Website: www.puc.idaho.gov
Commission extends comment deadline in Eagle Water case
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is extending the deadline for interested parties to comment on Eagle Water Company’s request to add a surcharge to customer bills. The comment deadline is now Oct. 18, extended from the previous Oct. 6 deadline.
The surcharge could be has high as $9.16 a month to correct low-pressure problems in the company’s service territory. Eagle Water is a private water company, not the same as the City of Eagle’s municipal water service.
Commission staff is
conducting a public workshop on the company’s application on Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.
in the Eagle Senior Citizen Center, 312 E. State St. The workshop will be
followed by a public hearing at 7 p.m.
The company responded to an Aug. 3 emergency order from the commission to correct low-pressure problems in the Eagle Springs Estates subdivision by replacing an 8-inch mainline with a 12-inch mainline. While the company believes its has addressed immediate problems, it is concerned about occasional drops in water pressure “especially in light of the continued wasting of water that has been observed in Eagle Springs” subdivision, according to the company’s application. Consequently, Eagle Water is proposing one of three options, which will be presented to customers at the Oct. 12 workshop.
The company’s preferred option, to drill a new well, will cost $390,305. Costs to replace the mainline and conduct an engineering study of the entire system totaled $127,172, according to the company. The company proposes to recover the total cost of the recent corrections and the new well – $517,477 – with a 40.85 percent surcharge that would recover the amount over three years. If approved, that surcharge would add about $9.16 to the average homeowner’s monthly bill. The current average monthly charge for a residential customer is $22.43 per month.
The other options are to increase the power of the current booster pump from 60 horsepower to 75 or 100 hp at a cost of $87,075 or to install an additional booster pump under Big Springs Street for $81,600.
The company serves more than 2,500 customers in and around the City of Eagle.
Written comments are accepted through Oct. 18 via e-mail by accessing the commission’s homepage at www.puc.idaho.gov and clicking on "Comments & Questions." Fill in the case number (EAG-W-05-02) and enter your comments. Comments can also be mailed to P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0074 or faxed to (208) 334-3762.