Photos by RANDY PARKS

As part of its ongoing water project, the city of Hines is replacing, rerouting, or installing new distribution lines. These are the lines that bring water from the water tower or water tanks to your home.

With the water improvement project under way in  the city of Hines, Hines City Administrator Kirby Letham took time to answer some frequently asked questions.

Q: Some of the residents of Hines are wondering why water rates seem so high in the city?

A: With this last billing cycle (July 1 – Aug. 31), many residents were wondering why their rates for this two-month period seemed so high. Let me give you some background.

Back in 2013, the base rate for water was $19/month, or $38/two-month billing cycle. That’s very cheap water. The consumption rate, the amount charged per cubic foot (cf) of water used was $.004/cf. Between 2013 and 2015, the city noticed a deterioration of the water system. The water tower was shot, and some of the water lines were beginning to break.

According to Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) 33-061-0060(5), “A master plan is required for every community water system with 300 or more service connections or serving more than 1,000 people and shall be maintained by the water supplier for the duration of the period to which the plan applies. Master plans shall be prepared by a professional engineer registered in Oregon and submitted to the Authority for review and approval. (a) Each master plan shall evaluate the needs of the water system for at least a 20-year period.”

This is a study that determines what shape a city water system is in, and then the plan addresses how a city moves forward. With the study, we recognized the deterioration of the system and realized the need to address how to fix the system.

Let me quote the Engineer’s Report from November 2014, “Excessive water use (over 7 feet of water being applied to lawns and gardens; compare to two feed of irrigation for local meadow hay). Over 80,000 feet of piping system, and 45 percent of that is 2 inch and 4 inch in diameter, which is useless for fire flow at hydrants. Fire hydrants are spaced too far apart and on main lines too small to provide sufficient flow. Many of the smaller lines run down alleys instead of in-street right-of-ways, many without easements across unrelated private property. Elevated 250,000-gallon reservoir shows signs of age, and the concrete foundation needs repair as soon as possible. The water in the 128-foot tower weighs just over 2 million pounds. The pumping system is old, but well maintained. Excessive pressure on the old lines is exacerbating the condition…”

The city knew that it needed funding to upgrade the system. To qualify for funding, the city had to present a plan showing the ability to pay back any loans needed to fund upgrades.

In conjunction with Anderson Perry (the engineering firm that works with the city), we developed a water rate study. The specific objectives of the study were to:

• Analyze the city’s historical water system operating budgets and expenditures and, based on this analysis, project future system operation and maintenance costs.

• Evaluate the current (at the time) rate structure and its revenue-generating capability, and list deficiencies in the existing water rate structure, if any.

• Develop an appropriate and equitable water rate structure that illustrated the potential revenue-generating capabilities of the structure.

• Develop a model that may be used to adjust rates, as required once funding was fully secured.

From 2013 to 2020, the base rate for water has gradually increased, until we are at the current rate structure. The current rate structure takes into consideration how much water you consume.

An example: If you use up to 1,000 cf of water during a billing cycle, your water charge will be $91.84.

If you use up to 2,000 cf of water during a billing cycle, your water charge will be $91.84 + $0.00 for the first 1,000 cf + $5.00 for the second 1,000 cf of water consumed for a total of $96.84.

If you use 3,000 cf of water, you will be charged $91.84 (including the first 1,000 cf of water) + $5.00 for the second 1,000 cf of water + $7.00 for the third 1,000 cf of water consumed for a total of $103.84.

Any consumption over 3,000 cf is charged at $.01/cf.

During the warmer months when residents water their yards and gardens more, they will see an increase in their water bill. It was noticed more this billing cycle than any other due to consumption.

Q. Why should I bother watering my yard and garden?

A: The city does not want residents to stop watering their yards. However, there are things that residents can do so that they are not wasting water. If you do not have a timer system for your sprinklers, set an alarm to remind you to shut off your sprinklers. If you do have a sprinkler system, make sure to use the timers. Water during the cooler part of the morning or in the evening. If you suspect you have a plumbing leak, contact a plumber to have it fixed.

Q. What upgrades are being done on the water system?

A. About 70 percent of the distribution lines (the lines that bring water from the water tower or water tanks to your home) are either being replaced or rerouted, or new lines are being installed. During the study, it was realized that the city’s fire hydrant system is insufficient for the city’s needs. We are replacing lines to fire hydrants and the hydrants themselves. We are also improving the pump houses that protect the wells. The water tower was also found to be unsafe, so we will replace the tower with a new 800,000-gallon water tank that will sit up on the hill behind the water tower. This will increase our water storage to 1.4 million gallons.

Q. What are the contractors currently doing?

A. Currently, the contractors are installing the new water lines. They have cleared ground for the new water tank up on the hill, and they are doing work on the wells, which is not as visible as the water lines.

Q. How long are the contractors expected to be working?

A. The project will probably take another year for completion (the end of summer or fall 2021). They will be working until the weather begins to change and the ground freezes. At that time, the contractors will take a 90-day hiatus and then come back to continue with the project.

Q. How do I know when the contractors will be working in my area?

A. That one is a little tougher to answer. We have a tentative schedule here at city hall that the public is more than welcome to view. The schedule does change depending on any obstacles they run into or how quickly they complete a task. For example, the contractors ran into an obstacle in one area of the city and had to move to a different area.

Q. Why are there so many people wandering around the neighborhoods?

A. We not only have the contractors in the area, but the engineers come in to oversee the work as it progresses. We have surveyors who are marking lines, and our own public works staff and myself, too. Also, at this time, there are some surveyors hired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) who are looking at the Silvies River Flood Plain. They will be in the area for a while. If anyone has any questions about the FEMA surveyors, you are welcome to contact Harney County Planning Director Brandon McMullen with your questions.

Q. When will the contractors be working in my area?

A. To find out, you can call city hall at (541) 573-2251 or check our website at cityofhines.com (click the banner for Water Project Updates). We also try to keep Facebook updated, and we will announce water shutoffs on the radio.

Q. Why is the city doing this? It is a lot of money. Why not use what we have?

A. It is a liability issue. Much of this water system is decades old, and if the system failed, people would not want to live here. If the water tower were to collapse or lines break, it would be a safety issue.

Q. Why are we paying so much?

A. The city of Hines has some of the best quality water in the state of Oregon. We do not want to have a failing system with poor water. To have an up-to-date, quality water system, we do need to pay for it. If we were to put it off, the cost would only increase over time.

Q. Will the water rates ever go down?

A. In the near future, that is not likely. The loan that the city received for the water project needs to be paid back. It will take many years before that happens. As consumers, we need to be smart about our water consumption. As we move into the cooler months, most residents will see their water bills decrease as consumption decreases, and yet again next summer, we will most likely see our rates increase as we use more water to water lawns, etc.