20250620Comments_2.pdf

From: law office <[e-mail]>
Sent:Thursday, June 19, 2025 5:56 PM
To:John Hammond <[e-mail]>
Subject: GSW-W-24-01
Mr. Hammond:
My name is Stephanie Gossard, we are a GSW customers formerly Bitterwroot. I live at
28239 Silver Meadows Loop, Athol, ID. I am writing this email and I am hereby requesting
that this be a part of the record in lieu of my in person testimony last night. I was signed up
to speak, however we needed to leave. I was pretty far down the list.
First, I'd like to thank you for being at the meeting today, June 18, 2025 at the Athol
Community center regarding GSW's application to raise rates, giving the homeowners the
opportunity to comment. Again, I was quite far down on the list of people requesting to
speak and we weren't able to stay so I am writing to you with some of my concerns.
Many of the subjects were covered so some will be repeats.
1. Our big concern is FIRE FIRE FIRE! Since the last application by GSW and the ruling
therein, it is apparent many of the homeowners have chosen to shower, do laundry, flush
their toilets, provide water for their livestock rather than maintaining green spaces. Living
in a fire prone area this is a critical issue. The first application the PUC never should have
allowed the 5000 gallon reduction. Removing another 5000 gallons or even 500 gallons
should be out of the question. When the insurance companies get a hold of this
information, they are going to inform their insureds they will not be writing fire coverage any
Longer.This has already started to happen and as we discussed, it happened to you down in
Boise. To me, this is an intentional failure to protect the customer.
2. Although it is appreciated you all being there for the meeting, the time of the meeting
was pretty inconvenient except for us retired folks. The amount of people that showed was
pretty disappointing. 4 PM most people are not home from work, 5 to 6 PM. most people
are having dinner. I encouraged those in our neighborhood who couldn't get off work early
to come as soon as they were able.
3. The notice we received GSW was vague and had no information other than the intent to
raise our water rates. There was no mention of their intention to remove an additional 5000
gallons from our allotment or their of intention to remove the allotment in its entirety. There
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was no mention of the increase in the overage amount.Why was this important information
omitted from our notice? I do not know what the PUC requires a utility company to do as
far as notice to the consumer, but this appears to be a blatant failure to notify.
4. GSW has rarely made an appearance in our neighborhood, Silver Meadows Loop
(Bitterwroot). Two years ago they filed an application requesting more money to upgrade
our meters and some other improvements. Mid March this year they replaced those
meters just prior to the notice of their new application. They were visible at the corner of
Clagstone and Brunner finishing the work they started an around the time of the previous
application was filed.
The customer service is severely lacking. On many occasions I have had to contact them
with reference to the reading of our meter and the apparent inaccuracy of the bill. Each
time they did a reread and corrected the bill with an excuse of why the figures were all
wrong, from the information was transposed wrong into the system, the person who took
the meter readings read it wrong, and the best of all, one of their employees sabotage them
by giving them bad numbers on the reads of the meters, but don't worry he's been fired.
5. No one on the loop has sufficient water pressure. A few years ago one of the houses on
the loop caught fire. Asa result of no water pressure from the fire hydrant the fire
department had to call in pumper trucks in an attempt to contain the fire. In my opinion,
the house could have been saved had that not have been a problem.
I do not trust GSW to provide to homeowners proper readings on their bills. Just the month
since putting in the new meters my water bill was double from the prior month, we hadn't
had our water turned on yet.The company never provides us with any information on what
they are doing. They have changed many times the way the bill reads going from gallons to
cubic feet. Right after the filing of the first application, they had someone coming around to
mark all of the meters. They spray painted fence posts, the water meter boxes, t-posts
anything within a few feet of the meter was spray painted blue. Then they were stuck in the
ground little Blue flags, I'm assuming so they knew where the meters were when they did
work 2 years later!
6. Another issue, the fire hydrants for at least the last seven, eight years maybe more they
have not been tested nor maintained.
7. There are many new homes which have been added to our system. Are we paying for
the upgrades to accommodate those new homes?Shouldn't the developer, builder or the
new homeowner be surcharged to be connected to the system.
8. It is my understanding that the PUC receives money from the public utility companies,
quite a large sum of money at that. Is this not a direct conflict of interest? If the particular
public utility is making more money, that means more money for the PUC?
9. Water usage in the winter months is normally minimal as there is no yard or garden
watering. However, if you do not reach that minimum usage, we have never received a
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refund. Duringthese low usage months am I paying for water that I am not using? Is this
pure profit for the company?
We are retired seniors, living on a fixed income, this request from Applicant to increase
their total revenues is repulsive and greedy.We were not against raising the basic fee a
reasonable amount without cutting our minimum allowed volume or increasing our per
1000-gallon fee on the previous petition but this request it completely unreasonable.
With that in mind, it is requested that the PUC deny the applicants, GSW`s Application in
its entirety. It is also requested that the 5000 gallons removed from the monthly allotment
be reinstated forthwith.
It is also requested that the PUC provide the names of the shareholders of GSW to the GSW
customers.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I know I speak for the majority of people in all
water districts that are being taken advantage by this big corporation.
Stephanie Gossard
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From: Michael Mallory<[e-mail]>
Sent:Thursday, June 19, 2025 12:24 PM
To: John Hammond <[e-mail]>
Subject: Gem State Water Increase Case No. GSW-W-24-01
Commissioner Hammond, unfortunately I was not able to stay to add my comments, I
hope you'll review my input, and question Staff about their considerations for rural
properties.
1. The average usage per family per day is 300 gallons, 9000 gallons per month (used
EPA statics).
2. Horses drink between 6-15 gallons per day using six gallons for this discussion and
one horse. (since horses are herd animals you usually need two)
3. A 20'x50'garden needs 70 gallons per day, up here most if not all families plant
gardens.
Just in these three items using a thirty-day month the usage would be: 11,280 gallons. I'm
not sure the staff considers how much different rural life is as opposed to living in a
subdivision where your lot maybe 100'x100'versus 5 or more acres. For comparison
0.0022956841 vs 217800 square feet.All this being said 5000 gallons is not practical.
I noticed in the Staff Recommendations 6/13/2025 item 6. "Change to the commodity
charge as it gives customers more control over their total bill and the ability to save money
by consuming less water." Not sure how a person would know their usage at any point in
time since our meters are a distance from the home and we do not have a way to display
that usage?
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As a suggestion to make the high-water months less of a sting to the pocketbook, maybe
have Gem state offer monthly billing based on prior year usage spread over a one year
period, like other utilities?
Thank You for your review and sharing with staff.
Michael Mallory
26645 North Bitterroot Court
Athol, Idaho 83801
mlmlkmCa)outlook.com
[phone]
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