20051220press release.htm

./121505_EagWatUniWat_files/filelist.xml IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
9.35 pt 2 IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION Case No. EAG-W-05-03, UWI-W-05-03, Order No. 29929 December 15, 2005 Contact: Gene Fadness (208) 334-0339

Website:
http://www.puc.idaho.gov/www.puc.idaho.gov

United Water granted authority to serve Eagle subdivision

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is authorizing a request by Hillview Development Corporation that United Water Idaho be issued a certificate to serve customers within a 41-lot Eagle subdivision.

Part of the Covenant Hills subdivision at 1501 and 1601 Floating Feather Road, Eagle, is within United Water’s service territory and part of it is inside Eagle Water Company territory. Eagle Water (not the same as the City of Eagle’s municipal water system) challenged a proposed order issued earlier by the commission granting United Water authority to serve the subdivision.

Hillview Development Corporation, developers of the 48.5-acre subdivision, wants the site served by only one water company. Eagle Water Company, according to the developers, has not been able to guarantee adequate service until it secures the necessary property easements to complete a water line to serve the subdivision. The developers maintained that Eagle Water has not put forth the necessary effort to obtain the easements. Hillview is also concerned about a moratorium placed on Eagle Water by the state Department of Environmental Quality that prohibits additional connection to Eagle Water’s system until enough water is provided to meet minimum peak-hour demand.

Eagle Water did get permission from DEQ to proceed in its attempt to secure easements and construct the system with the contingency that if Eagle Water is unable to obtained the required easements by April 1, 2006, or is not able to meet DEQ’s minimum requirements by that date, that it would relinquish the Covenant Hill subdivision to United Water.

The commission, however, found that contingency unacceptable. The commission said such a plan does not provide the developer with the certainty of a specific provider and subjects the developer to the conflicting service requirements, engineering design and specifications of two separate water companies.

“The developer should not be held hostage to the company’s (Eagle Water) current difficulties in remedying identified system deficiencies and its failure to timely address Hillview’s request for service,” the commission said.

A full text of the commission’s order, along with other documents related to this case, are available on the commission’s Web site at
http://www.puc.idaho.gov/www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on “File Room” and then on “Water Cases” and scroll down to Case No. EAG-W-05-03 or UWI-W-05-03.