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Water Demand Charges If you are regularly watering your lawn, or have seasonally increased your water usage, you may have noticed an additional fee on your monthly water bill, called a Water Demand Charge. This is because the Authority sizes the provision of its services to customers by meter size, based on the customer’s individual service requirements and each meter size has a corresponding monthly volume of service associated with its size. When a customer uses over 200% of the average usage for their meter size in any particular month, they are assessed a Water Demand Charge for the additional service they used during that month. Water Demand Charges are a flat monthly fee that is charged only for the month(s) in which the customer’s usage exceeds twice the monthly average. Reducing your monthly water consumption below this level will eliminate the assessment of a Water Demand Charge to your account.
Subtraction MetersThe Authority calculates your monthly sewer bill, based on the amount of water you use each month, by reading your water meter. Our customers using irrigation watering systems and/or other outdoor-only water use systems may wish to have this unsewered water usage deducted from the calculation of their monthly sewer bills by installing a subtraction meter. A subtraction meter is installed at the customer’s expense and must be of a type and in a location defined by our Utility Standards. The subtraction meter is used to track a customer’s unsewered water usage from the water a customer puts into our sewage collection system. Should such a meter be installed and approved, we will deduct its monthly water usage from the calculation of your monthly sewer bill.
Marshall Water Customers - Water Use Restriction NoticeWhen the Authority assumed ownership of the Marshall Water System, we recognized that the system would require substantial renovation, upgrading and an expansion of its water sources, to effectively serve its existing and future service demands. While the Authority has been continuing to improve the system’s reliability and efficiency by repairing or replacing various portions of the system’s distribution infrastructure and is currently renovating the system’s Lane well as an interim measure for improving the system, there are no quick fixes to the system’s major shortcomings regarding source and storage. Implementing the various phases of the Authority’s renovation, upgrade and expansion plan still remains the best long-term solution for the system’s problems. However, it will take time to put the plan in place. As a result of inadequate water sources and water storage within the Marshall Water System, the Authority has had to supplement the system’s water supply by hauling water from The Plains and Warrenton to Marshall for several months now. During July 07, an additional 385,000 gallons of water was added to the Marshall Water System. To date, over 620,000 gallons of additional water have been required during August 07. In addition, the system has experienced service outages which potentially constitute a safety hazard to the system’s customers. In response, the Virginia Department of Health has urged the Authority to curtail water usage in the system by imposing water restrictions on the system’s customers. Because the Authority is now having to consistently supplement the Marshall Water System’s water supply, based in part on the customers’ increasing demands for service during a dry summer, the fact that we are now experiencing system outages of water, the fact that waterworks is currently exceeding its assigned design capacity and the fact that an interruption of the system’s supply constitutes a potential safety issue to the system’s customers, in order to minimize the need for supplementing the system’s water supply, the Authority has placed a mandatory restriction on outside water usage for customers of the Marshall Water System until further notice. In addition, the Authority will reserve the right to discontinue the water service of those customers repeatedly violating the outside water use restriction. The following outside usages of the Authority’s water supply by the customers of the Marshall Water System, such as but not limited to the following examples, are now prohibited; 1. Watering of lawns. New and refurbished lawns may be watered for a period not to exceed 30 days. (watering of plants, trees and shrubs is allowed) 2. Non-commercial washing of cars (i.e. residential) 3. Filling of leisure-use swimming pools. New or repaired swimming pools may be filled as needed to maintain the structural integrity of the pool, and indoor pools may be filled as necessary to ensure swimmer health and safety The following penalties for violations of these restrictions have been adopted: 1. First Offense – written warning. 2. Second Offense - $100 penalty 3. Additional Offenses - $250 penalty and possible disconnection of service These penalties will be assessed via the customers’ monthly water bills and that actual violations must be witnessed by either members of the Authority staff or members of the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office. These restrictions and penalties shall remain in full force and effect unless sooner amended or rescinded by further resolution of the Authority Board. We apologize for any inconvenience these restrictions may produce and thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance in helping to insure that each of you has an adequate supply of water for your basic service requirements. Should you have further questions, or require additional information, please contact our office or visit our website at www.fcwsa.org.
Customer Financial AssistanceThe Fauquier County Water & Sanitation Authority has joined in Partnership with the Organizations identified below. These Organizations will provide our customers an opportunity to seek financial assistance when their water and or sewage are in arrears for no more than 55 days. “This is a one time emergency assistance only.” Customers are to directly contact these organizations for financial assistance; the Organization in turn will contact the Authority.
The following organizations have agreed to participate as a partner with the FCWSA in this program:
• FCAC Inc. (Fauquier Community Action)
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
Phone 540-347-7000 / Fax 540-347-4732
• SALVATION ARMY
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
Phone 540-341-8385 / Fax 540-341-7215
• PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
Phone 540-349-9017
• FAUQUIER FISH
Warrenton, Virginia 20187
Phone 540-347-3474
• ST. VINCENTS DePAUL
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
540-222-7589
Chesapeake Bay Initiative Rate ImpactThe Virginia DEQ has adopted regulations which the Authority has been both monitoring and commenting on for several years now that require limits of technology-based wasteload allocations for discharge permits, commonly known as the Chesapeake Bay Initiative. In effect, this places a cap on the size, or maximum treatment capacity, of each Wastewater Treatment Plant (“WWTP) within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Authority and others successfully lobbied the DEQ to base its nutrient allocation on the upper tier of a facility’s permit. Had they not done so, the DEQ would have limited the capacity of the area’s WWTPs to their present size. Regulations now require that a facility be issued a Certificate to Operate at its maximum permitted size no later than December 31, 2010 to qualify for such an allocation, or thereafter be fixed at the WWTP’s existing service capacities. Total costs for compliance with the initiative’s requirements for the Authority’s three existing WWTPs at their current sizes are estimated to be $9,581,000. Total costs for compliance and an expansion of the Authority’s three existing WWTPs to their maximum permitted capacities are estimated to be $22,104,000.
These new regulatory regulations, while being required, are not being funded by the Commonwealth. Further, all efforts to secure any economic stimulus funding for these “shovel-ready” projects, have been rejected. As a direct result of this, 5% of the recently adopted 10% increase in the Authority’s sewer Base Service and Usage Fees will be needed to offset these expenses.
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