I. President’s Corner

The Beaches Water Cooperative has had a successful year. Fritz Riedel suggested last year that we track income monthly to assess where we stood compared to budget, which monthly billing allows us to do. It has been very helpful to have that feedback each month since we now know where we stand financially and how much water we used. For the first full year of metered billing, we were pleasantly surprised to see that the basis for our Green Grant which allowed us to install the meters was more than justified, since it was based on water conservation. Total water withdrawal in 2015 was 47,093,420 gallons, compared to 37,048,400 gallons in 2017! A reduction of 10 million gallons can be directly attributed to changing to a meter-based system. It is doubtful that any of us really had any idea how much water we were using to run our households. The meters allow us to know what we use each month, individually and collectively, allowing us to see what we use and what it costs.

The two aquifers we draw water from, the Aquia and Nanjemoy, particularly the Aquia, have been depleted over time in Southern Maryland by increased population and too many individual wells. A reduction of 10,000,000 gallons of water used by our community over one year is a literal drop in the bucket in Southern Maryland, but it is an important reduction. Individual wells are still permitted in the Aquia, since the next lower aquifer requires a well over 1000' deep, far too expensive to make that well affordable for one household, and too expensive for our cooperative as well. Keep up the good work of reducing your water usage and your water bills. We do not plan a rate increase now and will continue to watch the budget closely. Thank you!

For the first time, for nearly a year we have had a full complement of Directors on the Board of the Cooperative. Each Director brings past-experience and concerns for their community to bear on their position on the Board. Fritz Riedel has served as Vice President of the Co-op for some years. J.R. Mathers took over from Sandy Anderson as Secretary-Treasurer. He recently retired and has recently decided to move from the community, making him ineligible for membership. His excellent work will be missed. Dan Crain is a long-time resident and has been a valuable asset, with a background in plumbing. John Collins was a career firefighter before volunteering for the Board. Frank DiGeorge joined the Board last year. Tom Forgette is a decades-long resident of Long Beach. Tom has also volunteered to take J.R. Mathers place as the new Secretary-Treasurer. My thanks to all of them for their voluntary participation in this important work. They are all active in discussions of how we are doing and how we can continue to improve our cooperative. We are now a Director short on the Board so would like to hear from anyone interested in volunteering.

Lastly, I cannot overstate the importance of Dennis DiBello and his office team. Dennis has made so many lasting improvements to our cooperative, first as a member of the Board of Directors, and for the last 22 years, as our Business Manager, Superintendent, and Water System Operator. Dennis has been tireless in improving our water system every year, bringing long engineering experience to the care and maintenance and improvement of the BWC. He is by nature a thrifty individual who does everything to save money while constantly improving our system.

Jackie Jacob, our Bookkeeper, was previously a CPA when she joined us, and has organized and improved our financial systems over the years, as well as being the driving force of our application for the Grant which means so much to us.

Cheryl Houchen is the Secretary and receptionist who is the contact point for everyone who calls the office. She is a great organizer and knowledgeable and patient with callers who are often upset or bewildered. She calmly acts to help them get the answers they need. She is our front-line resource and yours too.

Their collective activities recently resulted in an invitation from the USDA for us to meet with them in Washington to explain what our community went through to create a successful cooperative. Our original Farmers Home Loan was through USDA and what enabled the original success of the cooperative.

Our capital budget this year will be focused on improvements to old control systems and leaks which Dennis tracks on a community map to focus on where attention is needed. He has also initiated a GIS (Geographic Information System) to map exact locations of meters, valves, pipelines, and connections in the entire community to enable ongoing maintenance. The Gerard Plant at the beachfront has been rebuilt and the obsolete tank removed. Some pipelines which have experienced chronic leaks will be replaced this coming year. Dennis and his crew make every effort to improve the system with each repair.

We continue to have as many as one-hundred members who do not pay their bills on time, which is costly for us. Calvert County may be able to help if you are having financial difficulties, but as a co-op, our bills must be paid.

II. Water System Operations, Maintenance & Improvements

Our design and equipment improvements are paying off with another year of high reliable operation with only a few minor disruptions in local areas.

As many of you may recall from past discussions our community's physical elevations range from sea level to about 138 feet above sea level. This has an effect on head pressure in the system. A foot of water elevation adds 0.433 psi to the system pressure. So essentially, water at 0 psi at the office (138 ft elevation) would read 60 psi (at sea level.) Consequently we can have variations at your house from 40 psi at the highest points to 75 psi at lower points. We have a few pressure regulators to prevent excessive pressures at the lowest levels and are looking to where we may install more.

These head pressures coupled with the thermo expansion in the water heater can cause a water heater relief valve to lift. During the meter project we informed everyone that they should have an thermo expansion tank on the water heater because with the meter pit installation an individual back flow preventer was installed on each home. That back flow preventer will not allow water to flow backwards into the system and prevents cross connection contamination. For those folks who have not installed those pressure tanks, there is a chance when the water heater turns on, thermo expansion will increase pressures and can rise to the point of lifting the water heater relief valve. This is because as the water is heated it expands but can no longer flow back into the system. We highly recommend to those who have not installed this expansion tank to do so at the earliest possible opportunities to prevent a lifting of these relief valves. Water heater maintenance requires that once a relief valve lifts or after a certain age it should be replaced.

And on the subject of water heater maintenance some of you may know that the manufacturers' recommend that water heaters be flushed out every 1-3 years. The flushing of these water heaters removes sediment that can build up in the tanks. For more information on either one of the subjects please read your owner's manual or call me at the office

If you have any questions about the Operation or Maintenance of the system please give us a call.

V/R,

Dennis DiBello, Business Manager and Superintendent

III. Financials & Water Rates

How your bill is calculated. For example if you used 3011 gallons:

Similar rate scales are used by the Calvert County water systems and the Chesapeake Ranch Estates Water Co-op. These rates are based on the projected budget for next year (approximately $459,894). Fortunately, the months included both low and high use months, so we have a good idea of the how much revenue different schemes should produce.

The "Bay Restoration Fee", i.e. Flush Tax, of $15 per quarter will be apportioned as $5 monthly payments on the monthly water bill.

2017 Annual Water Quality & Consumer Confidence Report

Our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements for community drinking water. In 2017, there were no water quality violations.

Annual Water Quality Report for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2017

This report is intended to provide you with important information about your drinking water and the efforts made by the water system to provide safe drinking water.

The source of drinking water used by BEACHES WATER CO-OPERATIVE is Ground Water: Nanjemoy and Aquia confined aquifers.

Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre el agua que usted bebe. Tradúzcalo ó hable con alguien que lo entienda bien.

Lead and Copper	Date Sampled	MCLG	Action Level (AL)	90th Percentile	# Sites Over	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Copper	7/13/2016	1.3	1.3	0.32	0	ppm	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives; Corrosion of household plumbing systems
Lead	7/13/2016	0	15	6.6	0	ppm	N	Corrosion of household plumbing systems; Erosion of natural deposits.

Water Quality Test Results

Avg: Regulatory compliance with some MCLs are based on running annual average of monthly samples.

Level 1 Assessment: A Level 1 assessment is a study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system.

Level 2 Assessment: A Level 2 assessment is a very detailed study of the water system to identify potential problems and determine (if possible) why an E. coli MCL violation has occurred and/or why total coliform bacteria have been found in our water system on multiple occasions.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as feasible using the best available treatment technology.

Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety.

Maximum residual disinfectant level (MRDL): The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial contaminants.

Maximum residual disinfectant level goal (MRDLG): The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial contaminants.

mrem: millirems per year (a measure of radiation absorbed by the body)

na: not applicable.

ppm: milligrams per liter or parts per million - or one ounce in 7,350 gallons of water.

ppb: micrograms per liter or parts per billion - or one ounce in 7,350,000 gallons of water.

Treatment Technique or TT: A required process intended to reduce the level of a contaminant in drinking water.

Disinfectants and Disinfection By-Products	Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Chlorine	2017	0.8	0.7-0.8	MRDLG = 4	MRDL = 4	ppm	N	Water additive used to control microbes.
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)	2017	4	3.57 - 3.57	No goal for the total	80	ppb	N	By-product of drinking water disinfection

Not all sample results may have been used for calculating the Highest Level Detected because some results may be part of an evaluation to determine where compliance sampling should occur in the future

Inorganic Contaminants	Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Arsenic - While your drinking water meets EPA standards for arsenic, it does contain low levels of arsenic. EPAs standard balances the current understanding of arsenics possible health effects against the costs of removing arsenic from drinking water. EPA continues to research the health effects of low levels of arsenic, which is a mineral known to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and is linked to other health effects such as skin damage and circulatory problems.	2017	10	4.5 - 12.3	0	10	ppb	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and electronics production wastes.
Fluoride	2017	0.3	0.3 - 0.3	4	4.0	ppm	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.
Nitrate [measured as Nitrogen]	2017	0.2	0 - 0.2	10	10	ppm	N	Runoff from fertilizer use; Leaching from septic tanks, sewage; Erosion of natural deposits.
Radioactive Contaminants	Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Beta/photon emitters	12/19/2012	13.1	13.1 - 13.1	0	4	mrem/yr	N	Decay of natural and man-made deposits.

Terminology used in this report is what is generally accepted as a means of measurement of the degree of contaminants in the water.

Contaminants include naturally occurring items in the water such as minerals and foreign matter that may or may not be acceptable based on the level detected.

Lead Statement: If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. Beaches Water Co-op is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your drinking water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791 or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by Cryptosporidium and other microbial contaminants are available from the Safe Water Drinking Hotline (800-426-4791).

  VISA and Mastercard:
We are now accepting VISA and Mastercard payments.   You may come by
 the office to make payment, pay over the phone, via www.beacheswater.com
 or include credit card billing information on your billing statement.