20100722Staff 1-30 to TRH.pdf

SCOTT WOODBURY
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
PO BOX 83720
BOISE, IDAHO 83720-0074
[phone]
IDAHO BAR NO. 1895
REC .~.
ZOlDJUL 22 PM 1=24
Street Address for Express Mail:
472 W. WASHINGTON
BOISE, IDAHO 83702-5918
Attorney for the Commission Staff
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF )
TROY HOFFMAN W ATER CORPORATION )
FOR AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS RATES )
AND CHARGES FOR WATER SERVICE IN )THE STATE OF IDAHO )
)
)
)
CASE NO. TRH-W-I0-0l
FIRST PRODUCTION
REQUEST OF THE
COMMISSION STAFF TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER
CORPORATION
The Staff of the Idaho Public Utilties Commission, by and through its attorney of record,
Scott Woodbur, Deputy Attorney General, requests that Troy Hoffman Water Corporation
(Troy Hoffman; Company) provide the following documents and information as soon as
possible, but no later than THURSDAY, AUGUST 12,2010.
This Production Request is to be considered as continuing, and Troy Hoffman is
requested to provide, by way of supplementary responses, additional documents that it or any
person acting on its behalf may later obtain that wil augment the documents produced.
For each item, please indicate the name of the person(s) preparing the answers, along
with the job title of such person(s) and the witness who can sponsor the answer at hearing.
Please provide answers to each question, supporting workpapers that provide detail or are
the source of information used in calculations. The Company is reminded that responses
pursuant to Commission Rules of Procedure must include the name and phone number of the
FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER 1 JULY 22, 2010
person preparing the document, and the name, location and phone number of the record holder
and if different the witness who can sponsor the answer at hearing if need be. Reference IDAPA
31.01.01.228.
In addition to the written copies provided as response to the questions, please provide all
Excel and electronic fies on CD with formulas activated.
REQUEST NO.1: Please provide a copy of map showing the general layout of Troy
Hoffman Water System including wells and pumps, main/distribution systems and general
area/lots served by the Company.
REQUEST NO.2: The Company indicated in the Application that it provides water
service to 146 residential customers and 1 commercial customer. Staff understands that all water
services to customers are metered. Please provide the various meter sizes installed by the
Company and the breakdown of the meter size for all customer classes receiving service. For
example, 100 residential customers - % inch meter, etc.
REQUEST NO.3: How many undeveloped lots stil remain in the Company's service
area that could potentially request water service in the future? How many new connections
(residential and commercial) do you anticipate in the next two to three years? What service
line/meter size do you expect to install for new service connections (residential and
commercial)?
REQUEST NO.4: Staff understands that IDEQ conducted a Sanitary Survey on
December 10, 2004 and identified several deficiencies requiring corrections. IDEQ letter to the
Company, December 16, 2004. Please provide the status of correcting these deficiencies.
REQUEST NO.5: Staff understands that Troy Water System is scheduled for another
IDEQ Sanitary Survey in 2010. Please provide a copy of any result of Sanitary Surey
completed by IDEQ in 2010 for the Troy Hoffman Water System.
REQUEST NO.6: Staff understands that the Company installed a 4-inch flow meter at
the discharge side of the two well pumps in spring of 2009. This understanding was based on
FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER 2 JULY 22,2010
initial information provided by the Company when Staff contacted the Company during the
review and analysis of Company's Case No. TRH-W-09-0l, Staff Comments, p. 5. In this
regard, please provide monthly water production data from April to December 2009 and from
Januar to June 2010.
REQUEST NO.7: Please provide monthly water consumption data for each class of
customer served (commercial and residential) and the appropriate total for calendar years 2007,
2008 and 2009.
REQUEST NO.8: Please provide an estimate of total unaccounted water losses due to
leaks, wasted water, etc. by month commencing from the time the Company stared recording
monthly well water production data until June 2010. Please e)Çplain how these losses are
calculated.
REQUEST NO.9: Please explain the Company rationale for maintaining the 3,000
gallons as the minimum charge volume allowance for both a %-inch meter residential customer
and a I-inch meter commercial ~ustomer.
REQUEST NO. 10: The Company is proposing to have a monthly metered rates (i.e.,
for residential, $13.31 minimum customer charge for 3/4-inch meter with 3,000 gallons
allowance and $1.45 for each additional 1,000 gallons) and bil the customer for water service on
a bi-monthly basis. Please explain how the total bil for two months wil be calculated by the
Company.
REQUEST NO. 11: Please provide the Company's rationale for maintaining the
practice of reading the service meters bimonthly rather than monthly during the non-winter
season.
REQUEST NO. 12: Please provide the Company's rationale for proposing an across the
board rate increase of 142% to all rates and charges contained in the Company's current rate
schedule for residential and commercial customers.
FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER 3 JULY 22,2010
REQUEST NO. 13: Please provide documentation showing the Company's proposed
rates wil meet the Company's proposed revenue requirement (rate proof).
REQUEST NO. 14: For the purose of estimating future revenues, please provide the
total monthly excess usage per customer class for calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
REQUEST NO. 15: Please provide the nupiber of customers for each customer class at
the beginning and end of the year for calendar years 2007, 2008 and 2009.
REQUEST NO. 16: Please provide a list of all water quality tests for all water sources
(wells) and within the distribution system as required by the Idaho Deparment of Environmental
Quality. For each type oftest, indicate the frequency, total cost per test and the prorated yearly
(normalized) cost. For example, Well No.1, arsenic test, every 3 years, $20 per test, $6.67 per
year; nitrate test, yearly, $20 per test, $20 per year, and so on.
REQUEST NO. 17: The Company stated in its Application that it has incurred expenses
in the summer of 2009 for repairs and replacement of the main pump which had burned up. Staff
notes that $40,795 was spent for power pumping equipment (Exhibit 1, Schedule A of the
Application). Please respond to the following: a) provide justification for pursuing this project;
b) provide cost breakdown (i.e. pump replacement - $$, motor replacement - $$, installng flow
meters - $$, etc.); c) provide copy of invoices and other documents supporting these costs; and d)
provide the date (s) when these repairs/replacements were completed and put into service.
REQUEST NO. 18: Please provide an explanation and documentation (competitive bid
documents, selection process, work contracts, etc.) showing cost control efforts have been
applied in paying any of the work elements for the project noted in Request No. 17 to assure that
the project was built as economically as possible.
REQUEST NO. 19: Staff understands that IDEQ has to review engineering plans before
any significant change is done on the water system. Please provide any construction drawings,
as-built plans, approval letter or other proofs that the changes made in the Company's water
system have been reviewed/approved by IDEQ. This includes installation of a new flow meter at
the discharge line of the pumps, replacing pumps and motors, etc.
FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER 4 JULY 22,2010
REQUEST NO. 20: The Company indicated that $10,000 is added to revenue
requirement to cover the labor cost for one Water Master at $750/month and a Back-up Water
Master at $83/month (Work Papers, p. 1). Please provide any written contract between the
Company and the primar and back-up water masters. Please provide the names of the certified
water operators.
REQUEST NO. 21: Please provide a sample bil that is curent and NOT past due.
REQUEST NO. 22: Please provide a sample copy of the written transfer notice, as
required by Rule 206 of the UCRR, used when transferring amounts between customers when
the lapse in service exceeds 60 days.
REQUEST NO. 23: Please provide a sample copy of the notice left at the customer's
premises following disconnection of service for non-payment. If customers served under
different Rate Schedules receive a different type of notice, include a sample copy of each notice.
REQUEST NO. 24: Please provide a sample copy of any brochure or other printed
material regarding the Company's Third-Pary Notice program under Rule 307 of the UCRR.
How and when is this material provided to customers? If the Company does not curently have a
third pary notification program, please indicate so.
REQUEST NO. 25: Does the Company make available to customers a pre-printed form
for the medical emergency certificate required by Rule 308 of the UCRR? If so, please provide a
sample copy of the form.
REQUEST NO. 26: In accordance with Rule No. 403 of the UCRR, please provide the
written records from June 2007 through June 2010 of customer complaints and requests for
conferences.
REQUEST NO. 27: In previous Company Annual Reports, it has indicated that it had
not sent customers a copy of the Annual Rules Summary. How does the Company make the
summary available to customers as required by Rule 701 of the UCRR?
FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER 5 JUL Y 22, 2010
REQUEST NO. 28: Please describe how and when customers are provided an
explanation of the rate schedule as required under Rule 101 of the Utilty Customer Information
Rules (UCIR)?
REQUEST NO. 29: Does the Company routinely physically disconnect service after
customers request closure of an account or disconnection of service? If so, wh~t is the maximum
interval between receipt of the customers' requests and actual disconnection of service? If the
Company is unable to read meters within the maximum interval, please describe how estimated
bils are calculated. Are such bils received by the customer identified as being estimated?
REQUEST NO. 30: If the Company's policy is not to physically disconnect service to a
location in between customers, what is the maximum interval before meters are read? Are
separate meter readings taken for both customers who are discontinuing service and customers
initiating service? Do customers' bils reflect the actual meter reading date(s)? If the Company
uses a single meter reading for both customers who are discontinuing service and initiating
service, is usage pro-rated to reflect the amount of time each customer was served? Please
describe the process used and how such pro-rated bils are calculated.
'V
DATED at Boise, Idaho, this dOl day of July 2010.
~s;; bury
Deputy Attorney General
Technical Staff: Gerry Galinato/1-20
Chrs Hecht/21-30
i:umisc:prodreq/thw i o. i swgdgcwh prod req i
FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST TO
TROY HOFFMAN WATER 6 JULY 22, 2010
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I HAVE THIS 21sT DAY OF JULY 2010,
SERVED THE FOREGOING FIRST PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE
COMMISSION STAFF TO TROY HOFFMAN WATER CORPORATION, IN CASE
NO. TRH-W-1O-01, BY MAILING A COPY THEREOF, POSTAGE PREPAID, TO THE
FOLLOWING:
RON STADLEY
TROY HOFFMAN WATER CORP
710 W DALTON AVE STE J
COEUR D'ALENE ID 83815
E-MAIL: ronCiallservron.com
~~
SECRETA,
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE