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OCTOBER 2007 NEWSLETTER
Landscaping Begun at Glenshandra Well Site
Volunteers Duane Gann and Ed Tumey have begun work to improve the site at the Glenshandra Well by installing fencing around the building, adding planters and preparing for the addition of low water use plants to be installed next spring. In the next few weeks, Fann Environmental will be adding a few boulders from the Iron Springs Project. By late spring, the area around the building should be completely landscaped, thanks to these hardworking volunteers.
Your Board Members
The election for three positions on the Board of Directors was held in June. The three candidates on the ballot (Ken Adkins, Jeff Deming and Balin Strickler) were elected for three year terms beginning July 1, 2007. Officers for 2007-8 were elected at the July Board Meeting. The Board of Directors for 2007-8 are listed on the right of this page.
Annual Shareowner’s Meeting held in July
Each year the annual meeting of Shareowner’s is held in July. This year the meeting, attended by some two dozen shareowners, was held on July 28th at the “old” fire station on Williamson Valley Rd.
President Dirk Stringham introduced the board members for 2007-8, followed by a financial report from Allan Kaplan, accountant. Mike Young of Fann Environmental, the water system operator gave a report on activities involving the water system, including the failure of the well pump at Glenshandra in early July. He also handed out pamphlets on water conserving plants and conservation tips. Manager, Bob Busch then gave a quick over view of the water company status.
Financially, the company is sound, the water system equipment is in good shape, water quality meets or exceeds all quality standards. We have no arsenic problem.
Dirk Stringham announced that the board had made a donation to a charitable organization on behalf of deceased former board member Bruce Bleeker, and thanked past board president Gerry Garcia for her efforts the past three years.
After a brief question and answer period, the meeting was adjourned. Anyone wanting a copy of the minutes of the annual meeting or any regular board meeting may view them on the water company website: www.gowaterusers.com
Water Levels for GOWUA Wells
Water levels in wells owned by GOWUA have been monitored at least annually for the past several years by the Arizona Dept of Water Resources.
Two wells, Deerfield and Post Oak have been in existence for over 10 years and some history is available. The Glenshandra well has only been operating since 2002.
Water levels in the Deerfield and Post Oak wells have declined since 1999 as shown in the attached charts taken from well monitoring data supplied by ADWR.
The water level in the Post Oak well has declined a little over 2 feet since 1999, while the Deerfield well level has declined nearly 40 feet. The Post Oak well is 525 feet deep. The Deerfield well is 643 feet deep. (This article was included in the newsletter last October, and has been updated with this year’s monitoring data.)
 
Note: Charts were downloaded from http://sahra.arizona.edu/, a website of Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA), a nationwide association of educational and professional organizations
Meters Can Freeze-Up
Remember the cold snap we had last winter? Afterward, a number of customers reported loss of water to their homes. Subsequently the water company found several frozen water meters that had to be replaced.
Most affected were homes that were not occupied or used very little water during that cold snap.
If you plan to leave your home this winter for more than a few days, call the business office and ask them to winterize your meter box. A serviceman will check your meter box and make sure the meter is protected from extreme cold. Please don’t cover the meter with insulation, blankets or other material that will have to be removed when the meter is read.
There are a couple of things you can do to help prevent a meter freezeup:
Make sure the meter lid is in place. An open meter box is an invitation to a frozen meter if the weather turns cold.
Check to see if the meter box is exposed more than a few inches. If the box is on the side of a drainage ditch with one side exposed, it could be vulnerable to freezing.
Call the business office to have it checked out.
Conservation still a Concern to Board Members
Think this summer wasn’t too hot? Guess again? GOWUA reached its highest daily water consumption EVER, this past July 8th. Customers used 431,967 gallons that day, almost 50,000 more than the previous high in 2006. With consumption continuing at a high level and well levels declining, board members are asking customers to continually be conscious of water use.
One of the most important times to think about it is when considering adding or changing plants or trees. A decision to use low water use plants will result in thousands of gallons less water use - in a single year. Over several years or over the life of the plant, the difference in water consumption is significant.
Lawns are absolute water guzzlers, up to a half inch a day in the summer.
There are many places to find information on low use plants compatible with our climate. Almost any local nursery has pamphlets on the subject.
You can also find information online - just enter “low water use plants” on your web browser and you will get links to ADWR's list of low use plants, Water-User it Wisely’s list and dozens of other sites with low water use plants for the Southwest.
Water Use Continues at High Levels
Granite Oaks Water Users Association supplied an average of over 148,000 gallons to customers during 2006, an average of over 12,300 gallons per month per customer. The 2006 usage was the third highest since the company began in 1995.
Last year’s use fell short of the record breaking summers of 2002 and 2003. 2006 also registered the second highest monthly consumption at 10,251,000 gallons for the month of June.
The Third Management Plan for the Prescott Active Management Area includes a target of 120 gallons per person per day (GPCD) as a target for municipal providers in the AMA. Using this goal, the daily usage for customers in our company would be about 120,000 gallons per day for the entire company, or about 3,600,000 gallons per month.
We are way off the charts when compared to this goal. Although this is a goal, not a mandate at this time, more and more attention is being focused on water issues in our area. One day, we could be mandated to reduce our usage.
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