Wiggins Metering Application

• Project Type: Ag/Muni Grant
• Contract/PO #: C153646
• Applicant: Town of Wiggins
• Project Name: Metering Project
• Title: Grant Application
• Date: 2/26/1993
• County: Morgan
• Water Conservation - Doc Type: Application

EXHIBIT 1

The Town of Wiggins completed a Water Improvement Project in the Fall
of 1992, this project consisted of a 500,000 gal.water storage tank, addi-
tional well improvements and distribution improvements. This project
cost $557,000 to complete, while this was a needed project to upgrade the
Wiggins water system it has not helped in decreasing the useage by the
residents. Therefore the Wiggins Town Council has decided after a long
and detailed study that metering is the only fair and equitable way of
providing water to the citizens of Wiggins.

The proposed Meter Project will include the whole Town, which will
meter residential, business and public facilities. The project will have
to be done in phases as it is to large of a project to complete at once.
The first phase that we are going to do is the residential, this is
where we are requesting the financial assistance with at this time.
There are 179 residential taps in the Town of Wiggins, we have installed
12 meters in various parts of Town to keep track of the useage by these
residents so as to be able to get an idea as to how the transition of
changing the billing from a flat rate to a metered rate will be imposed.

The need for the meter project is great, the Town of Wiggins has a
very useage per capita. The useage in 1992 was 190,178 gals./person/year
.or 521 gals./person/day this is 3 to 5 times the national average. The
Town has taken measures to conserve water previously such as every other
day watering restrictions and ordinances prohibiting the wasting of water.
As you can see this has not had a great affect on the useage, the reason
being 1 feel is the flat rate/month all you can use mode of billing.
Attached you will find exhibit 1A which will show the useage of the last
three years. The Towns source of supply is ground water wells located
in the North Kiowa Bijou Groundwater Management District, The water table
has been decreasing for the last several years. These wells are also on
the State of Colo. Lands which we lease from the State Land Board, the
most recent lease calls for an escallating rate to be paid for by the
amount used/1,000 gals. not the flat fee as was previously paid. This
will take affect in 1994 and could cost the Town 10 times the old lease
rateif we cannot get the consumption lowered.

The implementation of the project would not be that hard, we plan
for the installation to begin in July and be complete by the 1st of Oct.
there will be a 30 to 60 day transition period and the actual billing
will begin on Jan. 1, 1994. During the installation phase of the project
there will be public meetings and various imformation made available to
the public to keep them imformed and updated throughout the project.

The Town of Wiggins will be one of three participants in the meter
project, The Town will put forth $26,200 cash match and $5,975 of in-kind
match plus $5,000 from the Dept. of Local Affairs(this money is 'left over
from the Water Improvement Project of 1992 and we're being allowed to keep
this for the meter project). You may want to contact Mr. Kent Gumina of
the DOLA and visit with him on their participation. The third and final
participant in this project is the Colo. Water Conservation Board, where-by
I am requesting your assistance and participation by funding our project
through your Conservation Grant Program in the Amount of $42,556.00.