that the reservoir was full. • approved proceeding with modifications to the Barrow County meter to bring it into compliance at a cost of $33,700. • approved a “negoti ated bid” with Caldwell Electric Contractor for the upgrade of Jackson Coun ty’s high-service pump. The original bid was just over $316,000; the negotiated bid is just under $284,000. FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH, YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS! Let your members know when your group is meeting! Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your meeting time, place and date in... • The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News • The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Mission Mass Schedule: Fri. 9 a.m., Sat. 4:00 p.m., Sun. 11:00 a.m., Thurs. 12:10 p.m. First Friday Adoration 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. Website: www.stcatherinelabourega.org 706-367-7220 Pd ,, - Tri-County Shrine Club 3 ,d Thurs. of each month • 7 p.m. Rockwell Lodge 191 For more info contact Lonnie 770-503-5949 Pd, 12 JACKSON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY Meetings at 6:30 p.m. ^August 18 & October 20 Jefferson City ^ Clubhouse Meeting is open to all who wish to attend. 706-367-4361 Pd 12 JEFFERSON 310 ^AMERICAN LEGION Post 56 • Each 3rd Tues., 6:30 p.m. Gene Bennett, Commander Phone (706) 757-2288 www.albertgordonpost56.org 19562 JEFFERSON AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION www.jaba-ga.org Meets 3rd Thurs. • 11:45 a.m. Jefferson City Clubhouse 302 Longview Drive ATHENS AMERICAN m LEGION w Post 20 Meets each 4th Tues., 6:30 p.m. Thomas W. Remar, Post Commander Home (706) 549-2799 • Cell (630) 886-1936 email: TKRemar@aol.com pd. 12 JEFFERSON ROTARY CEUB Meets Tuesdays Jefferson City Clubhouse 12:30 p.m. *(727) 488-4100 Joseph Morgan, President ^ THE MADISON COUNTY RETIRED EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION meets September - June on the second Tuesday of the month at 11 a.m. at the Ila Restaurant in Ila. There is no local meeting in July and August. President: Karol Scarborough 678-617-4101 pu. 7 Pd. 1/17 Madison County Democratic Party Conolus Scott Jr. ~ Committee Chairman 706-789-3336 Meeting fourth Sat. of each month. Madison Co. Govt. Complex Office Meeting Room www.madisoncountygademocrats.org Pilot Club of Jefferson Meets 3rd Tuesday of each month, 6:30pm Jefferson City Clubhouse 706-367-9313 or 706-693-4715 76 4 A ROCKWELL W LODGE F& A.M. No. 191, Hoschton, GA 2nd Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. • Dinner at 6:30 p.m. www.rockwelllodgel 91 .com Two blocks behind Larry’s Garage West Broad at Hall Street jfe BANKS COUNTY ip AMERICAN LEGION • Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In Homer, GA at the American Legion Building on Historic Highway 441 pj. 12 BANKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441 North in Homer pa. 8 JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m. *(706) 654-5693 Gay Bradley, President 542 A JOHN H. JONES LODGE NO. 348 F&A.M. No. 348, Danielsville, GA 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Crawford W. Long St. Danilesville, GA pa. 5/17 A UNITY LODGE m F&A.M. No. 36, Jefferson, GA 1 st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. Tom Hays • 678-316-7492 Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260 BANKS COUNTY §§ AMERICAN LEGION “ AUXILIARY-Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In the American Legion Building at 1350 Historic Homer Hwy., Homer, GA pu. s/n Call (706) 367-5233 for all your printing needs!