Power Outage Generator Repair

Hi all,
Just a reminder, one call to Dick is enough. He will get the message that the power is out. He doesn't have time to respond to everyone when there is a power outage, he has to deal with getting it resolved. As I mentioned in my last post/email that the soonest we can get someone who is qualified to fix the generator is the 30th of December. I was really hoping we wouldn't have an issue before then. I am sorry for this mess.
Maria

Generator Issues...Augg!!!!

I can only apologize for the issues we have been having. We ran out of fuel earlier today and finally found someone to deliver on a Saturday. I just got a report from Dick that they had difficulty restarting the generator, when they couldn't get it started they opened the side panel and something blew. We need a diesel mechanic that knows about generators asap. If you know of anyone that does please contact Dick, I understand that it is the holidays and we are doing our best to find someone to fix this. It would be even better if they would get your power on as well! I will keep you posted on progress. And again I am sorry!
Maria

Generator is working with several power outages

Generator has been working all day today. It is working now with no problem, but it is running low on fuel. We have fuel being delivered tomorrow morning by 10 am. We are hoping that it makes it through the night and/or your power returns. I just thought I would give you warning of a potential issue.
Maria

Generator Test- It's all A-OKay

Dick just called from the well house at Cristalina. He said that the Generator is workng property and is turning on automatically when he shuts off the city power. We should not have any problems during our next storm outage. Just thought I would share some good news!
Maria

Electrical Update...

I guess what went wrong last night was more intricate than just the power surge. Two things have been clarified to me recently. 1. Dick is getting more training on the generator and will be able to trouble shoot more in the case of a power surge and 2. Both of the booster pumps failed to prime after the outage and so they had to be taken apart and reprimed. Everything is up and running again thanks to Prime Electric and Valley Pump, and I am hoping the next power outage will run as smooth as the previous ones did. Sorry for this frustrating occurance.
Maria

No water or low water pressure for a few more hours

I know that some of you have no water or very low water pressure. When the power went out all of the water got used. We were unable to get our system fixed and running again until this afternoon. In the meantime all of the water that was in the holding tank and all of the pipes was used. Now there is no water and it will take 3 or 4 hours to get the tank and all of the 6" pipes filled bringing back the pressure for distributing water. I believe it started working at about 2:30, so I am told the water should be available by 6:30-7ish.
That is all I know for now, I will update you as soon as I get more information.
Maria

Power Surge during outage fried electrical panels

Update on the generator. I was told that when the power went out it sent a power surge and it fried both of our electrical panels that we are going to have to replace at an estimated cost of 3K each. Pride electric is looking for parts now so that we can at least get it up and going before replacing panels. Sorry for the bad news!
Maria

Power Outage Generator Update

This is the note I recieved from our Water Operator Dick, I will keep you posted on the updates. Maria

HI MARIA

THERE WAS A POWER OUTAGE AT CRISTALINA AT APPROX. 9PM ON MONDAY NIGHT DUE TO HIGH WINDS. THE GENERATOR WOULD NOT START, SO I RECEIVED 19-CALLS FROM CUSTOMERS THAT WERE NOT TO HAPPY. I WILL CONTACT PRIDE ELECTRIC EARLY TUESDAY MORNING, THEY ARE THE COMPANY WHO INSTALLED THE GENERATOR AND WIRED IT.

I RUN THE GENERATOR FOR ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES EVERY MONTH WHEN I TAKE A BACTI-SAMPLE AND IT STARTED AND RAN FINE THE LAST TIME.
WILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOU AS TO THE RESULTS OF THE PROBLEM.

TAKE CARE

DICK

Get ready for a ride...

The UTC is having us redo our rates based on 2008 expenses. Your rates are going to go down for a while, but you should keep a side account because as soon as they get adjusted to the proper amounts, they are going to increase significantly. I don't think this is fair to you, but it is how the UTC is wanting us to proceed. It doesn't make sense and we have to do twice the work. The numbers for 2008 and the numbers for 2010. I just wanted to give you the heads up that you are about to go on a roller coast ride on your water rates.

New Billing statements are being mailed!

There was a glitch on the statements that were sent out this week. We are sending new statements early next week. We apologize for the mix up. Maria

Water pressure should be back to normal now...

We had a new leak in the pumphouse today. It has been fixed. If you were wondering why water pressure was low today...tha was why. Ugh! 2 leaks in a week!
Hope your day is going better!

Change of Plans - Leak Repair Tomorrow!

We just received this notice from Dick Unger:

DUE TO EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS, RANDY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO START REPAIRING THE LEAK UNTIL TUESDAY MORNING, SORRY FOR THE DELAY.

This is good news for those of you who had not been notified yesterday! Customers who live on 309th between 268th and the Kent Langley Road will be without water tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. Please tell your neighbors or anyone who is not on our email list!

Leak Repair on 309th

Our office received notice this morning that the leak on 309th Avenue will continue to be repaired today and some customers will not have water until later this afternoon (approximately 3 p.m.). Dick Unger called as many people as possible yesterday but may not have been able to reach everyone. We are sorry for the short notice (or no notice if you weren't called). To help prevent this in the future we ask that you email cristalinawater@gmail.com with your contact numbers.

Thanks for your help!

Pump House needs new roof.

The pump house is going to need a new roof this summer. It is a small roof and would be interested in getting some bids from anyone interested in doing the work. I thought I would check with those that live on the system that might need the work first. Thanks! Maria

Leak on 309th being worked on today

It is my understanding that there is a leak on 309th and that Novastar Construction is going to be working on that today. I am not sure if they are going to shut the water off or not. I am assumming they will let me know, but if there is an outage of service today...that would be the reason. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather!

Water Conservation

A message from our water operator:

Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner. That means we wil be planting gardens and greening up our lawns. We would appreciate it if all of our customers would conserve water this Summer. One (1) inch of water a week is all a lawn requires to stay healthy and green. You can put out an empty tuna can and when it is full from sprinkling or irrigation, you have met your water requirements for the week. Try to use water wisely, it's important.

During the Summer months when we consume a lot of water the wells are running constantly and so are the booster pumps in the well house. Pumps require some sleep time just like you and me. To replace a pump or booster pump the price can be as high as $1000.00. Also our electric bill is $1000.00 a month or more. Please keep this in mind as the weather warms and you spend more time watering.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation regarding this request.

As our old friend Ben Franklin said over 270 years ago, "When the well runs dry, we know the worth of water."

Boil Water Advisory Lifted!

Great news everyone - we were told today that the Boil Water Advisory has been lifted by the Department of Health!!! We are so very grateful for the hard work and diligence it took to lift this as well as your patience. Have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine and healthy water!

Water rates and how they are determined...

This is what I am understanding from the Utilities and Transportation Commission.
We are going to take an average of 3 months of water usage to get an average that the UTC will use in determining the rates. The UTC will take into account that there is higher usage in the Summer when determining their rate. Please remember that they regulate all water usage in the State. Everything is down to a formula for them. They take everything into consideration. They will continue to monitor water usage through out the summer. In fact, we turn in our usage numbers every month. I hope this helps put some minds at ease. It all has to be averaged out, our expenses are much higher in the summer as well.

We are still working on the Boil water advisory. We just had our 5th consecutive test of a satisfactory water sample and plan on keeping them that way.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Still Working on Lifting Boil Water Advisory!

The Department of Health requires a lengthy series of samples and paperwork be completed, but we are working diligently to get the boil water advisory lifted. We are optimistic that the end is near and will let you know as soon as we get approval!

Thanks so much for your patience!

3 months in a row of great water samples!

The boil water advisory end is almost here! We have had excellent water samples the last three months. Derek Pell the engineer is working on the final details for us to remove the boil water advisory. Trust me as soon as we get the Okay from the powers that be...we will let everyone know!

Meter reading and billing

Hi All,
As you know we got the meters installed. What we are going to do now is do meter reading for 3 months to determine average use on the system. Once we have that data we will turn it into the Utilities and Transportation division who will determine the rate being charged. The water rate is not determined by us but by the UTC.
Thanks,
Maria

Things are Working Now!!!

Hi all!
Just in case you didn't notice, the power went out a couple of weeks ago and the generator kicked in all by itself. It works! Also, we have disconnected our old system and we are up with the new! Yea!!~ It has been a long haul. Currently we are monitoring the new system and will do so for a few month before we move to a metered system of billing.
Now, we are getting all the information into the DOH so they will lift our boil water advisory. I met with Dereck the engineer at DOH at Cristalina last week, and he was going to give us a list of small items we need finish up in order to do the official removal of the order. Thank you for your patience, it has been a long haul!
Maria

Waterline update, tie it in!

Here are a few pictures of the tie in today just prior to sanding and backfill. Everything is set to do the tie in on 309th tomorrow with the 6", then there are only 13 services to hook up , grade and detail the roads and we'll be complete.

Water Shut Off Notice

Cristalina water will be shut off during the following times to install connections and meters and tie in loose ends:

314th Avenue: Monday, January 11, 2010 between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

312th Avenue: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

309th Avenue: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

We recommend that you reserve water or purchase contained water for flushing toilets and cooking.

We are so sorry for the inconvenience! Please pass this message along to your neighbors who may not have seen our notice!

Generator Approved!

Here is the note I got from Randy the contractor today:

Maria, the generator is set up and operational, if the power goes out it should start automatically and shut down when the power comes back on.

There is some good news to start this year off with!!! I guess L and I went out there and approved it today. We are finally set up!!!