Water & Sewer Commission

Town of Mount Airy Water and Sewer Commission Meeting Minutes January 6, 2021 Commission members in attendance: Chair Dick Swanson, John Cherry, Dave Difonzo, Mark Moxley and Ron Runkles. Council Liaison Larry Hushour was an excused absence. The meeting was called to order at 7:00. Also attending were Town Administrator David Warrington, Town Engineer Barney Quinn, Director of Community Development Gina Campanile and Assistant Town Engineer Chaslyn Derexson. The meeting was virtual due to closing of Town Hall. Minutes: Ron Runkles moved to approve the minutes of the December 9, 2020 meeting. Seconded by Dave Difonzo and the motion passed unanimously. Old Business: 1. Rainfall/WWTP Update: The members review the Well/POE/WWTP flows for calendar 2020, 2019 & 2018 and noted that the stormwater inflow into the sewer system continues to trend downward. Precipitation maps for December and calendar 2020 showed that precipitation during 2020 was near normal while localities east of Mt Airy saw rainfalls well in excess of normal.. 2. Harrison-Leishear Annexation Plan: FYI excerpts of the Harrison-Leishear Property Annexation Plan Final pertaining to water, sewer and stormwater management were distributed to the commission members. David Difonzo asked who developed the estimate of $2,248,000 for the Town's costs to upgrade the water system to meet the requirements of the Harrison-Leishear property if the annexation is approved. Barney Quinn stated that they were “in-house” estimates based on the costs of similar projects. 3. Review of “Water Use Limitation Tiers”: The commission reviewed the final draft of the Water Use Limitation policy. John Cherry added two charts showing well water levels at the 15% and 5% percentiles The 15th percentile, for example, represents the water level in the observation well at which 15% of water levels in the historical record (approximately 20 years as of 2021) are lower than that level. Similarly, 85% of measured historical water levels are higher than the 15th percentile. The 5% percentile represents the well levels that occur only about 5% of the time (more indicative of drought conditions). Mark Moxley moved to approve the Water Use Limitation policy as amended. Seconded by Ron Runkles and passed unanimously. The policy will be forwarded to the Mayor for approval with the advice of the Council, Town Attorney, and staff. The policy will be discussed prior to the February Town Council meeting to allow for public comment. 4. FY 2022 Budget Preparation: Dick Swanson provided the members with the December 31st Water & Sewer Bank Balances report detailing the reserve account balances as of December 31, 2020. The total water and sewer departments' reserves total $6, 359,256 which is significantly over the minimum reserves required to meet any emergency situation. The Chair commented that the commission members should review the reserve status giving consideration to the FY 2021 budgeted capital expenses and the potential expense of the water system improvements if Harrison- Leishear is annexed. 1. New Business: There was no new business. Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:37. The next W&S meeting is February 3, 2021 at 7pm.