Provide services, construction, and maintenance of the City's Water system. Provide for the delivery of safe, high quality water for all water users. This is an Enterprise Fund. Charges for services make up nearly all of its revenue.
Drinking Water Operations - Provide support for the operation and maintenance of water distribution system, storage reservoirs, wells, pumps, fire hydrants, emergency interties, telemetry and related equipment.
- Sustain, operate and maintain the City's water facilities and systems to provide clean water to our customers
- Daily monitoring of the water system including wellhead checks that include flow documentation
- Daily emergency pumping equipment inspections and continuous operation of the chlorine injection system
- Daily monitoring of pumping operations and their relation to available storage and customer demand
- Weekly sampling and reports to the Department of Health with 100% compliance
- Meter change out program (100 meters replaced)
- Diamond cut and repaired valve cans on Main Street and Parkway Avenue (20)
- Inventoried and repaired all fire hydrants
- Began backflow prevention program with commercial and industrial customers
- Installed 7 new backflow prevention devices at city facilities and sewer lift stations
- Cleaned and inspected the inside of 2 reservoirs
- Completed leak detecting flyer for citizens
- Certified staff in Water Distribution Manager levels 1 and 3
- Certified staff in Cross Connection Specialist (CCS) and Backflow Assembly Testing (BAT)
- Begin backflow prevention program with residential customers
|
2004 |
2005 |
2006 Estimate |
2007 Projection |
Replace Meters |
50 units |
50 units |
100 units |
100 units |
Inventory System |
15% |
15% |
25% |
25% |
Clean Valve Cans |
0 |
0 |
0 |
100 units |
Replace Valve Cans |
0 |
0 |
20 units |
100 units |
Washing Machine: 25-40 Gallons per load
Dishwasher: 20-30 Gallons per load
Bath Tub: 25-30 Gallons
Toilet: 4-6 Gallons per flush
Shower: 3-5 Gallons per minute
- 1 Unit = 1 ccf = 748 gallons
- Each 5/8" outside hose will discharge
- 200-300 gallons per hour
- Toilets - To locate a toilet leak, take the tank lid off & flush. The water level should come up to about an inch or so below the overflow pipe. Adjust the float level control screw so the valve shuts off the water at this level. If the valve itself is leaking, you may need to call a plumber. According to the American Water Works Association, a lot of leaks occur in toilets & of those leaks, most happen at the overflow pipe or at the plunger ball inside the tank. These parts are inexpensive to replace & most packages from your hardware store have easy-to follow-directions.
A silent toilet leak is just as its name implies—silent. To detect this type of leak, try putting food coloring in the tank of your toilet. Leave it alone for at least 20 minutes. If that coloring shows up in the toilet bowl, you have what is known as a "silent" leak.
- Outside Taps - a hose is mistakenly left running, even if it is a trickle, can waste hundreds of gallons of water. To ensure against problems before they occur, shut your outside tap tightly when you shut the water off.
- Faucets - check the washers or "O" rings in the faucets & showerheads. These are easy to replace, but if you are "all thumbs", you might find that a good do-it-yourself book will help.
- Refrigerators with Ice Makers - from time to time these automatic ice makers can leak & cause water consumption to go up. Check with the dealer or plumber if you think this a possibility.
- Underground Lawn Sprinklers - are highly vulnerable as lawn mowers hit the heads & cause leaks, etc. Check in your yard for green spots in your lawn, or a soggy corner, etc.
- Old Plumbing - Old pipes are subject to leaking & should be checked as a source of leaks. Try to isolate the problem before you call you plumber.
- Household Changes - think back to any changes that might have occurred over the last several weeks. Such as an addition of a hot tub, waterbed, plumbing repairs that you might want to double check. Sometimes problems show up on newly installed lines & equipment.
- Leak Detection - Shut off all water in the house. If meter is still running, there is a leak in your system.
If you have a leak & are unable to shut off your own water valve* call: 342-5002 Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm
(*Most homes have their own water shut-off valves. These are usually located by a water heater, under the house, in the meter box, etc. It is usually painted & looks like a regular outside faucet handle; newer ones are long, slender & yellow in color.)
Water conservation is a public affair. Water consumption in Battle Ground increases dramatically with hot, summer weather. With our water system under pressure to keep up with the demand in Battle Ground, conservation is a necessary element of any plan.
You can be a participant in our conservation plan by implementing the following recommended immediate, short-term and long-term water saving tips:
Immediate Measures:
- Do not over water your lawn. Water in short, repeated intervals for best absorption. Only water every three days in the summer and 10 to 14 days in the winter.
- Water the lawn early in the morning or in the evening when evaporation is less likely to occur. Avoid watering in the heat of the day or when it is windy.
- Make sure your sprinkler is watering your lawn and plants only, not the driveway, sidewalk or street.
- Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer when they are fully loaded.
Short-term measures:
- Repair dripping faucets and leaky toilets. Dripping faucets can waste about 2,000 gallons of water each year. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day.
- Place a two- to four-inch layer of mulch around plants and trees to avoid excess evaporation.
Long-term measures:
- Install a trickle or drip irrigation system for a slow, steady supply of water to the plant roots.
- Consider native plants in your landscaping. They require less care, and many do not require supplemental watering once they are established. Check with your local nursery for native plant species.
Please help conserve your valuable water resources by conserving water use.
For additional water conservation information, download the
Water Conservation Brochure or visit the following links. The Water Conservation Brochure is in PDF format and requires
Acrobat Reader in order to be read.
