Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Nov. 17, 2011, edition 1 / Page 2
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Utilities Information Web site www utilities cityofws org | 0 | m ^L Winston-Salem Forsyth County Ull (wA/ rflCP My/County Utilities Winston t ^1 |^B ^^^iater ? Sewer ? Solid Waste Disposal DID YOU KNOW? I ? List year the U tilities Di\ision produced 13.4 billion gallons ol treated water and treated 12.3 billion gallons i >! wastewater 5 City/County Utilities serves a population of } 12, 900 with a water system that includes 2,201 miles of water pipes 14 tanks and seven pumping stations ? When the City agreed ui 1959 to help linanee tk cost ol the W. Scott Ken- Reservoir the Utility Commission gained the nght to the top "50 leet ol water should it be needed. H List year. Utilities employees madt 726,000 meter readings M \ppn vantaeK 700 mies ot water distnhuuon pipes in the Utilities sy stem are more than 50 years okJ which was their designed Itlettme The City County Utilities Division operates under the guidance ot the Winston -SalenVForsyth County Utility Commission, whose members are appointed by the Winston-Salem City Counal and the Forsyth County Commissioners For more information about Ut*ties Division operations, go to www Utilities CityotWS org. Produced by the Winston Salem Forsyth County Utility Commission. 101 N Man M St Suite 357. Winstori Salem N.C 27102. Water Treatment Supervisor Bill Brewer A stands next to a massive pump that I can move 25 million gallons per day I at the Swann Water Treatment Plant. The pump - most of which is below I floor level - measures 78 feet from bottom of pump to the top of motor. I That's a Lot of Stuff! Water plants, sewage treatment plants, elevated water tanks, pumping stations, and enough water distribution and sewage collection pipes to stretch from here to Los Angeles and more than halfway back. It> called infrastructure." and the Utilities Division has a lot of it It all has to he kej>t in good working oafer, and t fiat can he an expensive proposition Some ol the expense comes because its hatd to get .it . such as 3,890 miles i>t water .ind sewer pipes ttnai arc mostly buried underground And some of the expense comes from the sheer see of the equipment involved, like the water intake pumps lor the Swarm Water Trcatmem llant They measure 78 feet high. weigh 20 tons, mow 1 7,350 gallons of water a minute - and cost $500,000 each. The Swann plant has two of them - and two other intake pumps that mow 8,675 gallons [X-r minute And this is just the tixed equipment Thercs also a small fleet of morc than 100 t rucks, excavators, back hoes, and other vehicles to keep all this infrastructure in running order Put ii all together and the equipment Utilities uses lor daily operations costs morc than $500 million. The 3,890 miles of water and sewer pipes that Utilities maintains would stKtcfa from Winston-Salem to Los Angeles and back to Little Rock, Aik. (a Stewardship for the Future Since its formation in 1976, the City-County Utility Commission has been guided by its duty to ensure that residents and businesses in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County have adequate water and sewer service, now and into the future. It was this obligsuon that gave the commission the foresight to begin planning for the PW Swann Water Treatment Plant in 1987 - some 17 years before the plant would actually open. For the same reason, the commission recently rebuilt the 85-year-old R.A. Thomas Water Plant so that it can continue to operate under future treatment standards. Soon, the commission will start upgrading the R.W Neilson water plant. These are expensive projects. However, by taking the initiative to ensure the stability of our public utilities, rather than waiting for problems to develop, the commission ends up saving money in the long run. it's similar to car maintenance: In the long run its cheaper to maintain the engine than to wail unnl something breaks. But unlike car engines, the facilities that Utilities operates have to last 50 years or more. Even though these and other projects have been driving recent rate increases, Utilities' customers still come out ahead. Most citizens realize that the Gty-County Utility Commissions rates are the lowest of the five major cities in North Carolina (and among the lowest in the southeastern United States) However, the commission^ water and sewer rates are also the lowest as a percentage of household income. Another bonus to this approach: rhe Utility Commissions sound business practices haw been rewarded by the agencies that rate the bonds that Utilities sells to finance its projects. These agenaes routinely #ve commission bonds the highest possible rating. This allows the commission to pay less interest on the bonds, which also helps keeps water and sewer rates low. 2011 Water/Sewer Rates as a % of Median Household Income Souroe Envworment Finance Centet. UNC School o> Government Breakdown of the Dollars From an Average $60 Utilities Bill (Inside-city rate) PwatrDUri ^1^,, ??? I I ' ?, wacr ami twwr irmment Some aty-Canfy UMHas OAMon Building T for the -j Long Term Water and wastewater treatment plants cost a lot of money, as do the network of pipes, tanks and pumping stations for water distribution and sewage collection. Fortunately, they last a long time, too. The original R A Thomas Water Plant went online in 1 ^2f> and served us for more than 80 years before it needed to he rebuilt. And the original water and sewer systems lor the West End and West Salem lasted for about 1 00 years before they had to be replaced likewise, the recent investments that the Utility Commission has been making in the water and sewer system will serve lor decades to come. The Swann Plant, placed into service in 2004, is designed to last at least *50 years Hul if the [Ml is any guide-, it easily aiuld still be. producing fresh water when the citizens of Winston-Salem and Forsyth G>unty are celebrating our nation); Tncentennial in 2076 The same goes for the new R.A Thomas Water Plant And the new water and sewer system going into Ardmi xv And the rrw Snlem 1 ake I >im PW. Swam Water Plait. Built: 2004 I t R. A. Thomas Water Rant OngnaMy built: 1926 Rebuilt: 2011 MHKli ? .i R.W Neteon Water Plait. Built: 1 964 Eledge Wastew^er Plant, Bud: 1950 Lower Mudcty Creek Wastew^er Plant. Bu#: 1 985 What Drives Water and Sewer Rates The Utility Commission depends upon revenue bonds to finance big construction and repair nnwrtc ci irK ic fV>o C/\7 D A T"V?, Utilities Division Capital Spending: 2006-201 1 i ur. iiuuk'ii ivn. 1 1 iv.u i uu Water Plant When it sells the bonds, the commission commits to setting water and sewer rates high enough to make the bond payments And because the commission has been through a cycle of major construction and repair projects to address its aging infrastructure, it has been selling a lot of bonds, which m turn has led to a senes of rate increases. In 2002 the commission was making payments on about $175 million of bonds. By 2010, this figure had grown to $512.3 million: Water Treatment $82 3 million r?h $9 3 mlon Wastewater TrMt merit $09 mifcon Water pstnbution. $18.4 milon war $35 1 mifton Source Total: $244.1 mBon City-County Utilities Division As a result, total payments for debt jumped this year to $35.5 million, up $8.8 million from the year before. This is a fixed expense that the Utility Commission is obligated to pay under the terms of the bonds. In contrast, operating costs - which the commission is able to constrain through its annual budget - increased only $250,000 this year, or just ^ Service/Outstanding Bonds
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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