Co p s Co mer - By Mel Ray
Public Works News
by- Pete Vorbeck
set procedure and using a pressure gauge,
Jack can not only determine if you have a
leak but also how big the leak is. Call Public
Th e Meter is Running ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA
Works (865-3220) and schedule an appoint
ment if you suspect that leakage may be
The past month of August marks the first time
causing a high meter reading. Be prepared to
in the history of Butte Falls when the total
help Jack to do the procedure. Public Works
amount of water used by individual users was
is limited to giving advice about private prop
measured by water meters. A look at the
erty water problems. Householders will have
numbers will raise an eyebrow or two. The
to make their own arrangements for repairs.
total volume of water metered during July in
gallons was 6,155,020. That’s 6 million, 155
thousand, and 20 gallons! The High School
football field soaked up 624,000 gallons by
itself. Most of the Town ’s conservative house
hold users found their first metered bill not
much different from past bills. But a few
users experienced what could be described
as water meter shock! I used how much? NO
WAY! Some few, after looking at their August
bill, displayed what could be described as
water meter rage — meter rage being water
shock cranked up a notch or two. I used how
much? NOWAY! OUTRAGEOUS! Besides,
WATER is FREE'. Well, yes water is, in a
sense, free. Just bubbles up out of the
ground. But, getting water from spring to
faucet is far from free. Town just spent one
million 600 hundred thousand dollars up
grading the water delivery system. And, the
cost of maintaining and operating the system
is an ongoing expense.
Households that experienced high volume
gallon use during July fell into two groups.
One group just ran a lot of water. Period. Mo
other explanation for the meter reading. The
other group lad leaks of one kind or another
in the eater lines on their property. Indoor
leaks. Outdoor leaks. Faucets. Toilets.
Showers. One property had a mainline leak
that sent its meter buzzing toward 160,000
gallons of water received int eh 30 day period!
Public Works, with the expertise of Jack
Hayes, can help property owners answer the
question “ Do I have a leak? ” By following a
Making the change from an un-metered water
system, using all you please whenever you
please, to a metered system is a way of
ASKING users to become waterwise. It is also
a way of TELLING users “ Thou shaft not turn
‘er on and let ‘er run all night, for if Thou
doest, Thou shaft payest through the nose.”
Becoming waterwise is a fairly simple matter.
Keep waterlines in repair. Washers in the
faucets, especially outdoors. Water the lawn
and garden, don ’t drown them. Overwatering
a garden leaches nutrients from the soil,
makes it less productive, and the food less
nutritious. Give the lawn and garden what
they need when they need it, like house
plants.
And this is how the water goes through the
hose — an open hose will run at 18 gallons a
minute, with a sprinkler attached it will run 4.5
gallons a minute. Even a small faucet leak
running a half gallon a minute will add up to
over 22,000 gallons a month and raise the
monthly bill about $8. Running one sprinkler
for one hour will put 270 gallons on the lawn
or garden. The main thing to remember in the
water meter game is that the meter is keeping
score. In summer the score goes up, but goes
down the rest of the time. Being waterwise
boils down to keeping yard and house water
lines in repair and using common sense
watering methods during the lawn and garden
months.
Ownership of dogs comes with inherent
responsibilities. Among these are that you
may be liable for any damages incurred by
your pet to another ’s property. The Town of
Butte Falls has adopted a leash law. The
leash law requires all dogs to be on a leash or
properly housed on your property. Many
times I have seen dogs running about town.
I have tried to catch as many as I can but un
fortunately the dog many times wins. There
are also some civil liabilities that may be
incurred if you show a pattern of disregarding
the established leash laws. Please be a
responsible pet owner.
A reminder for those who wish to purchase a
dog license. I f you need to get a license for
your pet please contact Lori at City Hall. Lori
can save you a trip to Medford for your
license.
Hunting season is upon us. Many bow hunt
ers are out in the woods and transiting our
city. Soon the general season for deer will be
here. We will see an increase in vehicle traffic
as well as people traveling through with
loaded firearms in their vehicles. Please
remember to unload your weapon while
traveling to and from your hunting area.
To: Butte Fa!Is Town Council
In the past month and a half the Butte Falls
Ambulance Crew (Mercy 12) has had a few
calls where extra hands were needed.
We would like to thank Dave Teresi and Tom
Hayes for their assistance with a call that
originated in the city park. Their help on the
scene and with the helicopter landing was
appreciated.
Mel Ray with two calls that came after this
one. Both calls required extra people that we
just didn ’t have at the time. The one call
where we lost a long time resident, Jerrel,
would have been hard to do without his help.
Because he was on this call, the EMT and
First Responder were able to do procedures
that we would not have been able to perform
if Mel wasn ’t there helping with CPR.
I think a lot happens in this town that doesn ’t
get through the communication lines — the
GOOD stuff like this. I think about these last
calls and how they would have been different
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if these town employees hadn ’t been
available. Thanks again and see you on the
=1
next one!__________ By-Carrie Driskell