20120608Comment.pdf

Jean Jewell
From: [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 1:33 AM
To: Jean Jewell; Beverly Barker; Gene Fadness
Subject: PUC Comment Form
A Comment from Jeff Armstrong follows:
Case Number: CCH-W-12-01
Name: Jeff Armstrong
Address: 2155 E. Olympic Avenue
City: Idaho Falls
State: ID
Zip: 83404
Daytime Telephone: [phone]
Contact E-Mail: elkhorn83354(@yahoo.com
Name of Utility Company: Country Club Hills Utility
Acknowledge: acknowledge
Please describe your comment briefly:
1) It looks to me as if the residential/commercial rate increase is higher, for many of the
customers, than the 32% stated in the release.
My calculations are as follows. Based on my last 2 years of water usage, my increase will be
from 47% to as high as 90%. My greatest water usage was around 50,000 gallons per month in
the last 2 years.
Gal/Mo IFCC Old IFCC New Increase
15,000 $17.00 $25.00 47%
20,000 $17.00 $28.00 65%
30,000 $17.00 $34.50 103%
40,000 $23.00 $41.50 80%
75,000 $44.00 $66.00 50%
100,000 $59.00 $83.50 42%
200,000 $119.00 $153.50 29%
400,000 $239.00 $293.50 23%
From 0 to 15000 gallons a flat rate of $25
A rate of $0.6 for each 1000 gallons of usage in excess of 15,000 to
25,000 gallons
A rate of $0.7 for each 1000 gallons of usage in excess of 25,000
gallons
Formula: $25+(.6*(1 to 10) for water usage up to 25,000 gallons
Formula: $25+6 + (.7*(1 to 375) for water usage in excess from 25,000
to 400,000 gallons
The percentage increase in rate appears to favor the customers that use the greatest amount
of water. In a state where conservation should be a priority, I think the rate change should
be structured to encourage less water use and therefore the more water used the greater the
incremental cost of water.
2) Some customers who live at the top of the Holiday Hills #5 subdivision (Greenbrier Dr,
Oakmont Dr and Bellerive Dr) and County Club Hills subdivision (South County Club Dr)
apparently have experienced low water pressure at times during the summer months of high
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water irrigation for landscape. Some customers have been told by County Club Hills Utility
that a computer system that allows the two wells to 'communicate' and be monitored from the
office on Yellowstone, if installed, may help alleviate this problem. With the rate increase
the time might be right to install this computer monitoring system.
3)On those rare occasion when the system goes down (usually due to pump failure) the utility
needs to set up a phone contact system to alert customers of the problem. Most of the time a
major system interruption occurs during high water use in the summer. Contacting customers in
a timely manner and informing them to curtail landscape irrigation may allow the system to
maintain its integrity for longer period of time. A possible solution to the manpower
shortage would be to have the book keeper do the phone contacting. Also having an email
address and/or a website might be helpful.
4)As per the IPUC website, the last rate increase for County Club Hill Utility was in 2005
not, as stated, in 1990.
The form submitted on http://www.puc.idaho.gov/forms/iDucl/ipuc.html
IP address is 216.201.66.254
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