NORTHPORT VILLAGE CORPORATION

UTILITIES DEPARTMENT MINUTES

February 9, 2007

Meeting called to order at 2:30 PM

Present: David Crofoot (Chairman), Judy Rohweder, Judy Metcalf (by phone), Dick McElhaney, Paul Bartels.

Minutes of the previous meeting were approved. (Vote unanimous)

Superintendent’s Report

Sewer Department

December 2006 Effluent Monitoring Data

During the month of December there were no license exceptions. See below table for comparisons, averages and permit limits.

Performance Table

January Snapshot

The Department anticipates full compliance for January. Flow will fall around 18,000 gpd. Precip was 2.28 inches and well below normal.

New No Swimming Alarm

Mr. McElhaney demonstrated the new No Swimming alarm which will flash and sound an alarm if power is lost at the treatment plant.  The unit will also auto-dial and alert Utility personnel.  A telephone line will have to be installed in order to use that function.

Water Department

December Data

Water consumption in December averaged 18,139 gpd compared to 15,181 gpd last month and 16,478 gpd for December in 2005. The high day was 21,182 gallons on the 6^th. The low day was on the 24th at 15,701 gallons.

Distribution chlorine residuals averaged .05 ppm compared to .02 ppm last month and against a recommended level of less than .20 ppm.

Instantaneous daily peak flows averaged 47 gpm compared to 44 gpm last month. The one monthly test result for total coliform was negative.

Water Meter Issue

Bill Paige reports that he is continuing to have difficulty with outside contractors who remove and install the NVC seasonal water meters each year. This has been a real problem for the past three years.  There are approximately 150 seasonal meters in the Village of which maybe 25% are handled by outside plumbers contracted by homeowners who, among other things:

1. Do not let the Department know when the meters are being removed or installed.

2. Are operating residential gate valves-sometimes the wrong ones-without the Department’s knowledge or permission.

3. Fail to purge water out of the drop lines which later freeze and can damage water lines.

4. Forget or do not return the meters to the Department so they can be read and stored to protect them from freezing.

5. Install the meters in the wrong direction of flow thereby causing the meters to read backwards and

6. Forget to reinstall the remote meter readers forcing the Department to make an appointment to access the interior to manually read it.

7. There are many other problems of similar nature when the owner decides to remove or reinstall their own meter.

The following recommendations were made to address the problems:

1.      Notify any contractor in writing that he/she is installing or removing the meter incorrectly. Build a documented history of contractors that can or cannot “get it right”.

2.      Have a licensing procedure for qualified contractors to do this work.

3.      If these measures fail, have only NVC Utility personnel remove or install meters.

It was felt that measure 3 was one of last resort since about a quarter of customers either close their own cottages or pay an outside plumber to do so.  However, it may be necessary to resort to it, if other measures fail

Old Business

Fire Pond Level

The Fire Chief had communicated with the NVC regarding our fire hydrants and the need for communication.  Several attempts have been made to communicate with Mike Alley about the low levels in the fire pond, without success.  Meanwhile, a water leak from the fire pond-village hydrant system was identified on Main street has been fixed; since then, the Pond level has stayed up.

Sewer Video

In process of setting up date for Videoing in April.

New Business

Freeze up at Pump Station

Appears the sewer line to the house froze first.   There was ice from the house line and only a thin skim of ice in the pump station at a normal level. There were no high water alarms sounding when checked.  Moore’s Septic responded and applied hot water to thaw the Strauss house connection. When this was thawed, the inflow into the pump station set off the high water alarm; this indicates that the force line from the pump station to the main at the road had also frozen.

 The problem is similar to the year before last. Mr. McElhaney at that time added insulated covers on the wet wells.  No freeze occurred last year. (Mild winter last year) The Hunning project may have stripped some ground insulation up to the sewer.  Dick McElhaney recommended removing the check valve from the force main; this would result in a minor inefficiency in pumping due to back flow into the wet well but the empty force main would then not freeze up. Insulation can be added around wet well.  A heater was installed in the wet well for now to get us through the freezing season. Dick McElhaney suspects there is a sag in the house service which prevents gravity drainage and allows water to remain in the pipe to freeze.  When Ted Berry is in town to video other lines, we will try to arrange to video this house service to detect sags in the line.

Billing

Sent 306 bills out January 15.  We have collected approximately 50%.  Shut off notices will go out approx. March 25.  Issues Paul needs to resolve with Karen; shut off notices, Payment plans (new and old), Physical shut off, etc. 

Motion to adjourn the meeting by Judy Metcalf, seconded by David Crofoot. (Voted)

Meeting adjourned at 3:30 PM