A few days ago, a customer called us to comment on the upcoming rate increase. The caller wondered why we haven't thought of filling one of the quarries on Belmont Ridge Road with water, and selling it to Fairfax County, as a business prospect. I was equal parts delighted and dismayed at the comment - delighted that we were working on a similar plan already, and dismayed that this customer hadn't yet heard about it. In case you haven't heard either, Luck Stone's quarries play a very critical role in our future water supply.

Here's how it's all going to happen. By approximately 2015, demand for water by our customers will exceed our current available supply of 50 million gallons per day (mgd). We will need an additional 40 million gallons of water per day by 2040 to meet the County's projected growth plan. The 50 mgd we currently have is water we purchase from Fairfax Water and resell to you. The water comes treated from them, and we oversee its quality while it meanders through infrastructure within our boundaries. It's a good deal, and we will continue to purchase this 50 mgd of water from Fairfax Water for the forseeable future.

The additional 40 mgd we need will come straight from the Potomac River through an intake pipe and pumping station we plan to build on land we own between the Leesburg water plant and the River Creek neighborhood. The raw river water will flow through a large pipe roughly along the power lines to a new water treatment plant yet to be built on land we own near the Greenway. Between the river and the plant lie Luck Stone's quarry operations. One of their quarries, their Leesburg North Pit, will be completely quarried in the 2016 to 2020 timeframe depending on the market. Loudoun Water has struck a deal with Luck Stone to fill that quarry with water for storage, as soon as the quarry is available. Once it's completely mined, that quarry will provide up to a billion gallons of water storage.

If all permits are approved and things go as planned, the new water treatment plant will be up and running in the 2016-2017 timeframe and the quarry will transform into a reservoir at about that time, too. In the meantime, you can have a role in the plan's success. In the immediate time frame, (1) contact us for a formal presentation to your HOA, your civic or other group to become completely familiar with the plan or check out our webpage on it; (2) attend any of the public hearings on the project to show and vocalize your support and, of course as always, (3) use your water wisely.

Last Friday, our residential customers, about 90 percent of our total customer base, received a letter from us explaining a proposed new rate structure with higher rates. The feedback and questions are pouring in and we're grateful for it. Here are some of the most popular topics we're asked about:

1. Rate Hearing: The Public Hearing, where you can show up and make your comments known, is February 25 at 7:00 pm at our office. Our Board of Directors will not vote on the rates until their March Board Meeting, which is March 11 at 3:00 pm.

2. Effective Date: The new rates would take effect on all billing beginning April 1, 2010, so they will apply to all usage the three months prior. The good news is, the three months prior to April is indoor water usage and will typically only hit the first tier, which is actually lower than what is currently paid for winter use. This savings may be offset by a slightly higher Basic Charge. We believe most customers won't see a noticeable change on their April bill.

3. More Fair/More Equitable: We're getting some slack for using the phrase "more fair and equitable" to explain the new structure. Maybe that wasn't the best phrase, as we never meant to imply the previous structure was unfair. What's different is the tiered structure. The first tier assumes an average daily use of 275 gallons. Most people use less than this in the winter. If you use this amount, or less than this, at any time, you will get a break, meaning, you'll pay less than you did on the previous rate structure, because you are using less water than was allocated for your home. At the second tier, we assume you are using an average of 550 gallons per day. This is the amount of water that is allocated to each customer through the residential meter size and includes some outdoor water use. The rate at the second tier recoups our cost of service to you. The third tier is for usage beyond 550 gallons per day. This is more water use than was allocated through the meter size of a single family home or townhome. When a customer uses more than their metered allocation of the system's water, we need to recoup that additional cost of service, so the rate at the third tier is much higher, and is meant to encourage water use closer to the 550 level. Less than 10 percent of all residential customers use more than 550 gallons per day.

4. Monthly Payments: Though we bill you on a quarterly basis, we will accept monthly payments so long as your payment amount is enough to cover your quarterly bill by the due date. Please contact Customer Service to discuss this option so they can help you make a plan and note it in your account.

5. Paperless Billing: We are actively pursuing this option so stay tuned.

6. Fees for Online Bill Pay: Recurring payments are free if you sign up for our Electronic Funds Transfer using your checking account or if you pay us through your own bank's bill pay service. The only time you would incur a fee online is for a one-time payment using a check or credit card. As a fairly small public utility, we cannot process credit cards ourselves. The security risk is too great and we are not large enough to incur and mitigate that risk. So we use a third party to accept your credit card payment and they charge a fee back to us for that service. We pass that fee back to the customers who use that service, as it would be unfair to incur a fee (and incorporate it into our operating expenses) when not every customer benefits from that expense. Private companies like a department store and much larger, private utilities or telecommunications companies have the ability to absorb this expense.

Hope this clears up some of the confusion. If not, let us know. Keep the questions coming, we're here to help. Use the blog here to post comments or questions, or use the Contact Us form, or call us at 571.291.7880.

I often tell customers that if you taste a little chlorine in the water, it's a good thing. It means nothing could be alive in there. In the absence of adequate chlorine residual, bacteria is allowed to grow and sicken and/or kill people, as it did to guests of Miami's Epic Hotel and Residences. As reported in the January 5 Miami Herald, the hotel "was using a powerful filter that stripped its water of protective chlorine." One guest died and two others fell ill after contracting Legionnaire's disease, when Legionella bacteria were found in the hotel's water system. It's a caution for anyone who has or is considering investing in a home water filter system.

There's nothing wrong with filtering your water to remove the off taste that a disinfectant can create. The trade-off, as the guests of Epic Hotel experienced, is the risk of exposure to the bacteria that the disinfectant kills. The kind of exposure that ocurred at the hotel is much less likely in a home where water moves frequently enough through the system to prevent "dead" areas, however, anyone with an in-home filter, whether on the tap, under the sink, or on the main valve, must be extremely judicious in following the manufacturer's recommendations for checking and changing the filter regularly. If you don't change the filter as recommended, bacteria can actually colonize the filter rendering your water more than untasty, it can make it deadly.

So, the next time you scowl at the taste of chlorinated water, remember that chlorinated water is safe water. To strike a balance between taste and safety, fill a pitcher with tap water and keep it in the fridge. The chlorine will dissipate and the water will taste better. But remember, the chlorine will dissipate, so use that pitcher of water in a few days, then fill a fresh one. Drink up! 

This month, we don’t just turn the corner on a new year, but a new decade. It’s a chance to do more than just wipe the slate clean, it’s like getting a brand new slate. Instead of a tired old list of resolutions for the new year, I thought I’d give you a peek at the Top 10 things on our slate for the new decade. In chronological order:

 1. A new rate structure that encourages conservation while fairly and equitably distributing costs across all users. Timed for Spring of 2010.

2. Completion of automated meter reading. Your meter reading is never estimated, it’s always read, and soon all meters will be read remotely from our trucks. This new system enables us to see your usage hour by hour and flag leaks before they get out of hand. Timed for 2010. 

3. A Reuse Water System – thanks to federal stimulus funds, we’re building pipelines from our Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility to commercial facilities all around us to deliver reusable, reclaimed wastewater for irrigation and coolant. This saves drinking water for drinking and gives a break on the cost. Happening in 2010.

4. A Mobile Wireless Work program to maximize efficiency and resource allocation for our field working staff. Timed for 2011-2012.

5. Two new elevated water storage tanks for the Dulles South area. They will be built off of Goshen road and visible from Tall Cedar Parkway in Stone Ridge. The two composite tanks will hold 3 million gallons of water each, and ensure more reliable service throughout the Dulles South. Timed for 2011.

6. Monthly billing. This should help customers budget more effectively for their water bill and track usage more closely. Timed for 2011 or 2012.

7. Pipeline Replacement in Sterling Park. The oldest area of our system is ripe for replacement. We’ll take it street by street, starting with the areas most prone to water main breaks, and work from there. Timed for 2011.

8. An Energy Management Program to optimize our consumption of energy, develop and use sustainable alternative sources of energy and minimize our energy costs. Timed for 2011.

9. More automation of routine services from account setups to payments, to service calls, we plan to make some major software improvements so that your needs can be met round the clock. Timed for 2011 through 2012.

10. A new water supply to meet County growth projections through 2040. Includes 40 more million gallons of water from the Potomac, a new reservoir thanks to Luck Stone to hold a billion gallons for emergencies and a new drinking water plant.  Timed for 2017.