Carrie Dyrek gave an update on the rate study work being done by Willdan. She said the base rates for both Desert Hills and Cave Creek Water Company will be the same. Chairman Bob Morris and Kerry Smith had worked with Willdan to fix some of the incorrect data that had been previously used. The next step is for Morris and Kerry to review the new model with Willdan and the rate study group. Then Willdan will meet with the entire Water Advisory Committee followed by a public hearing.
Utilities Director, Jim Kaylor, presented the Utilities Quarterly Report and gave additional updates that transpired after the completion of the report. The Town has 160 miles of pipe that is maintained by a team of four employees. There are only two mechanics on staff to maintain pumps and other mechanical parts of the system. Even though Cave Creek is a small town, it has to adhere to the same regulations as a large city.
Kaylor said filters at the water treatment facility were redone in August. The communication system with the remote terminal units at pumps at the CAP canal was recently switched to cellular technology that includes encryption and increased security. He said the CAP booster upgrades engineering process has begun. Two of the Town’s reservoirs will be upgraded with mixers as the water sometimes settles and begins to have stratification.
Cave Creek has been accepted into the Arizona Water Loss program to analyze nonrevenue water loss. Standards recommend the level be less than 10 percent and currently losses appear to be above that level. Nonrevenue water loss includes things like evaporation, leakage, water use for firefighting, or testing of systems, to name a few.
A subgroup of the WAC will begin working on a drought preparedness plan for Cave Creek. They will start by looking at what similar towns have done.
