Behind the Meter Water Utility Fall 2021 Newsletter

BEHIND THE

METER

O R O VA L L E Y W AT E R U T I L I TY N E W S L E T T E R

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A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Oro Valley Water Utility’s commitment to the successful management and operation of the community’s municipal water system. Since the establishment of the Utility in 1996 the number of water system connections have grown from 9,800 services to over 21,000 services, the population has doubled, and our available water resources have expanded from one source of supply to three.

Peter Abraham, P.E. Water Utility Director

The Utility’s success is not by accident but rather the result of the organization’s commitment to the responsible stewardship of the community’s municipal water system assets. We do this by remaining fiscally conservative, making wise capital infrastructure investments, conserving and storing water resources, as well as maximizing the use of technology to improve efficiency.

The Utility’s success would not be possible without the community’s support. Every aspect of the Utility’s operation is funded solely by water rates and fees that customers pay, not taxes.

Annually, the Utility performs a water rates analysis to ensure sufficient revenues are generated to recover the cost of service.

This analysis takes into consideration all costs associated with successfully operating Oro Valley’s municipal water system.

Costs include outstanding debt, water resources, operations and maintenance, personnel, capital improvement projects and the cost of electric power.

In closing, with continued planning, responsible rate setting, good stewardship of our assets and resources, support from Town leadership and the community, you can expect the continued long-term delivery of a safe and reliable water supply.

Looking forward to another 25 years of success,

Peter Abraham

19%

22%

PERSONNEL

O&M ELECTRIC POWER

5% 6%

22%

26%

WATER RESOURCES

DEBT

CAPITAL REINVESTMENTS

Where The Money Goes The Oro Valley Water Utility is an Enterprise Fund of the Town. The Utility does not receive any revenue from the Town’s General Fund and all water revenues are used to operate the Utility. Below is a graphical representation of where revenues are spent.

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NEW CUSTOMER I N FO R M AT I O N S YST E M

You’ve probably seen the brightly colored markings painted on the street and sidewalks around Oro Valley. These markings are required by law and the colors represent the various utilities located inside the project area with “blue” representing “water”. Oro Valley Water takes these markings very seriously. Utility marking or “blue stake” as it’s commonly referred to, plays an important role in reducing life threatening injuries to workers and damage to utility assets during excavation. Maintaining water service to our customers is a critical function and marking these water distribution lines ensures fewer disruptions caused by damage due to digging and trenching.

We are excited to announce the future implementation of our new Customer Information System (CIS) in early spring 2022. This new technology helps us to efficiently manage our customer information and billing processes while providing a better customer experience.

The new system allows customers convenient ways to access their account and billing information, more options to make payments and other self-service features. Although we may be updating our CIS, the WaterSmart program will still be available to our customers. Stay tuned for more information as we move through this process!

What about your private service lines and other plumbing in your yard and home? Oro Valley Water only marks the water lines and equipment owned and operated by the Town. What does this mean for homeowners? We mark only up to the water meter and do not cross on to private property since the Utility does not have documentation of your water service line to your home or plumbing. For more information please visit http://www.arizona811.com/contact.

DID YOU KNOW? Utilities—whether they are gas, electric or water—mark to their respective meters only. Markings are as minimal as possible.

Homeowners Side

Homeowners Side

Oro Valley Water Utility Side

Oro Valley Water marks from the meter to the street and does not extend past the meter. Anything past the meter to the home is the customer’s responsibility.

K E E P YO U R W AT E R US E I N C H E C K T H I S FA L L Irrigation systems by design are convenient but while they can make our lives easier, we don’t always think about how much water we put on our landscape plants. Surprisingly, irrigation can easily make up 50% or more of your total water use in a single billing period. Take advantage of the fall season to review your irrigation system and settings. For more information, visit www.orovalleyaz.gov and click on the blue Water Utility button or type Water Conservation into the search bar.

• C heck for leaks in irrigation mainlines and fittings • I f building a new home, consider a gray water system

• F ind a happy medium where your plants get the water they need but not overwatered

• M ake seasonal adjustments on your irrigation timer and reduce outdoor watering frequency in cooler months • H arvest rainwater where possible to supplement your plants and reduce irrigation

• C hoose native and low water use plants

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