I. President’s Corner

First, I would like to introduce myself as the new President of the water board, after Gary Clarke, a founding board member of the water co-op, begged to be allowed to resign after 17 years as President, and a total 33 years on the board of directors. He has conceded, at least, to stay on the board. His leadership has carried us through numerous crises and improvements. We all owe him a hearty thank you. We also owe thanks to Dennis DiBello, and his office staff and crew, who actually carry out all the work of the co-op.

The state of the Water Co-op is good, despite the wrench the Covid-19 pandemic threw into our operations. We have six water pumping stations and eight wells which provide service to almost 800 homes, and which are, with minor exceptions, in good working order, providing redundancy in the event of a pump or well failure. Our water consistently passes all required testing.

By the time Gov. Hogan's ban on shutting off utility services for lack of payment was rescinded, more than a few customers had substantial back due bills, and thanks to Cheryl Houchen and the rest of the office staff, we have collected most of the money that is due, without having to shut off the water in any occupied homes. I would like to thank you all for being responsive. We understand that the last year has been challenging for many of you. We would like to be able to provide water for free, but alas, in the real world, it takes money to build and maintain the infrastructure, pump the water, and even bill for the water.

As you should know, we have instituted a new billing system, one that is easier for both us and our customers. While credit card payments will get a slight surcharge, bank drafts and checks are free. You can sign up at http://beacheswater.com.

As a true co-op, each member owns a piece of the company. Anything that increases our costs increases each member's obligation. Please do not tamper with the lids to meter pits which contain the water meters. This is illegal and may result in your being charged for any damages. And please try not to hit them with lawn mowers, as the antennas which report the water usage can be damaged. Just a reminder, the co-op owns the water pipes up to the meter pit; from the meter pit to the home they are the property and responsibility of the home owner.

Assuming public gatherings will be allowed, there will be an annual meeting of the Beaches Water Company on September 12. Please attend if you can or at least mail in your proxy vote to be eligible for a $100 credit toward your water bill. Thank you!

II. Water System Operations, Maintenance & Improvements

As I stated in our last newsletter, the operation and maintenance of the Beaches Water Company (BWC) is dependent highly on the infrastructure of the system. The infrastructure consists of the pumps, controls, wells, tanks piping, valves, hydrants, and meters. Most of our active infrastructure is rather new since we have to maintain it to keep operating and it is obvious when there is an issue. That leaves our passive infrastructure which consists mainly of the piping and tanks. With these, we do not know there is a problem, especially with the underground piping, until we have a leak and that leak makes its way to the surface.

Monthly, we track the difference between the water pumped and the water billed to the members. The difference is considered water losses (leaks.) Nationally, the average water loss is 10%. BWC's water losses are generally less than 1% but may increase up to 10% when we have had a major leak. We do appreciate the community members who report leaks to us. We check them out as soon as possible. Minor leaks are put on the plumbers' regular schedule whereas major leaks are scheduled as an emergency. Of course emergencies cost more to repair.

Currently a majority of our maintenance and repair is contracted out so we must manage costs to not exceed our budget. Like everything else repair costs have risen to the point that fixing 4-5 leaks on the same street segment costs as much as replacing the whole line on that street segment.

Consequently we are in the process of devising a replacement strategy to upgrade piping on the worst performing street segments. With our current budget we hope to do 2-3 street segments a year. It will be a continuous ongoing plan that may never end. I estimate we have over 50 streets with many segments that have piping that is 50-60 years old. To do it all in one shot would take more than a million and a half dollars. The "piece-meal" approach allows it to fit our annual budget. In the advent, infrastructure money becomes available to BWC we could accelerate the program.

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

There will be no increase in water rates for the fiscal year 2021-2022 as the new budget is 6% lower than the prior year.

BEACHES WATER CO-OP RELEASES NEW ONLINE CUSTOMER WEB PORTAL

• One-step secure bill payment with "Quick Pay"
• Credit cards, debit cards and ACH Bank Draft Payments
• Sign up for recurring payments
• Use the electronic wallet feature to store payment methods (secured)
• Sign up for paperless services via email
• Manage your account settings

2020 Annual Water Quality & Consumer Confidence Report

Our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements for community drinking water. In 2020s, there were no water quality violations.

Annual Water Quality Report for the period of January 1 to December 31, 2020

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	7/18/2019	1.3	1.3	0.2	0	ppm	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Leaching from wood preservatives; Corrosion of household plumbing systems
Lead	7/18/2019	0	15	2.9	0	ppb	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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

na: not applicable.

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

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

ppm: milligrams per liter or parts per million - or one ounce in 7,350 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	2020	0.6	0.5-0.6	MRDLG = 4	MRDL = 4	ppm	N	Water additive used to control microbes.
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	2020	2	2.4 - 2.4	No goal for the total	60	ppb	N	By-product of drinking water disinfection
Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM)	2020	6	6.2 - 6.2	No goal for the total	80	ppb	N	By-product of drinking water disinfection

 

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.	2020	6	4 - 7.7	0	10	ppb	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Runoff from orchards; Runoff from glass and electronics production wastes.
Fluoride	2020	0.3	0.2 - 0.3	4	4.0	ppm	N	Erosion of natural deposits; Water additive which promotes strong teeth; Discharge from fertilizer and aluminum factories.

 

Radioactive Contaminants	Collection Date	Highest Level Detected	Range of Levels Detected	MCLG	MCL	Units	Violation	Likely Source of Contamination
Beta/photon emitters	2020	13.2	11.4 - 13.2	0	50	pCi/L	N	Decay of natural and man-made deposits.
Haloacetic Acids (HAA5)	2020	0.7	0 - 0.7	0	5	pCi/L	N	Erosion of natural 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.