Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current, August 06, 2014, Page 7, Image 7

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    Spilyay Tymoo, Warm Springs, Oregon
The summer exhibit
at the Museum at
Warm Springs is
Celebrating Native
American Youth:
Today’s Youth,
Tomorrow’s
Leaders.
The museum is open
9-5 p.m. daily.
August 6, 2014
Births
Keo Kim Wahnetah
Clarence
Chad
McKinley and Kari Marie
Wahnetah of War m
Springs are pleased to an-
nounce the birth of their
son Keo Kim Wahnetah,
born on July 16, 2014.
Grandparents on the
father’s side are Martha
and Solo Jr. Stewart of
Warm Springs.
Grandparents on the
mother’s side are Chico
Holliday and Monica
Wahnetah, of War m
Springs.
Jessamyn Jean Sampson
Gary Sampson Jr. and
Indian Head Casino
Angela Sanders are
pleased to announce the
birth of their daughter
Jessamyn Jean Sampson,
born on June 29, 2014 in
Bend.
Jessamyn joins her two
brothers, Gary Sampson
III and Tyler Anderson, as
well as sister Arrita
Sampson.
Grandparents on the
father’s side are Gary
Sampson
Sr.
of
Pendleton, and Valerie
Squiemphen of War m
Springs; and Jeff and
Shirley Sanders of Warm
Springs.
Water: project could be grant funded
(Continued from page 1)
This is a problem for vari-
ous reasons. For instance,
capital improvements to the
system are hard to accom-
plish, as most of the budget
goes toward operation.
Another issue is one of
fairness. Some households
use an average amount of
water, while others are using
much more than average.
And the tribal general fund
subsidizes the entire opera-
tion.
In other words: Some
households use the system
much more than others, and
yet the cost is shared evenly,
which is not exactly fair to
those who use a reasonable
amount of water.
Households that over-use
water might not be aware of
the situation, as they might
not be aware of leaky pipes.
Most of the residential units
on the reservation have no
water meter, so there is no
way to tell how much water
is going in to the household.
And without a meter, a leaky
pipe can go undetected for
years.
The solution would be to
install water meters for all
connections, and then have
someone check the meters to
see how much water each unit
is using. This could be done
through a grant from the
USDA.
A second step in the pro-
cess would be to develop a
rate system based on the
amount of water that each
household is using.
This would be a major
change, but there are ways to
make the change as easy as
possible. For instance, the
rate could be zero dollars for
households that use an aver-
age amount of water.
The cost might be $1 a
month for each thousand gal-
lons a household uses above
the average. And there might
be exemptions for house-
holds that show they cannot
afford another monthly bill.
Tribal Council heard this
information during a meeting
last week with tribal planner
Lonny Macy, engineer Travis
Wells, water/wastewater en-
gineer Roy Spino, and eco-
nomic and financial analyst
Ray Bartlett.
Bartlett said the USDA
would be a great place to look
for grant funding to get this
project under way.
The benefit in the end
would be a much more effi-
Page 7
cient water system, lessening
the burden on the treatment
plants. Meanwhile, Bartlett
said, with no water meters and
no rate system, there is no
incentive for anyone to con-
serve water. The only proven
way to encourage conserva-
tion, he said, is through a rate
system based on usage.
As a side benefit, this pro-
gram would create some jobs,
as people would be needed to
install the meters and read
them. A person trained in this
kind of work can find a job
most anywhere, as all com-
munities have water systems.
The billing and collection
system would also require
new employees. Tribal Coun-
cil will meet again on this
matter on August 19.
Employee of the Month
Jennifer Hintsala
J ennifer Hintsala is
the Indian Head
Casino Employee of
the Month for July.
Jennifer is a Player’s
Club host, and was
nominated because of
her dependability, team
work, and self-initia-
tive. But more impor-
tantly she provides
great customer service,
and has a carefree
attitude that the guests
enjoy. Congratulations
Jennifer!
Beads, Native American Gifts, Museum,
Deli, Grocery, Ice, Fishing Permits,
Western Union, Check-Free Bill Pay,
ATM and Much More!
2132 Warm Springs St., Warm
Springs - ph. 541-553-1597