DOE BAY WATER USERS ASSOCIATION
Mailing Address: P. O. Box 28, Olga, WA 98279
Physical Address: 3634 Pt. Lawrence Road
Voice and Fax: (360) 376-4990
PROSPECTIVE MEMBER INFORMATION
This brochure is offered to provide potential members and others with information about the Doe Bay Water Users Association (DBWUA) and its water system. The brochure also describes the steps and provides the forms necessary to apply for membership in the Association.
This brochure is intended for general informational purposes. Operation of the Association is governed by its Bylaws, Conditions of Service Governing the Use and Supply of Water, Distribution Design and Construction Standards, policies and procedures, the laws and regulations of San Juan County and the State of Washington and similar instruments that exist or may be amended or created in the future.
The Doe Bay Water Users Association is a non-profit Washington corporation owned by its members and chartered to deliver Washington State Health Department approved drinking water to its members who live in the Southeast quadrant of Orcas Island. Our water system is fully approved by the Washington State Department of Health and has been awarded its highest "Green" category Operating Permit.
We have water rights of 181 acre-feet per year (about 59 million gallons) and are allowed a maximum withdrawal rate of about 404 gallons per minute from Mountain Lake.
Mountain Lake lies at an altitude of 915 feet on the South flank of Mount Constitution. Our raw water transmission main runs about 1-1/2 miles from the dam at the south end of the lake to our treatment plant at an elevation of 680 feet above Doe Bay/Doe Island. Our north main line extends from the plant to end just south of Pt. Lawrence. The south main serves both the shoreline and highlands south through Obstruction Pass. In all, the system has about 13 miles of 4", 6" and 8" and 10² transmission and distribution mains.
Major upgrading of water treatment and storage facilities was completed in 1988. Provision was made during this construction for the later addition of six (6) additional filters and two (2) more storage tanks as required. We believe that present water rights and facilities, together with the planned future capital additions, will provide capacity sufficient to meet the long term needs of the Association's service area.
Mountain Lake water is currently filtered through two 30' diameter slow-sand filters, chlorinated and then stored in a 265,000 gallon storage tank. The treatment plantıs rated maximum capacity is about 140 gpm or about 200,000 gallons per day. We have an additional storage tank with 50,000 gallon capacity to provide total storage of 315,000 gallons of treated water in order to meet peak demands or disruptions to water treatment.
Most homes in our service area are connected to the water system. This is due primarily to the extreme importance of available water to the effective use and sale of land. When the uncertainty about the quantity and quality of water from a well is added, most elect to purchase a system membership. Some members purchase their membership many years in advance of home construction simply to guarantee availability of an adequate supply of safe drinking water to the property.
Our service area contains about 3,000 acres and has a total shoreline length of about 6 miles along Rosario Strait and Obstruction Pass. The service area is bounded by State lands at Point Lawrence on the North, by Moran Park on the North and Northwest, by Rosario Strait and Obstruction Pass on the East and South and by our agreed boundary with Olga Water Users, Inc. on the South and West.
Most of this service area is served by transmission and distribution mains, although it may be some distance from these mains to the desired building site on a given property. Specifically, we are authorized to serve property in the areas listed below and shown on the attached map:
· Sections 35 and 36,
· Sections 1, 2, 3, 10,
· The E 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Section 9, and
· The E 1/2 of the NE 1/4 and the S 1/2 of Section 16, and The N 1/2 of Section 21 (excluding Obstruction Island)
The Association is governed by an elected Board of seven (7) Directors with five (5) year overlapping terms. The officers are President, Vice-President, and Secretary-Treasurer. The Association employs a Superintendent and a General Manager. Bookkeeping, accounting, legal and engineering services are provided by outside consultants.
Association business is conducted by the Officers and employees under the direction of the Board of Directors in accordance with the bylaws. Major membership involvement usually occurs at our annual meeting. This meeting and election of Directors is held at 9:30 A. M. on Labor Day Sunday at the Doe Bay Community Hall. Attendance is limited to members and their invited guests, as approved by the President. Each member has one vote in any Association election, regardless of the number of membership certificates held.
About one month prior to the annual meeting, the Board prepares and mails to all members a reasonably comprehensive annual report. The report content serves as an outline of the matters to be discussed at the annual meeting and also keeps those not able to attend informed of Association activity and status.
The Association's net assets are about $1.2 million, although system replacement cost is probably more than $2 million. The Association is currently free of long-term debt. All extensions of system transmission and distribution mains are paid for by those who benefit from the installation. Similarly, all costs of connecting a residence to the system are paid by the home owner. The upgrading of system components not directly caused by a new service, such as the filter and storage tanks, is paid from Association capital reserves or borrowed funds.
Association capital reserves are funded from General Membership purchases by new members. The membership value is established by determining future capital improvements needed for expansion. Membership costs are adjusted annually by the Seattle area inflation rate. We follow this approach to try to insure that each member has paid about the same amount for their membership in "real" dollars.
Operating costs are funded by annual membership, consumption-based, transfer and penalty fees as well as earnings on invested sums. DBWUA charges for water consumption over 6,000 gallons/month during the summer.
The Associationıs water system provides a large number of fire hydrants distributed across our water mains.
Our agreements with the County Commissioners require that new homes built by our members must be within 1,000 road-feet from a fire hydrant. Thus, we do not allow a member to connect to the system unless the member agrees to install a hydrant, if one does not then lie within 1,000 road-feet of the planned construction site.
Due to the small, rural character of the DBWUA system, DBWUA cannot assure or guarantee that there will be sufficient minimum fire flows to meet County or other governmental standards at all hydrants and in all circumstances. Issues such as limitations on storage of treated water, operating pressures in the system and heavy demands on the system in the event of certain fire events and seasonal demands can and will affect fire flows at the hydrants.
Members are encouraged to discuss ³best practices² fire prevention and fire fighting issues with a representative of our fire department. The fire department can advise you on important issues such as: frequent chimney cleaning, fire truck access, smoke alarms, outdoor burning regulations and how to manage the interface between your living space and the wild lands. Fire risks are seasonally high on Orcas Island and it requires vigilance by all of us to minimize the risk of fire.
As of October, 2004 the Association had 334 memberships about 275 are connected to the system. Full-time resident households range from a low of about 100 during the winter to about 200 during the summer.
The Associationıs service area was selected based upon existing water rights and current zoning to allow adequate service to all in the area. We estimate that our maximum number of services will ultimately be limited to about 550 connections serving 700 living units. This estimate may change depending upon the availability of water rights,state regulations, or county land use ordinances.
An Association member may own any number of connected memberships. However, the By-Laws ordinarily limit a member to owning only one unconnected membership and only one membership per year can be purchased. Memberships can only be resold to DBWUA. They may, of course, be transferred to others as part of the property sale/transfer.
When a membership is purchased it is assigned to the parcel of land specified by the member and cannot be reassigned to another parcel of land except by petition to and approval by the Board of Directors. Generally, permission to transfer a membership to another land parcel will only be granted if both are owned by the same individual and the membership is not removed from a parcel with an existing building.
Memberships may not be transferred directly between individuals. When land which has an assigned membership is sold, the membership is usually transferred to the new land owner by the seller. The seller is required to promptly surrender his/her certificate to DBWUA and request that the Association reissue a new certificate to the purchaser. A transfer fee is charged the seller for this service. An inspection of the property to confirm conformance to DBWUA requirements is a condition of the membership transfer. A property that is not in conformance with these requirements will be required to come into conformance as a condition of the membership transfer. Pro-rating of annual fees or consumption-based fees is left to the two parties to resolve.
The Association will repurchase an unused General Membership from a member at the exact price at which the membership was originally purchased from the Association, provided it has surplus funds available for this purpose at that time.
Membership purchase fees are shown on the fee schedule attached to the bylaws.T he Board of Directors has determined that all membership purchase fees must be paid in cash before a membership will be awarded and connection can be made to the system.
Doe Bay Water Users Association General Membership purchase fee is required of all members when they join the Association. The Tax Parcel Numbers (TPN) shown on the fee schedule are also obligated to pay for a special additional membership.
The Association provides standard hook-up kits (at your cost) to connect your home to its mains; none other may be used. We also must inspect all connections to the water system prior to covering with backfill. Only Association approved contractors may connect your service to our water system (call DBWUA for this list).
If, in the judgment of the Association, your property will be best served from an extension of our mains, you will be required to pay all costs of extending the main to serve your property. The general rule is that the line will be extended to the midpoint of your property along our planned route for that line. We will try to arrange for as many members as possible to share in these extension costs.
Members pay the same annual operations fee regardless of the amount of water used. This policy is followed since the vast majority of our operating costs are generated keeping the system ready to deliver State and Federally approved water to all of our members, regardless of the amount of water delivered. We are a gravity operated system and only the cost of disinfecting water and infrequent filter maintenance are influenced by the amount of water we deliver.
Consumption during the summer is metered and billed in accordance with our fee schedule. The schedule is conservation-oriented and most of our members find that they do not have to pay any additional charges if they practice conservation techniques.
A transfer fee is charged to transfer each membership to a new owner. These fees are generally paid by the selling member.
Penalty fees, as identified by the bylaws and the fee schedule, will be levied when applicable.
10.1 CONTACT DBWUA
The applicant makes contact with DBWUA for the package of information needed.
10.2 APPLICANT SENDS IN FORMS AND FEES
Application for membership in the Association can be started by completing the Prospective Member Data Form and mailing it to the address shown. The information that we require before a membership can be offered is identified on the form.
Members are required to return a completed standard easement for waterline purposes over all of their property which will be served by the Association. The text for our standard easement is attached.
All fees must be presented with the completed Application for Membership form.
If the application is for a membership transfer, it must be accompanied by the existing membership certificate(s) or written confirmation from the current owner authorizing the transfer.
Arrangements for an inspection of the property must be arranged by the applicant.
10.3 DBWUA INSPECTION/FINALIZING OF APPLICATON
When DBWUA has received the above forms and fees an inspection will be conducted with the applicant or applicant's agent. When the property has passed the inspection, a membership certificate will be issued and transfer will be completed.
It is our goal to provide you with an adequate supply of safe water at a fair price. In order to accomplish this it is necessary to periodically reassess our abilities, resources, and capacities. Conditions change and DBWUA will have to change with them. It is important that you recognize how these changes will affect you and that you understand that the conditions under which you bought your membership may change.
Your continued involvement in your Association's affairs will make for a better water system. Since you own this system and have made a considerable investment in it, we encourage you to become involved and informed.
We are proud of our Association, its water system, and its performance and enjoy discussing all aspects of Association operations. If you have questions, comments or suggestions for improved operation, please write, call or drop by!