News

Immokalee Water & Sewer District

IWSD TO INSTALL BACKFLOW PREVENTION DEVICES ON ALL RESIDENTIAL WATER METERS

IWSD ANNOUNCES NO RATE INCREASE FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR

The Immokalee Water & Sewer District Board of Commissioners met on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 to review and adopt a budget for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year, which begins on October 1, 2009. The Board is mindful of the needs of the community, and there will be NO rate increase scheduled for the next fiscal year. (During last year’s budget meeting, the Board raised rates by 5%, which went into effect last January.) The District, like many of you, will be tightening its belt, and continuing to provide our excellent service, with less.

As with most service oriented businesses, wages and associated benefits was the highest of the District’s operating expenses – amounting to 38% of our total expenses in 2008. To effectively reduce the Budget, the District has to reduce expenses in these areas. The District is cutting expenses in many areas, including no cost of living adjustments for the employees, and changes to work schedules to greatly limit overtime. The District is restricted by state and federal laws which require licensed operators on site, during specific hours of the day.

The District has looked at several ways to increase revenues, and reduce expenses. A few years ago, the District began to charge for certain services, in order to recoup expenses. This helps to ensure that the customer who needs the specific service is the one who pays for the service, instead of the entire customer base.

Over the last year, the District implemented the requirement to provide a copy of the lease, or proof of ownership in order to begin services. Copies of the new lease agreement requirements are available in our office, and on our website. This requirement is to help control unpaid services and bad debt, which every customer ends up paying for. The District also increased controls on these account balances, by allowing the deposit to be applied sooner, which again reduces the amounts left in unpaid services. We apologize to the customers for the inconvenience, as we make these transitions. We want to be able to take care of you, the first time that you come into the office. It is just as frustrating for our office staff, as it is for you, when we cannot turn on your water service. We are here to serve.

We ask that our customers continue to have trust in us, and we thank you for your continued support, of your community water and sewer district, especially during these trying economic times.

IWSD Board Votes to Require Leases

During their Regular Board meeting on Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the Board of Commissioners of the Immokalee Water & Sewer District voted to require proof of ownership, or a copy of the lease from the owner of the property, in order to begin service with the District. This is an effort negotiated between a property owner committee and the District, to reduce costs, in the form of unpaid bills. The IWSD account will have to list the people on the lease, so that names cannot be changed on the water accounts in order to avoid paying past due water and sewer bills.

The Board also approved Resolution 09-02 that better defines the District policy with regard to meter tampering.

IWSD Board Votes To Increase Rates

The Board met on August 20, 2008, to review water and sewer rates. The Board voted to increase water and sewer rates, effective January 1, 2009. The old and new rates are listed on the Rate & Fees web page.

For a residential customer with an average usage of 8,000 gallons, the monthly water and sewer bill will go from $87.18 to $91.50.

Due Dates and Late Fees for Monthly Utility Bills

Since Immokalee Water & Sewer District began charging the $5.00 late fee, in January 2005, we have received a lot of feedback from the customers regarding the due dates on their bills. They would like a specific date for their bills to be due, each month, so that they can avoid accruing late fee charges. The drawback is that, if there is a specific date set every month; then this date will inevitably fall on a weekend, or a holiday, at some point during the year. This means that the bill would have to be paid by the prior business day, to avoid the charges. However, many of the customers have indicated that they would prefer this, rather than a moving (non-specific) due date.

Beginning in March 2005, if your account number begins with a “1”, the regular bill will be due on the 4^th of each month. If your account number begins with a “2”, the regular bill will be due on the 13^th of each month; and if your account number begins with a “3”, the regular bill will be due on the 17^th of each month. Anything paid after these dates will be charged the $5.00 late fee.

Immokalee Water & Sewer District offers many options for paying your monthly bill. We are open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with the Drive-through payment window, behind the office, located at 1020 Sanitation Road, opening 15 minutes earlier. There is also a night drop for after-hour payments. At each payment window, we also now take Master Card and Visa. For even more convenience, we can arrange for automatic deduction from your existing checking or savings account on either the 6^th or the 18^th of the month. Please call us at 658-3630 for more details.

The Immokalee Water & Sewer District is smoke testing the sewer systems in various areas of Immokalee. This smoke will reveal sources of sewer odors as well as places where storm and other surface waters are entering the sanitary systems. A special, non-toxic smoke is used in these tests. This smoke is manufactured for this purpose, leaves no residuals or stains and has no effect on plant and animal life. The smoke has a distinctive, but not unpleasant, odor. Visibility and odor last only a few minutes, where there is adequate ventilation.

Because the plumbing appliances in some houses or buildings are connected to the sanitary sewer system, some of this smoke could enter a house if the vents connected to the building's sewer pipes are inadequate, defective or improperly installed; traps under sinks, tubs, basins, showers and other drains are dry, defective, improperly installed or missing; pipes, connections and seals of the wastewater drain system in and under buildings are damaged, defective, have plugs missing or are improperly installed.

If traces of the smoke or its odor enter a house or building, it is an indication that gases and odors from the sewer also may enter. These can be both unpleasant and dangerous as well as a health hazard to the occupants.

Because of the costs associated with treating the storm water, Immokalee Water & Sewer District is aggressively pursuing ways to reduce the amount of storm water that enters the system. You can help by making sure that your sewer clean-out cap is properly installed and in good working order. If District personnel discover an area where the sewer clean-out cap is missing or damaged, a fee will be added to the monthly bill at that address.

FIRE HYDRANT FLUSHING

You may have seen Immokalee Water & Sewer District employees parked near a fire hydrant, with the water running out, in the last couple of weeks. We call this "flushing the lines" and it is an important part of our maintenance program. The District water lines are flushed on a quarterly basis to prevent sediment and rust from building up inside the lines. This buildup can cause discoloration in the water, and result in undesirable tastes and odors. It can also cause a reduction in the effective diameter of the water line. The water lines are flushed by opening a series of hydrants and flushout valves and allowing them to flow freely until the water is clear. This can take anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes at each site. After water lines have been flushed in your area, you may have some discoloration in your water, a yellowish or brownish color. This is normal, and can be alleviated by allowing the water to run in your faucet for about ten minutes until it is clear.

Autoflush devices have been installed in some areas where there is a need for more frequent flushing. This includes such areas as Village Oaks Elementary, Lake Trafford Marina, and at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Pinellas Street.

Celebrating Over 30 Years of Service to the Community of Immokalee

IWSD is an equal opportunity provider and employer, and a Drugfree Workplace.

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