HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet 05/10/1999 UTILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
ROLL CALL
Call to Order: ~,~ .~ tg,.~'f ~
Members Present:
Orville Campbell, Chairman ~ Bill Myers
Joe Michalczik, Vice Chairman ~ Larry Williams
Larry Doyle ~ Glenn Wiggins (Alternate)
Members Absent:
Others Present:
UTILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
PUBLIC WORKS CONFERENCE ROOM
PORT ANGELES, WA g836~
~V~Ay I O, I
3:00
AG EN DA
I. CALL TO ORDER
II. ROLL CALL
Iii. APPROVal Of ~11NUTeS Of APRil I 2, 1999, REGULAR MELTING.
IV. DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. CABLE TELEVISION STATUS REPORT- PETE GRIGORieff, NORTHLAND CABLE REGIONAL
~IANAGER
B. DRaft WATER SUPPLY StrateGY
C. REVISED SCOPE fOR REGIONal WAter STUDY
V. INfORMaTION ONlY Items
A. FUTURE REOUIREMENTS fOR CONSERVatION AND RENEWABLE RESOURCES
B. TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND FIBER OPTIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR PORt ANGELES
VI. LATE ITEMS
VII. Next MEETING - JUNE 7, 1999
VIII. ADdOURNMENT
UTILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Port Angeles, Washington
April 12, 1999 Draft
Call to Order:
Vice Chairman Michalczik called the meeting to order at 3:10 p.m.
Il. Roll Call:
Members Present: Councilmen Doyle [3:30] and Williams [3:35], Bill Myers and Joe
Michalczik.
Members Absent: Councilman Campbell.
Staff Present: P. Ibarra, C. Knutson, R. Ellsworth, S. McLain, D. McGinley, J.
Pittis, B. Titus, C. Rinehart, and K. Godbey.
IIL ,4pproval of Minutes:
Vice Chairman Michalczik moved to approve the minutes of March 15, 1999, meeting. Bill
Myers seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.
IV. Discussion Items:
Councilman Doyle requested an additional discussion item. The Hearthstone Group letter was added
under Late Items.
}Eater Quality Report
Public Works Director Pittis explained that the Safe Drinking Water Act required each community
to provide each of its customers with a Consumer Confidence Report. This report gives consumers
information about our drinking water supply covering such issues as infectious diseases, the water
source, how we disinfect our water et cetera. Staff put together a draft Water Quality Report to
address these concerns. Wholesale customers were informed by April 1 st by means of test results.
The document must be to consumers by October 19th of this year and by July 1st each following
year. A discussion followed regarding report contents. Corrections will be made in several areas.
Testing issues and mineral content were addressed. Questions were asked regarding the cost to
distribute and it was explained that it would be included with the Port Angeles Times. The Council
will determine whether to produce the report in color or black and white Councilman Doyle moved
to forward the corrected report to the City Council. Bill Myers seconded and the vote was
carried unanimously.
B. Utility Capital Project Information
Deputy Director Bob Titus reviewed the basic projects planned for 1999. After questioning, an
explanation was given by Director Pittis on why reservoirs need covers and how that is done. He
indicated that the City would be making other improvements at the Jones Street Reservoir along with
the cover such as sidewalks, landscaping, et cetera. This was an information item only and in most
cases the projects will not involve any UAC action in the future. The next stage of review will be
when bids are taken to Council for award. No action required.
C. 1999 NWPP~4 Proposed Resolutions
Proposed resolutions were included in the packet for UAC review. Vice Chairman Michalczik
requested clarification on Resolution 99-1 Preference Clause second paragraph from the bottom.
The wording in question was "We also oppose proposals to permit private entrepreneurs to bid
competitively to perform operation and maintenance activities at federal dams or to add capacity and
receive a share of the increased generation." Deputy Director Titus indicated he would look into
it. There was some discussion regarding various dam issues and the political positions involved.
This was an information item only and will next go to City Council as an information item. No
action required.
D. Discussion of Landfill Status
Public Works Director Pittis gave extensive background on the issues. Operating thc landfill through
2006 is thc best for thc City (Option #1). The City has demonstrated that we have no bird/aircraft
hazards as a result of the operation of the landfill and we have our permit. We are required to
continue to make this demonstration. Staff took several approaches in calculating assumptions.
These were reviewed at length by Director Piths. Discussion ensued, and Director Pittis responded
to questions and provided additional information. City Manager Ibarra indicated staff looked at a
varmty of cost/capacity issues which all point to the cost effectiveness to all parties of long term
agreements with the haulers. The analysis will also demonstrate to the FAA that we have done our
homework. An extensive discussion followed which included hauler costs, tonnage costs, the risks
involved and other uses of the land. Bill Myers moved to recommend Option #1 to the City
Council. Councilman Doyle seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.
V. Information Only Items
None.
VI. Late Items
~4. Hearthstone Group
Councilman Doyle received a letter from the Hearthstone Group (a private non-profit organization)
stating that they had built two apartment buildings for the low income elderly in the Melody Lane
area and have rent controls for 40 years. Each apartment has a meter and there is a meter charge
every time they're read. They feel the City is taking advantage of the elderly. Scott McLain
explained that the basic charge includes more than meter reading. Federal PURPA regulations
dictates we not have master meters and we have been following that practice since the 1970's..
After some discussion it was determined the City should respond in writing by itemizing the types
of charges that are included in the basic charge. Staff will put together the numbers..
B. Future UA C Meetings
City Manager lbarra indicated that he wasn't sure if there would be monthly UAC meetings between
the time Director Pittis left (May 14th) and the new director arrived (probably late June). He asked
committee indulgence as this issue is worked out.
VII. Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be May 10, 1999, at 3:00 p.m.
VIII. Adjournment:
The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Chairman Cate Rinehart, Acting Secretary
FROM:CH2M HILL TO: 368 417 4789 MAY S, 1999 7:31AM ~717 P.82
CH2MHILL =.,=
May 6, 1999 ~ ~.~
Mr. Jack Pittb
Dire(lot of Fublic Worlc.~
City ol Port Angek~
321 East 5th Street
Port Angeles, WA 98~62.1150
$ubjt'ct: Expansion of SCOpe and Budget for Contract NO. 97.10 (Water Supply Study)
Dear Jack:
This letter describes the budget o°tat~'~ et &c Port A~geles Water Supply Study contract
(City Contract No, 97,16 dated October 21, 1997) and adctitional work to be completect by
CH2M HILL related to the evaluation of m~miOpal water facility improvements alternatives
needed in the event the Elwha river dams are removed. The scope and budget presented as
Attachments A and B to this letter describe the expansion of the scope and budget of tho
original cnnt~aet.
Status of Current Work
The scope, but not tho. hndgot, o~ fha original contract was revised per ~he November 30,
1998 change-of-scope letter from CI42.M HILL to tl~c City. This change o{ scope r~sultecI in
the draft EIwha Dams Mitigation FaclIgies Re[~otl, whidt w~s submittud to the City on January
27, 1999. we underst.~md that this draft report will notbe Iinalized as a separate d0cument~
but instead will serve as a basis for work to be completed as part of the additional work
described in Attachment A.
The final. Water Suppl~/Strateg~./report was submitted to the City on April 30, 1999. This fina!
report included revisions per City comment~ to th~, April ~ 998 draft Wafer ~x~'ply Study
report. We onderstand the City will direct ue to revi~ thc Wator SuFply Strategy report one
additional tithe to include revff, ed water u.sa~e hz/omt~tiu,/rum R~ymder and
documematlon to be prepared by the Lower Elwha $"Klallam Tribe.
Ap]?roxhnately $.3,000 ~v.m~t~t~ from the original contract budget. A portion of the~e funds
will be u~d to tmdertake the linal revl~on o~ the Water Supply Strategy report.
FROM:CH2M HILL TO: 360 417 4?09 MAY 6, 1999 ?:S2AM ~?lB P.02
Mr. J~ck Pittis
Page 2
May 6, 1999
Additional Work
In addition to the already-completed and goon-to-be completed work dc~ribed above,
additional work will be com}~letcd. This additiuual wo~k iudud~ ~v~luatiml of tlu-ee water
supply and trealmc, nt altc~onatives, related primarily to the location of a surface water
treatment plant, needed to mitigate the effects of removal of the Elwha river darm. In
addition to evalualing of thi~ water supply and treatment alternatives, their integration
with Ih~ Oil)ds regional water supply objectives will be described as well.
The de~ailed scope of thi~ additional work is pre.~.nted as Attachment A. Tho. Intdgat for
tl~ additional work is pr~sm~d as Attachment B. The terms and conditions of the original
contrf~et rern~in thc s~me for thi~ additional work. The not-to-exceed labor and cxpense~
total ~or thS. s additional work~ as presented in Attachment B, ts $12,119.
If you have any questio~ or need additional in. formation plear, e call me at (425) 453 5005
ext. 5~:fi2.
Sin¢c~'ely,
CH2M HILL
Project Manager
Enclosures
c: Bob Tit~x~
Agreed to by:
CH2M HILL City of Port Angeles
Ity~ ... By:
Title: Tiile:
DaLe; Dat~:
FROM:CH2M HILL TO: 350 417 4709 MAY 6, lg99 7:32~M ~?l? P.04
Attachment A
$¢oi of Work
Th~ soups of work to b¢ compJeled by (:I*]2M Hrl J, for th~. City nf Po~ Angeles (City) for this
additions] project acllv~ty enrltled '~lwha Mitlga6on Altomat;vcs]Reg~on'.d Water Supply
Strategy" i~ p~ented herein. The ~co~ of tho original Contract No. 97.16 is hereby an~ndcd to
include 0~osc additional tasks, The budget for this additional work is p~nt~ as Att=chm=at B,
Tho work tasks for tl~s pmj~t am dcscri~ as follows.
Tasl< 1. Description of Mitigation Alternatives
,Several water supply and treatment alicrnatives we~= described in the dndt (April 1998) and final
(May 1999) versions el'the Water&~pply Strategy repoR prepar~ by CIt2M H~. These
inclu~ s~ply and treat~nt al~nalives are ones the City may choo~ to pursue in the event t~
E]wha river dams a~ ~moved. City staffhave i~ntifi~ [1~ ~efe.~ alternatives that it
~lieves will effectively mitigat~ the ef'fects of dam removal nad intcg~ into i~a reginnal supply
objectives, These mitigation allcrflalive~ am ~d on thc wmcz ~upply and I~att~nt altemative~
descd~ in tim Wawr Sopply Strategy repo~ and arc diffg~ntialed pri~rily by the I~ati~ of a
~tmnent guffac~ water t~atment plant that is a vommon component to ~gh, Tho~ th~c
alternatives am:
I. Treatment plant l~atM on the site of the Rayonier ~r mill or t~ old Rayonier
raw water Ir~l~nl phmt,
2. Trcn~ment plant l~ated west of ~he City limits and cast Of the ~lw~ ~ver, out of I~
~lwha river I]o~plain.
3. Treat~nt plant IocaI~ adjacont to ~ cast bank of flit Elwha H~r within ~c
tie'plain.
~ch all.alive will be conceptually devdo~. Con.dss mw waler and ~n;ah~ water
pi~line r~uiremm~s will ~ de. hatted. ~ curs~y ~ggegsment and degcfiplion of the gudace
watex Ireatment plant and ttg com~nent process olengmg, oon*ider~ to ~ th~ ~l~ for ~h of
the alt~ntiveg, ~ll ~ di~cu~M, 'l'h~ 8p~ifi~ pr~s~ o]c~ala of tho t~ui~d ~t~nl cann~
bo fully asse~ at this tlmc whhout further d~lail~ analys~s.
Task 2. Rationale for Mitigation FaCilities
A briel'discussion of tl~e rationale for iix', mitigation facilities necessary as a result o~ lhe removal
of thc Elwha rJ¥cr dat~ls will tx: presented, 'J'l~i$ discussion will be mostly extracted fmlll text
prcpar~ as pan of thc draR Fdwha Dam~' Mitigation Facilities Report completed in January 1999.
This rationale description presents the CJly's assessment, based on currently available
information, of the facililie~ ne~ed to continue to reliably supply a high quality water to it~
cnrrenl and future retail and wholesale customers it' the F. twh., dams ~re removed.
Task 3. Cost Estimates
Initial capital, concept-level cost ustimat'~ wilt be prepared for each of th~ mitig,~tion altomgtivcs
doscrit~d. These estlmatcs will bc developed in sccond-gt[lartcr 1999 dollars. Cost =stlmete, s for
MROM:CH2M HILL TO: 360 417 4T09 MAY G, 1999 ?:32AM ~?l? P.OS
the facility Jmprovemc.~ts, such es conncctifq~ p¥clln,c.s m~! ptnnp stations, r~lat~l to the
intcgratiu~ of th~ tiiti:rtmlives with the CJly's r~glonul water supply strategy will be developed
as separate ltcnts and included In thc coal oslirm~te totals. I.and. permit acquisition, negotiations
wltM'cderal and state sg¢ltclcs, and water rights costs will not be cslJmated, but will b¢
considered to be included in thc project contint~cncy which will be estimated at 30 lin'cent of tile.
cstimat~ cost of con,traction.
Task 4. Regional Supply Obje~tives
A brief descriptinn of ~ City's regional water supply objeelives will be presented. This
de~crlyion will b~ extracted primarily from the finel Water Supply $rr~t~gy document.
Task 5. Integration of Alternatives with Regional Supply
ObjecUvas
Description.g of Itow each of tbs mitigation alternatives could be integrated with the City's
regional supply objectives will bc presmted. N~ded facility improvements to supply adjacent
systems such as the PUD No. ! of Clallam County, Dry C'rr~k Water Assoclalion, Black
Diamond, and the lower F.}wha S'Klallam Tribe will be described. A regional l~calic, n map,
similar to that pr~sentccl as Figure 2 of the Water ,~upply .~trnttp, y r~c~. displaying the facilities
of the mitigatir~n ahemallve~ nnd their integration with the regioual supply objectives will bo
p~e. pa~'eA. Three separate Io~atlon maps, one for oath mitigation alternative, will bo proparexl.
t%ch (ff the maps will ~how the general lo~utlou of facilities such as the treatment plant, supply
intake(s), raw water supply and finishc~ water pit. lines, and cum~cctlug facilities to adjacent
Task 6. Evaluation o! Mitigation Alternatives
Tile three mitigation alternatives will be evaluated based on their relative advantages at~d
di~dvantagcs to the City and its regional supply objectives. Specific evaluation criteria will
include initial capital cost, supply system rcliabililyh'edundancy, and suitabilily for inlegration
with the City's regional supply objeelives. The mitigation alternatives will be ranked subjectively
based on this evaluation IO facilitate selection of fl~e. pmfe. rmzt alternative.
Task 7. Report Preparation
A rejx~l of approxinaately ] 0 to ! 5 psg¢~., including tables and fisures, summarizing th~ r~sults of
thin evaluation, will be prepa~'e~l. Ten comb-bound copies of a draft of this r~port will lac
prclmmd and submltted to tho City for its I'cvJcw. Twv. ty t:umb-bound c. opics of this final version
of thc [cpoll, in¢ludlug rcvisioils baaed on the City's IgVtcw colra~nts, will be prepared algl
submitted to tho City.
Task 8. Meeting/Presentation of Results
A single n~.clin= is budgeted for C[--]2M HJLI.'s project manager and senior tr~atn~nt engineer to
dJscust: the development of the. report and/or to present it to City staff mid/or thc City Council.
~R~M:CH2M HILL TO: 360 417 4709 MAY 6, 1999 ?:33P~ ~?17 P.06
PJ~:ulallon m,'~te~lal,~ ~ III bc hmlled to ovcrhcads of the report tlgurcs and approx ~at¢ly 10
Powerpoint slides,
FROM:CH2M HILL TO: 360 417 4?09 ,gAY 6, 1999 7:~3;:~M ~717 P.B?
pORT
WASHINGTON, U.S.A.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
DATE: May 10, 1999
To: Utility Advisory Committee
FROM: Bob Titus, Deputy Director of Utility Services ~
SUBJECT: Future Requirements for Conservation and Renewable Resources
FOR iNFORMATION ONLY
The new Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) rate case for the October 2001 through September
2006 rate period will begin at the end of this month. Among other things, it will include a new element
known as the Conservation and Renewables Discount (C&RD). The C&RD will establish criteria for
utilities to earn up to a 3% discount on their wholesale power bill through support for conservation and
renewable resources. The details will be fixed in the rate case but the draft plan is to build the discount
into the rates and have utilities report their achievements annually to BPA. If, at the end of the rate period,
utilities did not spend at least 3% of their wholesale power costs on qualifying conservation or renewable
resources the utility would be required to pay the difference between actual spending and 3% of annual
wholesale power purchases back to BPA.
Currently, City Light is not spending anywhere near 3% of its wholesale power costs on conservation and
renewables. Until the CR&D chteria are finalized in the rate case it is hard to say what changes need to
be made in the programs being offered by City Light but it is almost certain that conservation
opporturfities alone will not total 3% of our wholesale power purchases. Therefore, it is likely that City
Light will want to focus more attention on renewable resource options and, since the utility has not been
active in this area previously, staff and policy makers will need to become better informed.
BPA recently compiled information from a variety of national and region sources that attempted to gauge
consumers interest in conservation and renewable energy. BPA undertook this project to provide utilities
with a comprehensive source of information that no one had previously compiled. The summary of the
report is attached and provides some insight as to the support that customers have expressed for
conservation and renewables (green power) and their willingness to pay a premium for such resources.
If you are interested, copies of the full report (36 pages) can be provided. With the rate case beginning
this month I thought that this was an opportune time to provide this information and increase awareness
of a topic that will gain greater importance as we approach October of 2001.
Action to be taken: None. For information only.
Estimated time: 10 minutes.
N:/PWKS/LIGHT/DIRECTORAVIEMOS/GREEN.WPD
Summary
Report on Consumer Attitudes about Conservation and
Renewable Resources
by Edward G. Ferguson
Introduction
If Northwest utilities are to maintain consumer loyalty, it is important that they understand
the wishes of their consumers regardless of the outcome of deregulation. Getting a clearer
picture of consumer attitudes can help a utility begin to formulate a more effective
marketing strategy.
The information in this report can help utilities and others in the region think about ways
to market power. It is a step in a process that starts by telling us there is a substantial
market and public support for conservation and renewable resources. From there comes
exploration of ways to show consumers that they are being heard.
BPA hopes that this report will stimulate thinking and further exchange on the role
consumers' attitudes can play in future policy making and business direction.
Background
BPA is aware that a variety of research has been produced over the years on consumers'
attitudes about conservation and renewables, but it could not find where this information
has been captured in one report. So, BPA's Energy Efficiency group decided to assume
that task. Gene Ferguson, a conservation specialist in Energy Efficiency did the research
and prepared the report. It is a comprehensive study of surveys, town hall meetings, and
focus groups conducted in the region and elsewhere. It covers literature for the 1990s
and includes research by a number of Northwest utilities.
BPA Connection
BPA wants to act in ways that reflect the values of the region, and the major reason that we
undertook the study was to understand better what the consumers in this region value with
regard to utility involvement in conservation and renewables. There is no specific decision
or action that was anticipated to be driven by this study's conclusions, but rather, any
decision that pertains to BPA's possible involvement in energy efficiency or renewables
activity will be influenced by our understandings reached in this study.
BONNEVILLE
Key Findings
The literature shows that a large number of consumers support utility investments in
conservation and renewable resources. They want their utility to actively acquire
clean resources. They would be willing to pay more to ensure their utility does this.
Example 1:
Survey of Those who Support Environmental Issues or Good Utility Environmental Practices
Percentage
Sacramento Public Utility District 87% (in favor of being environmentally friendly, and were
also 98% willing to pay)
Public Power (RKS survey) National 52% (ranked first in list of attributes ahead of Iow cost at
31%)
Western Montana G&T 61% (agreed that utility should acquire resources with a
positive or neutral environmental effect first)
Seattle (Washington statewide survey) 73% (reported that environmentally responsible power
generation that protects salmon habitat was either important
or vary important)
Survey constructed by the authors using information from surveys cited in this paper.
Example 2:
Survey Results Regarding Willingness to Pay Extra for Clean Energy Resources
Percentage willing to pay Amounts or Range
more
Cambridge report, National (Reported by Farhar) 60% $6 to more than $21 per
month.
Sacramento Utility District 95% 5% to + 20%
SWEPCO 84% $1 to +$10
WTU 87% $1 to +$10
CPL 86% $1 to+S10
EWEB 56% $1 to +$10
CARES 66% $1 every two months
(same CARES study) 58% $3 every two months
(same CARES study) 52% $5 every two months
Orcas Power and Light 55% 50% more
North Dakota 72% Something more (45 said $6-$10)
Ravalli 22% yes, 26% maybe Willing to pay 10% more
information from surveys cited in this paper.
· Northwest consumer attitudes are consistent with those nationwide, although
conservation support is somewhat stronger in the Northwest in terms of relative
standing with renewables. Nationwide, support is slightly stronger for utility
investments in renewable resources than in conservation. But taken together, both
environmentally benign resource options were favored over thermal resources by
significant majorities nationally and in the region.
Some surveys asked consumers how green resources should be paid for. Should they
be optional products or should the cost be put into rates where everyone would pay. A
strong majority supported rate-basing conservation. It is reasonable to assume that
people see renewables and conservation as beneficial to everyone and therefore,
everyone should pay. If everyone pays then more green resources can be acquired at
less cost to any one consumer.
· Studies showed that attitudes about green resources change markedly in proportion to
information consumers receive. The more education and information they have, the
more consumers favor such resources.
· Younger people and women are most likely to support renewables and conservation.
In addition, people with higher incomes and more education are more likely to
support these resources. There was general support among all groups for either
continuing or increasing low-income programs.
Example 1:
Question: lf you were sure the money you spent for electrical energy was payingfor clean
alternative sources of power, . . . how willing would you be to pay approximately l O percent
more on your power bill."
AGE 18-29 30-39 40-49 50-64 65+
Very willing 29% 38% 32% 27% 26%
Somewhat willing 50% 35% 36% 32% 29%
Not very willing 7% 12% 15% 14% 13%
Not at all willing 12% 13 % 15% 21% 26%
(Don't know) 2% 2% 2% 6% 5%
Total willing 79% 73% 68% 59% 55%
Total unwilling 18% 26% 30% 35% 40%
Taken from CEERT Study, Fairbanks, Naslin, Kaullin & Associates (1996) Table 60.
Example 2:
Question: lf you were sure the money you spent for electrical energy was paying for~clean
alternative sources of power, . . . how willing would you be to pay approximately lO percent
more on your power bill."
Gender M F
Very willing 28% 32%
Somewhat willing 34% 38%
Not very willing 13% 11%
Not at all willing 21% 15%
(Don't know) 4% 4%
Total willing 62% 70%
Total unwilling 34% 26%
Taken from CEERT Study, Fairbank, M~slin, Kaullin & Associates, (1996) Table 60.
pORTANGELES
WASHINGTON, U.S.A.
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
DATE: May 10, 1999
TO: Utility Advisory Committee
FROM: Bob Titus, Deputy Director of Utility Services 5~
SUBJECT: Telecommunications and Fiber Optic Opportunities for Port Angeles
FOR INFORMATION ONLY
High-speed, wide-bandwidth telecommunication systems are a huge asset to those communities who have
one and an impediment to economic development for those communities without one. Access to high-
speed, nigh capacity data networks is increasingly nigh up on the list of amenities that an industry looks
for in a potential site for relocation or expansion. For any progressive community the question is not
whether they need one but rather who can provide the infrastructure in a cost effective manner. In our
region, U.S. West and municipal electric utilities have been the primary providers of such services.
U.S. West is upgracY~ng its facilities and installing new fiber optic lines and new switches in many areas.
They are motivated by the prospect of greater profits through the offering of additional services and the
fact that with deregulation of the telecommunications industry, the possibility of competition. However,
there is a limit to the amount of capital that can be spent in any given year and they will invest in areas
with the greatest return on their investment. Rural areas like Clallam County are not high priority areas
because of the limited population, low customer density and lack of likely competition. We would
eventually get upgraded services but the question is when. U.S. West is adding a fiber optic submarine
cable across Hood Canal this year and has pledged to continue adding fiber facilities up to Port Angeles
but future expansion plans are subject to change. They have no plans to add fiber within the City.
That leaves City Light as the most likely provider ora fiber network in the next few years. Here the issues
are deciding to get involved in a business that could be in partial competition with the private sector and
justifying the costs. Cities like Tacoma, Richland and Ellensburg (in Washington State) and Springfield
and Eugene (in Oregon State) are examples of cities that have municipal electric utilities that are
installing fiber optic networks. Electric utilities often have the need for real time communications with
remote sites for SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) and in the future could use a data
network for automated meter reading and load control. Beyond these applications, some utilities are also
opting to utilize their telecommunications network to get into new business lines (cable tv, internet
access, home security, etc.) or leasing excess capacity for these services. Another factor that is influencing
municipal utilities is the benefits of a fiber optic network for general government.
Port Angeles is currently looking to acquire a new SCADA system for the water utility. A SCADA
system already is in place (but with communications problems) for City Light. Ultimately, there are plans
to install SCADA at the pump stations, reservoirs, valves, substations, sewer treatment plant and landfill.
Although not the cheapest option, a fiber optic network could tie all of these sites together (with the Corp
Yard, City Hall and Light Ops) and would provide backbone facilities to virtually all areas of the City.
The incremental cost of additional capacity (bandwidth) is fairly low so surplus capacity could be
installed to provide for other users.
The State is likely to have funding available for telecommunications/rural development later this year.
Those cities that know what they want to do will be in the best position to tap into this funding source.
At the same time those cities who actually install a system will have an edge in attracting new business
to their area. It would seem prudent to have the utilities (mainly City Light) fund a feasibility study for
Port Angeles so we can determine what costs would be like and who potential customers for excess
capacity might be. I would estimate this would cost $15,000-$20,000. At the very least I think we need
to work mom closely with the PUD, US West, Northland and other telecommunications users to keep up
to date on what others are planning. As in other endeavors, we can best insure that the City's interests are
met by taking charge of the planning/implementation process and not leaving it to others with broader
or different interests.
City staff has met with staff from the PUD and the Economic Development Council (EDC) about this
subject and has agreed to work together. We have also met with representatives from U.S. West who have
also expressed an interest in working with the City and others to share facilities to the extent that the law
and regulators allow. To date the PUD has shown the most interest and initiative in exploring their
involvement in telecommunications and fiber optics and has approached an expert in telecommunications
and fiber optics to come to Port Angeles and present a briefing on the status of the telecommunications
industry and fiber optics. Terminology will be explained as well as why rural areas need to be thinking
about fiber networks and the role that utilities can play in fiber network development. Currently, the
briefing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28t~, 1999 at 1:00 PM. The session will probably last 2-3 hours
depending on the number of questions. UAC and Council members are encouraged to attend if their
schedules permit.
Action to be taken: None. For information only.
Estimated time: 10 minutes.
N:/PWKS/L1GHT/DIRECTORAVIEMOS/F1BER.WPD
W A S H I N G T O N, U. S. A.
PUBliC WORKS DEPARTMENT
1).,' "-Ir':.. MAY 10, 1999
T(i: UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE
l:~ )M: JIM HARPER
SU ~IJECT: POLE USE AGREEMENT WITH PORT OF PORT ANGELES
Mr Curtis Shuck of the Port of Port Angeles has requested permission for them to contact three(3)
Po?t Angeles City Light poles with a communication cane (fiber optic and telephone cable lashed
together). The purpose of the cable is to connect its facility at 338 West First Street with a newly
acci'dired ~hcility at 112 South Valley Street with voice and data communication. The Port is
pr~;'~osing to use Angeles Communications for the installation.
Thc proposed pole rental agreement attached is identical in requirements, conditions and fees to the
agreement with Virginia Mason Medical Center approved by the UAC and Council in December
1998. the agreement includes an annual fee of $324.00, which consists of $300.00 per year
ad m inistrative charge and an annual per pole rental of $8.00.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN: Recommend that the Pole Rental Agreement with the Port of Port
Angeles be approved by the Council.
ES !'IMATED TIME: 10 minutes.
N:\I'\VKS\LIGI ITXENG R'Ol M\M EMO\ENG IN EE RU UPORTUA.WPD
POLE RENTAL AGREEMENT
THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES, Washington, a municipal corporation, hereinafter
called "City", and PORT OF PORT ANGELES, hereinafter called "Port", mutually agree that the
following terms and conditions shall govem Port's use of Cityts poles located in Port Angeles, State
of Washington, as City may, as hereinafter provided, permit Port to use:
Section 1. The City hereby grants Port the use of three (3) power poles as shown on Exhibit
A, provided that Port shall comply with all terms, conditions and provisions as set forth in this pole
rental agreement. Port's use of such poles shall be confined to supporting one communication
cable, hereinatter called "equipment". Such equipment shall be used by Port only for the purpose
of erecting and operating voice and data communication system between Port of Port Angeles
Administration Bldg. At 338 W. First Street and 112 South Valley St~et.
Section 2. Port shall place and maintain its equipment upon such pole(s):
(a) in a safe condition and in thorough repair,
(b) in a manner suitable to City and so as not to conflict or interfere with
the current or future working use of such poles or facilities by City
or others; provided that any costs incurred in moving its equipment
when the move is necessitated by any party other than the City shall
be paid for by such other party; and,
(c) under such requirements and specifications as City may prescribe,
and in conformity with all laws and regulations pertaining to pole
line construction, including, but not limited to, the latest editions of
the National Electrical Safety Code, the National Electric Code, and
all other applicable state and local codes.
In those cases where Port's anchorage requirements are not coincident with those of the City, or
where requested by the City, Port shall place separate guys and anchors to hold the strains of its
equipment upon said poles.
Section 3. City may permit Port to attach its equipment to poles which are jointly used by
City and others, in which case Port shall be responsible to the others to the same extent as though
their equipment were the property of the City. Port will exercise special precautions to avoid
damage to the facilities of City and others supported on such poles and agrees to immediately report
any damage to the owner of the damaged facilities and to make reimbursement for the entire
expense of repairs.
Section 4. City reserves to itself the right to maintain its poles and to operate its facilities
thereon in such manner as will best enable it to fulfill its own service requirements. Nothing
contained in this agreement shall be construed to compel the City to maintain any particular pole(s)
for a period longer than demanded by its own service requirements.
Section 5. No use, however extended, of any pole(s) under this agreement shall create or
vest in Port any ownership or property rights, but Port's rights therein shall be and remain a mere
license, which as to any particular pole(s) may be terminated at any time by City upon thirty (30)
days' written notice to Port. Upon notice from City, Port shall, within thirty (30) days, remove,
relocate, or transfer such equipment to substituted poles in order to provide increased clearance,
accommodate additional facilities of City or others, or perform any other work in connection with
such equipment that may be required by City; provided that when the relocation is necessitated by
any party other than the City, Port shall be reimbursed its moving expenses by such other party.
However, if Port fails to remove its equipment within thirty (30) days or in cases of emergency,
City may, at Port's sole risk, remove, relocate, or transfer such equipment to substituted poles or
perform any other work in connection with such equipment that City deems necessary, and Port
will reimburse City for the entire expense thereby incurred.
Section 6. For the privilege of placing and maintaining such equipment upon such poles,
Port shall pay to the City each year during the existence of this agreement $8.00 rental fee per pole
plus an additional $300 administration fee. The total annual rental fee shall be payable on June 1
with the first payment due on June 1, 1999. In the event that state or federal law is changed to
regulate the pole rental rate, the rate charged herein shall be revised to reflect such regulation;
2
provided that if such changed rate is not acceptable to the City, then the City may terminate this
agreement as provided in Section 12. Such pole rental payments by Port shall be exclusive of the
utility payments required by City ordinance for use of electric current.
Section 7. In addition to all other indemnity and assumption of liability provisions herein
contained, it is further expressly agreed that Port and its Contractors shall pay, save harmless and
indemnify the City from any loss or claim against the City on account of or in connection with any
activity of Port or its Contractors in the construction, operation or maintenance of its technical
facilities and system services.
Section 8. Throughout the life of this agreement, Port will maintain insurance in full force
and effect with a carrier or carders selected by Port and satisfactory to the City, naming the City as
an additional insured for:
A. Compensation Insurance under and in compliance with all Workmen's
Compensation Insurance and Safety Laws of the State of Washington and
amendments thereto;
B. Bodily Injury Liability Insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000 for
each occurrence;
C. Property Damage Liability Insurance with minimum limits of $1,000,000
per occurrence.
The insurance described in B and C above shall also provide contractual liability coverage
satisfactory to the City with respect to liability assumed by Port under Section 8 and contain a
provision that the policy may not be canceled until thirty 00) days' written notice has been given to
the City. Written proof of compliance with the requirements of this section shall be filed with and
approved by the City for each policy year.
Section 9. If Port defaults in any of its obligations under this agreement and such default
shall continue for thirty (30) days after written notice thereof, the City may, by written notice to
Port, immediately terminate this agreement, in which event Port shall be allowed thirty (30) days
from such notification within which to remove its equipment.
3
Section 10. All amounts payable by Port to the City under the provisions of this agreement
shall, unless otherwise specified, be payable within thirty (30) days after presentation of bills
therefor. Non-payment of any such amount when due shall constitute a default by Port under this
agreement.
Section 11. Nothing herein contained shall be construed as affecting any rights or privileges
previously conferred or which may be conferred hereafter by the City, by contract or otherwise, to
others not parties to this agreement to use any poles covered by this agreement; and the City shall
have the right to continue and extend such rights or privileges. The privileges herein granted to Port
are not exclusive and shall at all times be subject to any such existing contracts and arrangements
and to any contracts and arrangements entered after date hereof by the City. However, any future
use of such poles by the City or others that may require relocating Port's equipment shall be
contingent upon Port's moving expenses being reimbursed any party other than the City
necessitating the move.
Section 12. Unless sooner terminated as herein provided, this agreement shall continue in
effect for fifteen years, commencing on June 1, 1999. Either party hereto may terminate the
agreement by giving the other party at least six (6) months' written notice to that effect. At the
expiration of such six (6) months, all fights and privileges of Port as to the poles affected by said
notice shall forthwith terminate, Port shall remove its equipment from the poles within such six (6)
months and if it fails to do so, the City may remove same or have it removed at Port's risk and
expense. Termination of this agreement shall not release Port from any liability or obligation
hereunder, whether of indemnity or otherwise, which may have accrued or be accru'mg or which
arises out of any claim that may have accrued or be accruing at the time of termination.
Section 13. In the event either party brings any action for breach of this agreement, such
party shall be entitled to recover, in addition to any judgment for costs, such sum as the court shall
judge reasonable as attomey's fees.
Section 14. The failure of the City to enforce any provision of this agreement or the waiver thereof
in any instance shall not be construed as a general waiver or relinquishment on its part of any such
provision but the same shall nevertheless be and remain in full force and effect.
Section 15. Port shall not assign, transfer or sublet any privilege granted to it hereunder
without the prior consent in writing of the City, but otherwise this agreement shall inure to the
benefit of and be binding upon the heirs or successors and assigns of the parties hereto.
Section 16. Wherever in this agreement notice is provided or required to be given by one
party hereto to another, such notice shall be in writing and transmitted by United States mail or by
personal delivery to the City at its office at P. 0. Box 1150, Port Angeles, WA 98362, and to Port at
its office at 338 West First Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or to such other address as City or Port
may designate for that purpose by written notice to the other party.
Dated at Port Angeles, Washington, this day of ,1999.
THE CITY OF PORT ANGELES PORT OF PORT ANGELES
By By
Gary Braun, Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
By:. By:~
Becky J Upton, City Clerk Craig D Knutson, City Attorney
FIRST STRL~T
~T ~ P~T AN~
SECOND
EXHIBIT A
C~UNICA~ CAB~
CITY OF POR~
Preliminary docuraent prepared for discussion
purposes only - not subject to disclosure.
Water Supply Strategy
City of Port Angeles
Prepared for:
City of Port Angeles
May 1999
Prepared by:
CI'I2M HILL
P,O, Box 91500
Bellevue, Washington 98009-2050
{425) 453-5000
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
Purposes only- not subject to disclosure.
Contents
Page
- 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Water Supply Objectives .................................................................................... , .......................... 1
3. Existing Conditions ....................................................................................................................... 3
4. Issues/Decision Drivers ................................................................................................................ 3
4.1 Rayonier Mill Closure ........................................................................................................ 5
4.2 Elwha Ranney Collector ................................................................................................... 5
4.3 Elwha Dam(s) Removal Process ...................................................................................... 8
_ 4.4 Lower Eiwha S'Klallam Tribe ............................................................................................ 9
4.5 Water Rights Law Changes ............................................................................................ 10
- 4.6 Watershed Planning ....................................................................................................... 12
4.7 Morse Creek Hydropower Station ................................................................................... 13
- 4.8 Growth (Water Supply Needs) ........................................................................................ 14
4.9 Endangered Species Act ................................................................................................ 15
4.10 Corrosionn Control..: ..................................................................................................... 16
5. Alternative Supply Options ......................................................................................................... 16
6. Recommended Supply Strategy ................................................................................................. 21
6.1 Immediate/Near-Term Activities ...................................................................................... 21
6.2 Possible Strategy Direction(s) ........................................................................................ 22
Appendices
- A Supply Strategy Objectives
B Development of Demand Projections
Tables
1. Water Rights ................................................................................................................................. 11
2. Water Demand Projections ........................................................................................................... 14
- SENplm/contents.doc i Printed: 4/28/99
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
Purposes only- not subject to disclosure.
3. Preliminary Qualitative Evaluation of Alternative Strategy Outcomes ........................................... 19
B-I. Historic City and PUD Average Annual Water Demand ............................................................. C-1
Figures
1. Strategy Development Process ...................................................................................................... 2
2. Regional Location Map ................................................................................................................... 4
3. GWI Classification Process ............................................................................................................. 7
4. Possible Strategy Direction(s) ....................................................................................................... 23
SENpIm/contents.dcc ii Printed: 4/28/99
Preliminary document prepaid for discussion
Purposes only - not subject to disclosure.
1. Introduction
This study was prepared in response to the need to reexamine the City of Port Angeles'
(City's) strategy for meeting its long-term future water supply needs in light of recent and
-- forthcoming events that affect the City's supply. The City's water supply objectives, the
existing supply conditions, issues that affect the City's water supply decision process,
alternative supply strategy outcomes, and a recommended supply strategy are discussed
- herein.
The relatively near-term timing, less than one year up to perhaps ten years, in which several
issues will unfold make it critical that the City respond quickly to develop a clear strategy to
meet its supply objectives while minimizing impacts to its current and future rate payers.
These issues include:
· the recent closure of the Rayonier mill,
· the impending regulatory decision regarding the status of the City's Elwha
Ranney collector as a groundwater supply,
· the Elwha dam(s) removal process,
· potential impacts related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and
__ · a potential regional supply strategy as a means of implementing and maximizing
Elwha dam(s) removal mitigation.
Further discussion of how each of these and other issues impact the City's water supply are
addressed in Section 4. A flowchart that graphically summarizes the City's supply strategy
development process is presented in Figure 1.
- The City's supply strategy serves as a tool to guide it toward a desired endpoint or set of
endpoints, representing facilities that enable it to achieve its strategy objectives. This tool
will aid the City in making decisions in response to resolution of important supply issues
-- and refine the pursuit of its supply strategy if necessary. Successful achievement of its
objectives will result in a long-term, reliable supply that meet the demands of its current
and future customers. Although the City's supply strategy can be envisioned as the facility
· - endpoints to which it may lead, it is in fact the City's water supply "roadmap' to the future.
2. Water Supply Objectives
The City's water supply objectives provide the foundation for the development of its water
supply strategy. The City's challenge is to accomplish its objectives in an effective manner
while addressing all of the issues and events that affect its supply system. The City's
primary water supply objectives are as follows:
· Develop a capacity that can safely, reliably, and efficiently supply all customers
between the Elwha river and Morse creek.
· Maintain its industrial supply system infrastructure and Elwha manufacturing
water right to supply current and future users.
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
purposes only- not subject to disdosure.
· Develop its supply strategy in concert with the Elwha dam(s) removal process
and obtain the maximum federal mitigation funding to offset the cost for related
water supply improvements.
In addition to these primary water supply objectives, other needs and requirements must be
integrated (regardless of the supply strategy the City pursues) into its supply strategy,
including: complying with all applicable regulatory requirements, ensuring adequate water
rights are in place, meeting the supply needs associated with growth, and continuing to
provide a high-quality, reliable supply for its customers. A more detailed discussion of the
City's three primary supply objectives is presented in Appendix A.
3. Existing Conditions
The City's existing domestic and industrial water systems, including pipes, storage
reservoirs, pumps, supply intakes, and water rights represent the initial building blocks for
developing the its supply strategy. The existing facilities and water rights that comprise
these systems provide reliable and economical water supplies that are the foundation of the
City's present and future economy and a fundamental, essential public service to the
community. The City has benefited over the years from its large capital investment in this
system. Preserving these advantages and the City's investment in the context of achieving
its supply objectives and the critical supply issues it faces is important.
The City's domestic system is supplied from the Elwha Rarmey collector and the industrial
system is supplied from a diversion and intake system on the Elwha river. The industrial
supply pipeline is a very old, large-capacity system that operates at low pressure. The
domestic supply pipeline is a 20-year old, 24-inch ductile iron pipeline that is adequate to
meet the City's supply needs now and well into the future. Water rights for both of these
systems are adequate to meet the City's projected needs well into the future. Development
of the City's supply strategy includes the integration of these existing conditions with the
City's supply strategy objectives and the supply issues it faces. A map showing the relative
location of these facilities is presented in Figure 2.
4. Issues/Decision Drivers
Several issues affecting the City's supply systems have recently arose or are anticipated in
the coming years. These issues have affected and will continue to affect the City's water
supply decision-making process, and its long-term strategy must be developed to
incorporate the outcomes from these issues, some of which are currently unknown. In
essence, the issues are "decision drivers" within the strategy. In some cases the City can
help shape the decision driver within the context of the supply strategy; however, in other
cases the strategy must incorporate options so the City can respond once the results of the
decision drivers they have little control over are known. These issues and decision drivers
include:
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
purposes only- not subject to disclosure.
1. Rayonier mill closure
2. Regulatory and capacity issues related to the Elwha Ranney collector
3. Elwha dam(s) removal process/mitigation planning
4. Lower Elwha S'Klallam tribe (instream flows and fisheries habitat)
5. Water rights law changes
6. Watershed planning (RCW 90.82)
7. Closure of the Morse creek hydropower station
8. Growth (Water Supply Needs)
9. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
10. Corrosion control
It is important to note that the discussions of the issues/decision drivers presented herein
are presented somewhat independently of each other. However, the results of some of
these issues could have significant impact on the desired outcomes of others. Later in this
report an attempt is made to demonstrate the most likely inter-relationship between two of
the most critical issues.
4.1 Rayonier Mill Closure
The closure of the Rayonier mill in 1997 made the site available for possible use as a
regional water treatment facility. The City's ability to provide treatment and distribution of
Elwha river water to itself and the Clallam County PUD could enhance its ability to obtain
mitigation funds related to Elwha river dam removal. Development of a regional water
system would also provide an opportunity to enhance instream flows in Morse creek and
increase the reliability of water service to the City's eastern UGA all the way to Morse creek.
Closure of the mill also creates the need to plan future uses of the City's water rights for
manufacturing, and to protect this source of water for the future economic development of
the region. Future use of the manufacturing water right may be limited by salmon
habitat/endangered species considerations, These factors must be considered when
planning investments in upgrading water transmission lines and treatment facilities from
the Elwha river diversions.
4.2 Elwha Ranney Collector
The Elwha Ranney collector was constructed in 1978 and has supplied the City and most of
the PUD No. 1 of Clallam County's (PUD's) service area west of Morse creek since that
time. Two key issues related to the Elwha Ranney collector have arisen in recent years and
are discussed in this section.
4.2.1 Possible GWl Designation
The Elwha Ranney collector is supplied by groundwater from an aquifer that is fed by the
Elwha river. The Ranney collector is situated adjacent to the Elwha river on its east side.
Because of its proximity to the Elwha river and its design as a Ranney collector it was
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
purposes only - not subject to disclosure.
identified by the DOH as a candidate for GWI designation (all Ranney collectors were
identified). As stated above, GWI stands for "groundwater under the direct influence of
surface water." If the Rarmey collector is designated by the DOH as a GWI source, it will be
subject to the regulatory requirements for surface water supply sources. All surface water
supply sources are subject to the requirements of the Surface Water Treatment Rule
(SWTR). These regulatory requirements are more stringent than those for groundwater
supply sources.
The City began collecting 12 months of water quality data, including temperature and
conductivity, from the Elwha river and the Elwha Ranney collector, in February of 1998, as
directed by the DOH. The first six months of data collected by the City was submitted to
the DOH to enable it to make a preliminary determination as to whether or not there was a
sufficient water quality connection between the Elwha river and the Ranney collector to
warrant further testing.
The DOH reviewed the initially collected data and stated that a correlation between the
Elwha river water and water collected from the Ranney collector was apparent. The DOH
directed the City to continue with the final six months of required data collection as well as
to collect microscopic particulate analysis (MPA) sample. The City will soon collect this
sample and submit it for laboratory analysis. Per DOH guidelines regarding GWI
classification, the DOH will use the results of the MPA to determine whether or not the
Ranney collector is GWI. A graphical summary of the GW! classification process is
presented in Figure 3.
If the Ranney collector is not designated as a GWI supply source, no significant changes in
operation of this facility based on regulatory requirements are expected. However, if the
Ranney collector is ultimately designated as a GWI supply source, several costly
requirements could be imposed including filtration, as indicated in Figure 3. These
compliance approaches range from having minimal impact to requiring extensive and
costly facility improvements.
Regardless of whether or not filtration or ozonation is required, the City would have to
comply with the disinfection requirements of the SWTR. These disinfection requirements,
referred to as "CT" requirements are based on providing adequate contact time for a
disinfectant such as chlorine prior to the first customer. Imposing CT requirements would
affect how the Ranney collector is operated, and depending on the level of CT requirements,
could make it necessary to construct additional storage to provide adequate contact time.
Preliminary computations reveal that the City could meet CT requirements for "l-log"
(90%) inactivation of Giardia lamblia with only minor piping changes, relating primarily to
the connection to the Elwha Heights system, and minor operational changes. This l-log CT
requirement would likely be the minimum disinfection contact requirement if the collector
is classified as GWI. Requiring the City to provide as much as 3-log (99.9%) inactivation of
Giardia lambIia and viruses, or even Cryptosporidium inactivation, would make extensive and
costly facility improvements necessary.
This issue, with the exception of the Elwha dam removal process, could have the greatest
single impact on the City's strategy. Although the outcome of the GWI process is expected
to be resolved soon (sometime in 1999), it is only possible to speculate as to the compliance
requirements that might be imposed by the DOH.
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
purposes only - not subfect to disclosure.
4.2.2 Declining Yields
The Elwha Ranney collector had a stated reliable capacity of 11 mgd when it was
constructed in 1977. The capacity of the Elwha Ranney collector has shown to be dependent
on the flow conditions and proximity of the Elwha river. In recent years the City has been
unable to operate both the Elwha pumps simultaneously for more than a few hours during
the summer months when river level is low and demand is high. Although the City
typically operates the Ranney collector with a single pump during most of the year, peak
demands occur during the summer, requiring that the City operate both pumps
simultaneously. When operated simultaneously, the Elwha pumps withdraw an
instantaneous flowrate of 10 mgd from the collector. The continual westward migration of
the Elwha river away from the Ranney collector has contributed to declining summertime
yields. Continued migration of the river to the west could result in further yield reductions
from the collector.
This issue is important because it signals the eventual need for additional supply
development regardless of the impact of other issues facing the City's water supply. When
additional supply development is necessary is dependent on many factors. These factors
include: the capacity of distribution system storage, the rate of growth in water demand,
conservation measures, efforts to offset the westward migration of the Elwha river, and
whether or not to supply additional customers outside the City's existing service area.
4.3 Elwha Dam(s) Removal Process/Mitigation Planning
Removal of either or both of the Elwha river dams represents the core issue and greatest
challenge around which the City must develop its supply strategy. Removal of the dam(s)
will result in federally funded changes and additions to the City's supply facilities. Equally
important, however, is the timing of the dam removal process. The City's supply strategy
development in response to the other issues it faces must be intimately linked to the timing
of the Elwha river dam removal process to avoid, capital expenditure that could prove
ineffective once the dams are removed.
The bill before the United States Congress in 1998 was contentious and linked to
requirements for the Columbia and Snake river systems. It included initial removal of only
the lower Elwha river dam and is a change from the original proposal to remove both dams.
However, this bill was not passed. Although continued debate on the issue of removing
either or both of the Elwha dams is expected in 1999, it is unclear what specific measures
and conditions it will include. The initially proposed mitigation measures proposed by the
United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation were based upon the
simultaneous removal of both dams. Thus, should a bill that includes a phased removal of
the Elwha dams be passed by Congress, revision of these proposed measures would be
warranted.
As stated, the Bureau of Reclamation has proposed specific mitigation measures for the
City's industrial and domestic supply systems. These proposals have been developed with
minimal opportunity for input from the City or its advocates. The specific details of these
proposed measures are important and must be evaluated based on sound science and
engineering principles to ensure the City's interests are protected. However, the
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
Purposes only- not subject to disclosure.
appropriate mitigation measures will likely not be determined until a specific Elwha dam
removal bill is approved.
CH2M HILL prepared a draft report dated January 27, 1999 entitled "Elwha Dams
Mitigation Facilities Report (Draft)." This report discusses alternative water supply
diversion and treatment facilities that would be required to mitigate the impacts of dam
removal. The report is a starting place for development of a mitigation strategy by the City
and Clallam County PUD for presentation to the Department of Interior and the
congressional delegation. It will need to be updated by the City following Utility Advisory
Committee and City Council consideration of this Water Supply Strategy. A critical
decision for the development of a mitigation strategy is a decision by the City and PUD
regarding a regional water supply system, which could alter the mitigation facilities
required and change the region's endangered species response plan.
Considering the above discussion, it appears likely that resolution of other important
challenges facing the City such as the GWI and water rights issues will need to occur prior
to the determination of the specific mitigation measures to be included as part of the Elwha
dam(s) removal process. This fact is important because it helps define the implementation
timeline for the City's supply strategy.
Substantial further delay in the Elwha dam(s) removal process could adversely affect the
City's decision-making process regarding addressing its corrosion control issue (discussed
in Section 4.9). If the Elwha dam(s) removal process remains an unresolved, pending, or
imminent issue at the time the City is required to install a corrosion control treatment
system (not until the year 2003 or 2004), the City may have to face the possibility of
installing a treatment system that might not be needed, depending on the specific
components of federally-funded, dam(s) removal mitigation facilities.
4.4 Lower Elwha S'Klallam Tribe
The Lower Elwha S'Klallam tribe is one of the important stakeholders in the future of the
Elwha river. The tribe has unadjudicated treaty and Winters Doctrine water rights to
instream flows for the survival of fish species, and federal agencies have a trust
responsibility to protect such rights on its behalf. The tribe has an interest in improving the
Elwha river fish habitat with respect to the establishment of minimum instream flows. The
tribe would also like to construct and operate a fish rearing channel or "stock preservation
channel" (in addition to the existing Washington State hatchery).
It is understood that the tribe believes that the closure of the Rayonier mill provides an
opportunity to enhance protection of the Elwha river fishery below the industrial system
intake and supply a stock preservation channel. With the closure of the Rayonier mill,
diversions from the Elwha river will be reduced by approximately 54 cfs (35 mgd). The City
believes it is important to consider the tribe's objectives and concerns in the development of
its supply strategy.
The tribe is participating with the City and other parties in a watershed planning effort for
WRIA 18 under chapter 90.82 RCW. The parties have elected to include instream flows for
- 9
Preliminar~z document prepared for discussion
Purposes only- not subject to disclosure.
the Elwha river as an element of the watershed plan. Adoption of instream flows may
ultimately be necessary to address issues related to the Endangered Species Act (discussed
in Section 4.9 below) and to achieve regional consensus on future water resources
management in the Morse creek to Elwha river sub-basin. It could also adversely affect the
operation of the City's supply system, although the priority date of any new instream flows
would be junior to the City's existing water rights.
The tribe's interest in salmon recovery and instream flows will likely have the greatest
impact on the City's strategy as it relates to its industrial supply system. The City's
industrial supply system has a much greater withdrawal capacity than does the domestic
supply system and much greater water rights as well. Another potential factor is that there
is only a single customer currently using the industrial supply system. Thus, only a fraction
of the capacity of the industrial supply and its associated water right for manufacturing
purposes are currently being put to beneficial use.
4.5 Water Rights Law Changes
Water rights law in the state of Washington is rapidly changing as a result of the
endangered status of salmon and other fish species and the perceived need for restoration
of instream flows in rivers and streams to preserve them from extinction. The combination
of tribal rights, endangered species law, and state policy favoring instream flow protection
has permanently altered the way the state manages water resources, including municipal
water rights. This new dynamic requires that the City's assumptions about its water rights
be reevaluated in light of recent case law, Department of Ecology regulations, and ESA
listings. The City must be aware of the potential vulnerabilities of its water rights and the
limitations that salmon restoration can have on the water supply system.
The City has several water rights certificates and permits that are granted for municipal
(domestic), manufacturing, and hydropower generation uses. Because of the Rayonier mill
closure, potential permanent closure of the Morse creek hydropower station, potential
Elwha dam(s) removal, and watershed planning, the issue of water rights is a key element
of the City's supply strategy.
The City's Morse creek water right and its Elwha manufacturing water right have issues
that need to be resolved. The City is currently working with a water rights consultant on
these two issues.
The Morse creek water right certificates, No.s 874 and 2345, were formerly used to permit
use of Morse creek as the City's primary supply prior to construction of the Elwha Ranney
collector in 1978. However, their use designation was changed in the 1980s to "non-
consumptive" to support the City's Morse creek hydroelectric project. The City intends to
obtain written certification from the Department of Ecology permitting use of this supply
for municipal uses in the event of emergencies or possibly even to support use of Morse
creek as a primary supply (depending on the City's ultimate long-term supply strategy.
The City also intends to preserve its Elwha manufacturing water right (often referred to as
the "Elwha industrial right"), Certificate No. 1328 for future manufacturing purposes.
While this water right is not currently being fully utilized, it is critical to the long-term
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industrial growth and vitality of the City, particularly in light of the recent closure of the
Rayonier mill. Rayonier formerly used approximately 35 mgd under this water right. With
the closure of the Rayonier mill, only approximately 10 mgd of the Elwha manufacturing
water right is currently being used (by the Daishowa mill). Because it is not legally clear
whether the City's manufacturing right is exempt from potential relinquishment for
nonuse, the City's water rights consultant is developing a recommended strategy for
preservation of the Elwha manufacturing right. This strategy will be coordinated with the
City's Economic Development Director, and a long-term industrial development program
may be initiated to preserve this water right for future development.
The City's supply strategy must ensure that adequate water rights are available to meet
current and projected future water uses. A summary of the water rights held by the City,
the PUD, Dry Creek Water Association, and Black Diamond Water District is presented in
Table 1.
Table 1
Water Rights (mgd)
Instantaneous Average Annual
Water System I Source Rate Rate
City
Elwha Municipal (t) Elwha Ranney Collector 19.440 18.390
Elwha Industrial (2) Elwha River 96.900 96.900
Morse Creek (3) Morse Creek 12.920 12.920
Subtotal 129.260 128.210
PUD (4) I Morse Creek 0.969 0.342
I~ Bluff Well 1.942 0.167
! Township Line Well 0.050 0.050
Subtotal 2.9611 0.859
,
Dry Creek Water Association Elwha River Wells 0.403 0.300
Black Diamond Water District Little River 0.162 0.162
Totals
1) Overall 132.8 129.2
2) Without Hatchery and PUD 97.5 96.4
3) Without Hatchery, Elwha Industrial, and PUD 32.9 31.8
4) Without Hatchery, Elwha Industrial, PUD, and Morse Creek 20.0 18.9
r
Notes:
(1) This permit includes a development schedule with a completion date of July 1,2000. An additional 12.94 mgd is
granted as a "supplemental right" to the Morse Creek rights. Thus, a total of 32.37 mgd is permitted to be diverted on
an instantaneous basis if no diversion is being made from Morse Creek.
(2) 32.2 mgd of the Elwha Industrial right is dedicated for fish rearing at the Washington State hatchery.
(3) This water dght is currently granted for hydroelectric power generation and is subject to instream flow
requirements. Resolution with Eco[ogy of this water right would be necessary if the City were to chose to use
Morse Creek as a primary source of domestic supply.
_ (4) These permits and rights are granted for the PUD's use east of Morse Creek.
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The purpose of summarizing the existing water rights of each of the water systems within
the region is two-fold: 1) to help identify which existing supply sources represent viable
long-term supply alternatives, and 2) to compare existing water rights to current and project
supply needs.
From Table 1 it is apparent that water rights held by Dry Creek Water Association and
Black Diamond Water District are only a fraction of those held by the City. The capacities
of the supply facilities for both of these systems are correspondingly small and only
marginally adequate to meet their current customers. Both systems face the challenge of
maintaining existing treatment systems and/or installing new treatment systems. The
PUD's water rights are primarily used for supplying customers within the PUD's system
east of Morse creek; thus, they do not apply to the City's strategy objective of serving
customers between the Elwha river and Morse creek.
It is the City's water rights and its supply sources that represent the best opportunity for
supplying all existing and future customers between the Elwha river and Morse creek.
Furthermore, the water rights held by the City are substantial - enough to meet the
combined long-term future supply needs of projected domestic customers and industrial
customers. A summary of projected future water uses and a comparison of water rights
and projected demand is presented Section 4.7.
4.6 Watershed Planning
Watershed planning is a process authorized by RCW 90.82 (HB 2514) to involve a wide
range of water resource interests in a locally managed process to investigate and plan
actions relating to water quantity, water quality, habitat restoration, instream flows and the
identification of projects and actions to protect water resources and improve aquatic habitat.
On behalf of the City, the Elwha tribe and others, Clallam county applied for and received a
grant from the Department of Ecology to initiate watershed planning in the Morse creek to
Elwha river portion of WRIA 18 and to continue the pre-existing planning process for the
Dungeness river portion of WRIA 18. An Intergovernmental Agreement was executed by
the initiating governments of the WRIA 18 planning process in late 1998. The City is
currently involved in the initiation process of identifying members of a planning unit for
and goals for the planning process.
The development of minimum instream flows for the Elwha river is expected to be the most
important element of the Morse creek to Elwha river plan. If ultimately adopted as a
regulation by the Department of Ecology, an instream flow could affect future management
of the City's water rights, especially if the City seeks any changes to its water rights
requiring Department of Ecology approval. Legally, however, the City's existing water
rights would continue to have a senior priority date and should not be affected by an
instream flow level adopted as a regulation. It is unclear, however, whether future
expansion of the City's domestic supply system could be affected by instream flow
regulations, because the water right for the Elwha Ranney collector is not fully perfected.
This is one of the evolving water rights issues that the City is analyzing with its consultant.
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The planning unit for eastern WRIA 18 will most likely be lead by a management team
including the City and the Lower Elwha S'Klallam Tribe. This management team may
evolve into the organization best suited for obtaining regional consensus for the City's final
water supply development strategy. Obtaining consensus or feedback from the watershed
management team could be instrumental to avoiding future administrative appeals and
litigation.
4.7 Morse Creek Hydropower Station
Morse Creek served as the City's primary municipal water supply from 1924 until
development of the Elwha river domestic supply (Elwha Ranney collector) in 1978. Water
rights for the Morse Creek supply were altered by Ecology to support the Morse creek
hydropower station (hydropower station). However, stringent instream flow requirements
were also included in the altered water right. These instream flow requirements were
included to protect Morse Creek's fish habitat. The hydropower station was operated in
conformance with these instream flow requirements, which typically restrict operation in
April, late summer, and early fall.
The City has not operated the hydropower station since April 1997 and is considering its
permanent closure. Because of escalating maintenance costs primarily related to the old
Morse creek supply pipeline and recent reductions in the cost of purchased power from the
Bonneville Power Administration, the City estimates it would lose approximately $20,000
per year if it continues to operate the facility.
The Morse creek supply pipeline is constructed of concrete cylinder pipe. Downstream
sections of this pipeline still used within the City's distribution system have proven to be
maintenance-intensive with several leaks and breaks. The section of supply pipeline
upstream of the penstock connection to the hydropower station had several significant
leaks in recent years. Continued degradation of the pipeline is expected and could
represent a risk for the City related to environmental or other damage resulting from a
major break.
This issue is important for the following reasons:
· If operation of the hydropower station is discontinued permanently, the Morse
Creek supply represents a possible domestic supply alternative for the City. If the
Morse Creek supply were to be developed for municipal use, a treatment facility
would be required and the Morse Creek water right would have to be altered
(resolved) by Ecology.
· Discontinuing operation of the hydropower station would enable the City to reliably
count on the Morse creek supply as an emergency backup to the Elwha Ranney
collector. Although emergency use of this supply is specifically permitted by the
City's Morse creek water right, the issue of whether or not the instream flow
requirements governing the hydropower station operation still apply after its
closure would need to be resolved.
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Discontinuing operation of the hy,dropower station raises the issue of the status of
the Morse creek water right. The City contends that the Morse creek water right,
upon closure of hydropower station operation, should revert to its status (without
instream flow restrictions) prior to issuance of the superseding certificate permitting
hydropower station operation.
Although the Morse creek water right issue is an important factor in development of the
City's supply strategy, particularly as it relates to establishing a reliable emergency backup
supply, it is not the primary issue that requires resolution. Development of Morse creek as
a primary supply for domestic uses will likely only become a part of the City's supply
strategy if the City is unable to continue using the Elwha supply.
4.8 Growth (Water Supply Needs)
Projected regional water supply needs (demands) were estimated based on available data
from each of the four water systems between the Elwha river and Morse creek: the City, the
PUD, Dry Creek Water Association, and Black Diamond Water District. Current water use
figures were developed from existing meter data and other current information. Future
demands were estimated based on recent growth trends identified for each system. A
summary of the projected average annual demand (ADD) and maximum day demand
(MDD) is presented in Table 2. A more detailed discussion of how the demand projections
were developed for each water system is presented in Appendix B.
Table 2
Water Demand Projections (mgd)
1997 Demand 20-year Projection r-40.year Projection
Water System ADD MDD ADD MDD ADD MDD
City of Port Angeles 3.10 6.98 3.78! 8.51 4.62 10.38
Adjacent Water Systems
Clallam County PUD No. 1 0.501 1.13 0.87 1.95 1.51 3.40
Black Diamond Water District 0.061 0.13 0.10 0.23 0.18, 0.41
Dry Creek Water Association 0.12 0.27 0.19 0.42 0.30 0.66
Subtotal 0.67 1.52 1.16 2.60 1.99 4.47
Total 3.8 8.5 4.9 11.1 6.6 14.9
The data presented in Table 2 represents the most recent data available for current demands
and future projections. Records for the City and the PUD, as summarized in Appendix B,
indicate that water use has remained level or decreased slightly in recent years. This
stagnation in water demand growth can be attributed to a combination of several factors
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including: distribution system leak detection and correction, increases in water rates, a
greater awareness of the need to conserve, and above-average precipitation.
It is assumed for the purposes of this evaluation, that the demand projections for the City
and adjacent systems do not exceed the demand associated with "buildout' based on
current City and county zoning. A 1-percent annual growth rate, based on recent growth
trends, was used for projecting the City's future demand. Developing buildout demand
projections based on current zoning would provide alternate future demand estimate, but
would not improve the accuracy of long-term future projections. It is also important to note
that the projections presented in Table 2 are "estimates," are not overly conservative, and
do not reflect possible acceleration in growth that could lead to even greater supply
capacity needs.
Estimating future water use needs is an essential component of any long-term supply
strategy. The City's supply capacity will need to increase as growth within the City
continues and as the City annexes adjacent areas and extends services. The current reliable
capacity of the existing Elwha Ranney collector for meeting the maximum day demand
(MDD) is somewhat less than 10 mgd based on the City's recent experience during the
summertime demand season. Even if the City does not expand its service area or agree to
supply Black Diamond Water District and Dry Creek Water Association in the near-term
future, its supply needs will exceed the capacity of the Ranney collector in as few as 10 to 15
years.
The City's Elwha Ranney collector water right permit has an adequate quantity of water to
serve the future demand estimates shown on Table 2. The current development schedule
on the permit requires the City to put the water to beneficial use by July 1, 2020. Quantities
of water put to beneficial use by that time would be perfected and available for future
demands in the City's service area. In order for the City to continue expanding its water
system beyond 2020, additional extensions of the development schedule may be necessary.
4.9 Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) could impact the City's supply system because of the
listing by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the Puget Sound Chinook
salmon as a threatened species. Although not specifically located in the Puget Sound area,
the Elwha river has been identified as supporting a Fall Chinook salmon population that is
intimately linked with, and thrives within, the waters of the Puget Sound for the majority of
their lives. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has also proposed the
Puget Sound Bull Trout for listing under the ESA as a threatened species.
The City has several options to consider in order to continue use of its water supply, in
compliance with the ESA, including, but not limited to, applying for an "incidental take"
permit and preparing a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) in support of this permit. Pursuit
of these activities, if necessary could require extensive involvement of other stakeholders in
the affairs of the City's water supply, significantly complicating its ability to direct the
future of its water supply strategy. The City recognizes that development of a strategy to
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address this issue is important and has begun to undertake that task, including
participation in Southwest Puget Sound regional salmon recovery planning efforts.
4.10 Corrosion Control
As a result of the lead and copper samples the City collected from the distribution system in
1992 and 1993, the City is required to install corrosion control treatment for the Elwha
Ranney supply. The City exceeded the copper standard but not the lead standard. Copper
concentrations at customer taps is the result of corrosion of copper pipes. There are no
known serious acute or chronic health-related affects of copper in drinking water at the
concentrations measured at some customer taps. The health risk associated with these low
concentrations is not considered serious.
However, the cost associated with installing corrosion control treatment for the Elwha
Ranney supply is not insignificant. As already discussed, there are uncertainties in the
near-term future of the Elwha Ranney collector related to the GW! issue, removal of the
Elwha dams, and the City's budget constraints related to closure of the Rayonier mill. Thus,
to avoid potentially unnecessary capital expenditure to solve the City's corrosion issue
based on the existing supply configuration, a compliance schedule was negotiated by the
City and DOH to install corrosion control treatment after the City's uncovered distribution
system reservoirs are covered.
The primary rationale for this compliance approach was to attain the greatest possible
health-related benefit per dollar expended. The City had planned to cover its uncovered
distribution system storage reservoirs independent of the corrosion issue. The DOH
concurred that accelerating the schedule for covering these reservoirs represents a more
effective use of the City's limited capital resources than constructing corrosion control
facilities, particularly in light of the potential outcome of the other issues described above.
Addressing its mildly corrosive supply is an important issue facing the City; thus, it
warrants consideration in the development of its supply strategy. However, the extent of
the measures necessary for the City to address this issue depends on the resolution of other
more pressing issues facing the City. Despite the importance and potential impacts of this
issue, it is not likely to overshadow the other issues discussed above in the development of
the City's supply strategy. Likewise, covering the uncovered storage reservoirs are not
considered to be major considerations in the development of the City's supply strategy.
The City would have been required to cover its distribution system storage reservoirs
regardless of the supply source.
5. Alternative Supply Options
The following alternative supply options represent the various means by which water
supply facilities can be used or developed in light of the issues described above in order to
meet the City's water supply objectives. It must be recognized that the desirability of
various supply options will affect the need and timing for resolution of particular water
rights issues. For example, development of the Morse creek supply as a primary supply
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source would require resolution of the water rights permitting issue described in Section
4.7. Development of a second Ranney collector on the Elwha river would require resolution
of the GWI issue and/or mitigation planning and funding for Elwha dam(s) removal.
Therefore, it is important to recognize the connection between the following supply options
and the need to prioritize issues for resolution.
1. Continue Using Elwha Ranney Collector. Continue to use the Elwha Ranney
collector as the primary water supply source and develop a second Ranney collector,
when needed, to meet future water supply needs. Develop and maintain Morse
creek as an emergency backup supply.
2. Develop Morse Creek. Permanently discontinue hydropower station operations
and develop the Morse creek supply as the City's primary supply or as a
supplemental supply to the existing Elwha Ranney collector.
3. Elwha-Supplied Treatment Plant. Construct a new treatment facility in
conformance with the regulatory requirements for surface water to be supplied from
the Elwha industrial system intake or the Elwha Ranney collector. It is important to
note, particularly as it relates to the Elwha dam(s) removal process, that continued
use of the Ranney collector as a supply to a surface water treatment plant would be a
superior treatment approach to direct withdrawals from the fiver. Develop and
maintain Morse creek as an emergency backup supply without surface water
treatment.
4. Elwha/Morse-Supplied Treatment Plant. Construct a new treatment facility in
conformance with the regulatory requirements for surface water to be supplied from
the existing Elwha industrial system intake or the Elwha Ranney collector and the
Morse Creek supply.
5. Regional Water Supply System. The City and PUD are reviewing possibilities of
cooperatively developing a regional water supply in conjunction with the removal
of the Elwha dams. The goal of a regional water supply would be to have one
source supplying the combined City/PUD water service area, eliminating the need
for the PUD to construct a separate treatment plant to serve the area east of Morse
creek and also eliminating the need for the PUD to use its Morse creek diversion.
Eliminating the PUD's Morse creek diversion could be part of a regional response to
the ESA listing, with the possibility of additional state or federal salmon
conservation/restoration funds available to "purchase" the Morse creek water rights
and construct a new treatment facility. A new treatment plant could be sited on the
Rayonier mill site adjacent to the city wastewater treatment plant. A pipeline would
be needed from the treatment plant to the middle zone, with the possibility of a
parallel line to bring emergency water to the treatment plant from Morse creek or to
deliver treated wastewater for reuse by the golf course or other non-potable future
. water uses.
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6. Develop Groundwater Supply. Develop a groundwater supply or multiple
supplies, the availability of which would need to be determined by exploration, and
avoid the more stringent regulatory requirements for using surface water. Develop
and maintain Morse creek as an emergency backup supply.
7. Develop Industrial/Manufacturing Supply Retention Strategy. To protect the
City's Elwha manufacturing water right from future potential actions aimed at
restricting this supply to current usage, the City should develop a strategy that links
its economic development planning and water supply for large non-potable uses to
the future use of the industrial diversion and pipeline. The City's water rights
consultant is currently addressing this issue. The use of the industrial diversion or
pipeline for any other water supply option must be examined for its impact on
future uses of the manufacturing water right. It should also be recognized that the
historic diversions for this water right were considerably larger than current
diversions and projected future needs for manufacturing and other non-potable
purposes. ~'herefore, the City should also consider using some portion of this water
right for purposes consistent with salmon recovery, watershed planning and ESA
compliance.
If it is assumed that each of these primary domestic supply options can be developed to
meet the City's three primary supply objectives, their relative merits depends primarily on
their costs (capital, operation, and maintenance) as well as their capacity to reliably meet the
City's needs in view of other issues such as dam removal. It is most more important at this
time to pursue a strategy that enables the City to achieve the desired outcome based on the
resolution of the supply issues it faces. As stated previously, developing any of the supply
options identified herein prior to the systematic resolution of the supply issues facing the
City such as, GWI, the Elwha dam(s) removal process, and water rights issues, could lead to
ineffective capital expenditure. Nevertheless, the City's supply strategy must be directed
toward a desired outcome or set of outcomes. To help identify this strategy direction a
preliminary qualitative evaluation of these primary domestic supply options is presented in
Table 3. Based on the qualitative information presented in Table 3:
· The City's current domestic supply system (the Elwha Ranney collector), in
combination with a future similar facility, has several advantages over the other
primary domestic supply options. It is also understood there are two key
unresolved issues: 1) GWI classification, and 2) Elwha dam(s) removal. If the GWI
classification process does not prevent continued use of the Elwha Ranney collector,
and if the Elwha dams were not considered for removal, continuing to use the
existing Rarmey collector and installing an additional future collector would be the
most desirable supply option for the City. In the event that this primary domestic
supply option becomes infeasible as a result of these issues, particularly the Elwha
dam(s) removal process, one of the other supply options based on a surface water
treatment facility will become attractive.
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· Development of the Morse creek supply as a stand-alone primary supply source or
as a reliable supplemental primary supply to the Elwha would be costly because of
treatment needs and because of supply pipeline replacement needs. Other
difficulties related to the lower flow in Morse creek compared to the Elwha river, as
presented in Table 3, should be expected.
· No specific assessment of the development and maintenance of the Morse creek
supply as an emergency backup is made. Its use in this is, to some degree,
independent of the primary domestic supply options. The viability of the existing
Morse creek supply system (intake and pipeline) is questionable. However, it
should not be assumed to be unusable. Reserving the right to undertake
development of this element of the City's supply strategy is important because if the
Elwha domestic supply facilities are lost because of a flood or groundwater
contamination, Morse creek could serve as an high-quality emergency backup
supply (despite the fact it does not comply with SWTR requirements). However, the
strategy objectives related to development of a primary supply outcome are the
more important area of focus at this time. Furthermore, because Morse creek would
serve only as an emergency backup supply, allocation of funds for this purpose
would need to be evaluated based on implementation of the strategy.
To further quantify the relative merits of each of the domestic supply options presented,
more detailed quantitative comparisons based on economic and other relevant criteria
would be necessary. Such comparisons may be warranted and more effective as the results
of the GWI classification process become known, water rights issues are resolved, and the
specific mitigation measure of the Elwha dam(s) removal process are developed.
At this time, the following assertions can be made regarding these primary domestic supply
options:
· Continued supply of its domestic customers from the existing Elwha Ranney
collector and a future Ranney collector is the preferred domestic supply option. The
Elwha dam(s) removal process, and to a lesser extent the GWI classification process,
pose the greatest threats to the continued long-term use of this facility as a stand-
alone groundwater supply. Assuming the Elwha dam(s) are removed, reliance
solely on a Ranney collector supply system is not likely a feasible option. However,
a Ranney collector as a supply intake to a surface water treatment plant could prove
to be a mitigation measure of the Elwha dam(s) removal process that best serves the
City's interests. Such a configuration would provide the City with the reliability of
surface water treatment as well as the potent/al option of bypassing the treatment
facility, if permitted by the DOH, thus reducing operation and maintenance costs.
· In the event supply from the Elwha Ranney collector becomes unfeasible,
development of an Elwha-supplied surface water treatment facility represents an
attractive option.
· Development of a regional water supply system with the PUD may be an attractive
alternative to state and federal agencies in light of endangered salmon issues and
options for increasing flows in Morse creek and the Elwha river to accommodate
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salmon recovery. If it is assumed that the bulk of financing for a surface water
treatment facility would be provided by state and federal grant funds linked to
Elwha dam(s) removal and/or salmon recovery, options which maximize benefits to
salmon are more likely to get funded, reducing the City's share of costs.
The viability of development of a groundwater supply to meet the City's needs is
unknown at this time. Because of the lack of identified existing local high-capacity
groundwater systems, this alternative outcome should be considered low on the
City's priority list. Investigation of this alternative should not be undertaken until
further resolution of the key supply issues facing the City.
Alternative strategy outcomes for the City's industrial supply system were not identified or
evaluated' as part of this study, but are being analyzed by the City's water rights consultant.
It is assumed for this study that continued use of the existing system along with the
mitigation modifications proposed as part of the Elwha dam(s) removal process is the
desired and by far most likely strategy outcome. Pursuit of this strategy outcome mirrors
the strategy implementation activities designed to achieve the desired domestic supply
system outcome.
6. Recommended Supply Strategy
-- The recommended supply strategy for the City includes taking immediate action toward
resolution of some of the supply issues identified herein, monitoring the progress of others,
adjusting the direction of the supply strategy as these issues are resolved.
6.1 Immediate/Near-Term Activities
The activities presented in this section are those in which the City has a significant level of
control and should undertake immediately or in the near-term future. Possible subsequent
activities and strategy revisions dependent upon issues resolution are described in
Section 6.2.
6.1.1 Water Rights
The City, in accordance with the recommendations of its water rights consultant, should
issue a letter to Ecology regarding Morse creek. The letter should state the City's intention
to permanently close the hydropower station and requesting existing certificate be amended
with a superseding certificate once the City has decided whether or not to use the Morse
creek supply as a primary supply source or as an emergency backup supply.
-- The City should follow the recommendations of its water rights consultant regarding
protection of its Elwha manufacturing water right. Those recommendations include, but
are not limited to, monitoring legislation regarding this issue and revising the City's Water
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System Plan. A more detailed analysis of these issues and a recommended strategy will be
presented to the City in May 1999, following the current legislative session.
6.1.2 Monitor Development of Tribe's Instream Flow Study
The City should monitor the progress of this activity, as part of the WRIA 18 watershed
planning process, including an evaluation of the methodology to be used prior to
undertaking the study. The results of this instream flow study could have a significant
impact on operation of the City's supply systems.
6.1.3 ESA/Watershed Planning
The City should immediately begin development of its strategy to address the proposed
listing by the NMFS of the Elwha river Fall Chinook Salmon. Being pro-active on this issue
will enable the City to have more control in identifying the need for, as well as directing
any recovery or mitigation strategies that might be imposed. It is understood that these
efforts have begun through the City's planning department and its water rights consultant.
The City has communicated with state and federal agencies and sub-regional groups who
are attempting a coordinated ESA response. If subregional responses do not adequately
address the City's concerns about Chinook listing, the City should present its own recovery
plan to the NMFS for inclusion in the forthcoming ESA 4(d) rule.
6.2 Possible Strategy Direction(s)
Although many of the issues presented in Section 4 could have a significant effect on the
City's supply strategy, it is recognized that the GWI classification issue and Elwha dam(s)
removal process are most likely to have the greatest impact. In addition, it is going to be
important that the City understand the strategy outcomes available (resulting from the GWI
process) during the process of determining and negotiating the specific mitigation measures
associated with the Elwha dam(s) removal process. Thus, the flowchart presented in
Figure 4 summarizes the alternative strategy directions likely to be available to the City as
the GWI and Elwha dam(s) removal processes move forward. This flowchart was
developed in recognition of the following assumptions:
· Elwha dam(s) removal process directly follows GWI process
· Elwha dam(s) removal process is complete within 7 years
· Lower Elwha S'Klallam tribe's objectives do to not conflict with City's supply
objectives
· The ESA issue does not materially limit the City's withdrawals from its Elwha
supplies
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Appendix A
Supply Strategy Objectives
A more detailed discussion of the City's supply strategy objectives presented in Section 2 of
the main report is presented below.
A.I. Supply Customers Between the Elwha River
and Morse Creek
The City's primary objective is to pursue a water supply strategy that enables it to supply
its existing and potential future customers between the Elwha river to the west, Morse creek
to the east, and the Olympic Mountains foothills to the south. This objective does not
include forcing service on customers or existing systems outside the City or unincorporated
urban growth area that do not wish to be provided service. However, because of
anticipated increased stringency in future drinking water regulations and the ever-
increasing cost of providing service (particularly treatment), the City recognizes that a
regional approach with the City as the service provider likely represents the best
opportunity for long-term reliable supply to its customers within the City limits as well as
those adjacent to the City.
The City currently supplies all customers within the City limits, not including the Elwha
industrial water system customers (Daishowa), on a retail basis and most of the PUD's
customers west of Morse creek on a wholesale contract basis with the PUD. Most of the
PUD's service area west of Morse creek lies within the unincorporated Port Angeles Urban
Growth Area (PAUGA). Much of the Dry Creek Water Association service area is also
within the PAUGA. Thus, it appears likely these areas will be annexed.
Although portions of these service areas and all of the Black Diamond service area are
located outside the PAUGA, the City believes that it may ultimately supply them as well,
either through future annexation (as retail customers) or on a wholesale contract basis with
the purveyor. Regardless of the manner and the time-frame in which the City ultimately
supplies the customers of these adjacent systems, it is committed to ensuring that it has the
supply capacity and the water rights to do so.
The City has already received a request from Dry Creek Water Association to purchase
enough water to meet its entire supply need and has also had some discussions within the
past several years with Black Diamond Water District regarding supplying a portion of its
supply needs. The PUD has also requested additional supply from the City. Thus, it is
apparent that the City's role as the primary regional water supplier is a likely eventuality
that should be addressed by the supply strategy.
Preliminary document prepared for discussion
Purposes only - not subject to disclosure.
A.2. Maintain Viability of Industrial System and
Water Right
The City's owns the Elwha industrial system, including the diversion and intake system on
the Elwha river, the supply pipeline to Daishowa and the old Rayonier mill site, and surge
protection facilities at the old Rayonier mill site. These facilities have supplied
manufacturing uses since the late 1920s. Despite the recent Rayonier mill closure which
reduced withdrawals from this system from approximately 45 mgd to about 10 mgd,
Daishowa continues to operate and use the Elwha industrial supply. The Elwha industrial
system and the City's associated manufacturing water right are extremely valuable assets to
the City. The City plans to continue using this system to supply its current customer,
Daishowa, as well as potential future water-intensive industries. Being able to attract such
industries is critical to efforts to expand the local economy. Thus, maintaining its ability to
make beneficial use of this system and is associated water right is an important objective of
the City's supply strategy.
A.3. Coordinate with Elwha Dam Removal Process
Removal of either or both of the Elwha Dams will have an adverse impact on both of the
City's supply systems. The United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of
Reclamation has proposed measures including substantial facility development to mitigate
the adverse impacts associated with dam removal. The details and merits of the Bureau's
specific proposed mitigation measures are somewhat questionable and subject to change,
based on pending dam-removal legislation. When a dam(s) removal process is ultimately
finalized, monetary funding is expected to be available to construct new supply facilities for
the City.
These new facilities would be specifically designed to mitigate the adverse impacts
associated with removal of either the lower or both of the dams. It is anticipated that the
water quality and related impacts of dam(s) removal will be the overriding factors in
determining treatment and supply improvements. As such, much of the cost for the
required facilities should be funded by the dam(s) removal process. Treatment investments
made by the City prior to finalization of this process may prove to be "sunk" costs. Such
improvements could be either incompatible with the treatment provided as a result of
dame(s) removal or simply unnecessary.
Thus, the City's supply strategy must be coordinated with the Elwha dam(s) removal
process not only in terms of the physical facility issues that are relevant, but also with the
relative timing of that process and the other supply issues facing the City.
Preliminary document prepared for discussio~
purposes only- not sub}ect to disclosure
Appendix B
Development of Demand Projections
The methods used for estimating future water use for the City and adjacent water systems,
as presented in Table 2 of the main report, are presented herein.
B.1. City of Port Angeles
Current demands for the City were determined from reviewing the Elwha supply meter
records from 1993 through 1997. A summary of the Elwha supply meter records, PUD
water use, and the resultant City demand is presented in Table B-1. The Elwha supply
meter values include the volume supplied to the PUD. Thus, the PUD's water use must be
subtracted to determine the City's demand. The City's recent demand was used for
projecting future water supply needs. The City's 1997 average annual water demand
(ADD), as presented in Table B-l, as well as Table 2 of the main report, was approximately
3.1 mgd.
Table B-1
Historic City and PUD Average Annual Water Demand (mgd)
Elwha Supply Meter
Year (Combined City and PUD) PUD West of Morse Creek (1) City
1993 3.38 0.40 2.98
1994 3.60 0.47 3.13
1995 3.54 0.50 3.04
1996 3.44 0.44 3.00
1997 3.46 0.41 3.05
(1) The PUD's use was estimated based on a ratio of the number of metered service connections west of Morse Creek
to the total number in the P.A. Composite s~/stem (56 pement) multiplied by the total P.A. Composite demand.
Future water use projections for the City were based on population growth rates and the
rate of increase in the number of service meters. The Washington State Office of Financial
Management's Forecasting Division estimates population growth in the City to be 1 percent
per year from the 1990 census population of 17,710 to an estimated 1997 population of
18,890. Growth in service meter connections over the same time-frame was checked to
confirm the estimated 1 percent population growth rate. Irt 1990 there were approximately
7,047 metered service connections and approximately 7,588 in 1997. This increase reflects a
1 percent annual growth rate, which was used to develop the demand projections presented
in Table 2 of the main report.
The ratio of the City's MDD to its ADD is approximately 2.25 based on production data
from the Elwha supply meter. This ratio was used for projecting the City's future MDD.
This ratio of 2.25 was also used for estimating the current and projected future MDDs for
Preliminary document prepared for discussio~
purposes only- not subject to disclosure
each of the other water systems, as presented in Table 2 of the main report, because of the
lack of reliable MDD information from these systems.
B.2. PUD No. 1 of Clallam County
The PUD provided water use data for its system directly adjacent to the City, referred to as
the "P.A. Composite." The P.A. Composite system includes services within and outside the
PAUGA and on both sides of Morse Creek. The P.A. Composite system is supplied by two
groundwater wells, a surface water treatment plant, and purchased water from the City.
Historically, the area west of Morse creek has been supplied by purchased water from the
City. The area east of Morse creek is supplied from groundwater wells and the PUD's
Morse creek surface water treatment plant. Thus, purchased water from City has, for some
periods in the past, provided an accurate assessment of PUD demand west of Morse creek.
However, beginning in 1996 the PUD began supplying the area west of Morse creek with
treated surface water from its Morse creek treatment plant. Furthermore, up until 1995, not
all of the PUD's supply from the City was metered. A separate tmmetered bypass
connection from the City to the PUD was available for the PUD's use to meet peak
summertime demands. Use of this bypass connection was terminated prior to the summer
of 1996.
Because the amount of un-metered water from the City is unknown and the fact that the
PUD has recently been using treated surface water from its Morse creek plant to supply
customers west of Morse creek, using water purchases from the City as art estimate of
demand in the PUD's P.A. Composite system west of Morse creek is unreliable. Thus, total
water usage in the P.A. Composite was converted to water use west of Morse Creek using
the ratio of metered service connections west of Morse creek to the entire P.A. Composite
system. This ratio is approximately 56 percent based on data from 1994 through 1997. The
resulting water use estimates for the PUD west of Morse creek are presented in Table B-1.
Water demand projections for the PUD west of Morse creek presented in Table 2 of the
main report were based on the recent historical growth in the number of metered service
connections. Metered service connections were used as the preferred growth indicator
because population data for this area was not available. The annual rate of increase in the
number of P.A. Composite service meters from 1989 to 1997 was 2.8 percent from 2,061 to
2,568. Thus, the PUD's 1997 water demand west of Morse creek, estimated as 0.5 mgd, was
escalated at 2.8 percent per year.
B.3. Dry Creek Water Association
The Dry Creek Water Association provided water production data from its supply wells for
1995 and 1996 which was reviewed to estimate current 1997 water use. The ADD for 1996
was approximately 0.115 mgd. Dry Creek's 1993 Water System Plan developed an annual .
water use growth rate of 2.32 percent based on historical population and connection data.
This growth rate was used to determine the 1997 ADD of 0.118 mgd by escalating the 1996
ADD. Future projections were also developed using the 2.32 percent annual water use .
B-2
Prelhninat~ document prepared for discussion
purposes only - not subject to disclosure
growth rate.
B.4. Black Diamond Water District
The Black Diamond Water District provided average water use information per connection
as well as information on the number of connections. According to the Black Diamond
Water District, the number of metered service connections in 1997 was 168 and the usage
per connection was approximately 333 gallons per day. Thus, the 1997 ADD was
determined to be 0.056 mgd. The District estimates its "buildout" number of cormections to
be approximately 550 based on current zoning. The District also estimates that it is growing
at approximately 5 connections per year (about 3 percent per year based on the current
nvax~ber of connections) in the last few years and expects that rate of growth to continue. ~.
3 percent growth rate was used for estimating future water demands resulting in buildout
conditions being reached in 40 years (coincidentally, the same time-frame as the 40-year
projection).
B-3
NORTHLAND'S REPORT
TO THE CITY OF
PORT ANGELES
1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
System Structural & Operational Information ........................ Section A
System Ownership
Organization Flow Chart
Local Business Office & Employees
Cable System Mileage & Homes Passed
Cable Subscriber Information
Cable Services Provided
Schedule of Northland's Rates
Program License Fees
Summary of Previous Year's Activities ....................................... Section B
Local Origination Programming
Audits & Investigations 1998
Communications With Federal or State Regulatory Agencies
Planned Construction and Upgrades .........................................Section C
For 1999
Future Upgrades
Current and Future Technology Advances and Services ......... Section D
Current Technology
Future Technology & Service
Additional Information ................................................................. Section E
Quality Assurance Results
Planned Community Involvement
Zz~
Local Business Office & Employees
Northland Cable Television
725 East First Street
Port Angeles, WA 98362
We currently employ 23 full-time people and I part-time person. Our staff are all local
area residents who support our community and economy.
System Structural
&
Operation Information
Total Cable System Mileage and
Overall Homes Passed
Information
Total Cable System Mileage 400 miles
Total Homes Passed 17,780 homes
Total Port Angeles Cable Miles 200 miles
Total Port Angeles Homes Passed 10,600 homes
NUMBER OF CABLE SUBSCRIBERS
INFORMATION
PROGRAMMING NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS
Standard Basic 5,161
Economy Basic 618
The Disney Channel 124
Home Box Office 371
Cinemax 323
Showtime 342
Tier (Ultra Basic) 3,789
Service Agreements 2,100
CABLE SERVICES PROVIDED
98 NWCN Northwest Cable News
2 * CBUT (CBC) Vancouver
3 * NCN Northland Cable News
4 * KOMO (ABC) Seattle
5 * KING (NBC) Seattle
6 * CHEK (CTV) Victoria
7 * KIRO (CBS) Seattle
8 TV Guide Channel
9 * KCTS (PBS) Seattle
10' CKVU (IND) Vancouver
11' KSTW (UPN) Tacoma
12' KVOS (IND) Bellingham
13' KCPQ (FOX) Tacoma
t7 CSPAN
18 Fox Family Channel
19 QVC Quality Value Channel
20 TLC The Learning Channel
21 EG Education & Government Channel
22* KTZZ (WB) Seattle
23 Headline News/NCN
24 CNBC Consumer News & Business Channel
25* TNT Turner Network Television
26* ESPN
27 CNN Cable News Network
28* WTBS Atlanta Superstation
29* The Discover Channel
30 FNC Fox News Channel
31' FSN Fox Sports Northwest
32* The Travel Channel
33* USA Network
34* TNN The Nashville Network
35* TCM Turner Classic Movies
36* GAC Great American Country
37* A&E Arts & Entertainment
38* Lifetime
39 AMC Classic Movies
40* ESPN-2
41' Nickelodeon
42 The History Channel
43 The Cartoon Channel
14' HBO
15' Showtime Premium Packages Available
16' Cinemax (see package rate sheets)
99* The Disney Channel
Effective 3/1/99
Cable Service Provided (cont.)
FM Stereo Service
Frequency FM Station Programming
88.5 KPLU Ja77/News
90.9 Satellite Classical Collections
91.7 KNWP Northwest Public Radio
92.9 KISM Top 40's
93.5 CRN Cable Radio Network
94.1 KMPS Country
94.9 KUOW Public/Classical
95.7 KJR 70's Rock
96.5 KYCW Young Country
96.9 CKKS Soft Rock
97.3 KBSG Oldies
98.1 KING Classical
98.5 CIOC Middle of the Road
98.9 KWJZ Smooth Jazz
99.3 CFOX Rock
99.7 Satellite Music of Your Life
100.7 KIRO The Buzz- Talk Radio
101.1 CFMI Adult Contemporary
101.5 KPLZ Contemporary Hits
102.5 KZOK Classic Rock
103.5 CHQM Easy Listening
103.7 KMTT Adult Alternative
104.3 KAFE Adult Rock
104.7 Satellite New Age of Jazz
105.7 CBU Middle of the Road
106.5 KLYN Contemporary Christian
107.3 LOCAL National Park Radio
107.7 KNDD Alternative Rock
Effective 5/1/98
Schedule of Northland's Rates
New Account Installation Fees
(All new customers must pay in advance)
(Effective May 1, 1999)
Aerial $50.00
Underground Call for Quote
Reconnect (or Transfer) $40.00
Additional Outlet (at time of connect) $10.00 (Ea. Up to 3)
Additional Outlet Activation (at time of connect) $10.00 (Ea. Up to 3)
FM Service (at time of connect) $10.00
Premium Channels (at time of connect) NO CHARGE
Changes In Service
(For existing customers)
Per Call $40.00
Premium Channels $30.00
Monthly Service Charges
Ultra Basic $37.00
Standard Basic $26.75
Economy Basic $18.50
FM Service (with basic) $ 2.75
Maintenance Service Agreement (NES) $ 2.75
FM Service $ 7.95
Premium Services
HBO $11.95
Showtime $11.50
Cinemax $ 8.95
The Disney Channel $ 8.95
Movie' Packages Available (see package rate sheet)
Service Calls
Service Call with no Service Agreement $40.00
Service Call with Service Agreement NO CHARGE
Miscellaneous Charges
Prewires (cabled area) $15.00 (each outlet)
Prewires (non-cabled area) $25.00 (each outlet)
Cable in open ditch $25.00
Late Fee: Charge for payments received after the due date $ 3.50
Schedule of Northland's Rates
Premium Packages
Package #1
Ultra Basic, HBO, Cinemax, Showtime & NES $65.95
(savings of $6.20 per month)
(installation is free if package is kept for 6 months)
Package #2
Ultra Basic, HBO, Cinemax, & NES $56.95
(savings of $3.70 per month)
(save 75% on installation)
Package #3
Ultra Basic, HBO, Showtime, & NES $59.95
(savings of $3.25 per month)
(save 50% on installation)
Package ~4
Ultra Basic, Cinemax, & NES
$44.95
(savings of $3.75 per month)
(save 30% on installation)
Package #5
Ultra Basic & NES $39.00
(savings of $ .75 per month)
(save 20% on installation)
Effective May 1, 1999
Program License Fees
Cable Networks like ESPN, CNN, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon, and HBO
purchase and create a wealth of quality programming that brings enjoyment and
education to Northland's subscribers. The cable networks charge cable companies to
carry their programming. (This relationship is opposite of that in the broadcasting
industry where CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX pay their local affiliates to carry the network
programming.) The rates charged by cable networks have increased dramatically in
the last several years so the number and quality of programming choices has
expanded. The cost of sports programming, in particular, has skyrocketed as
networks have paid ever increasing amounts to secure high profile sporting events
such as the NFL, NBA, and major league baseball.
To obtain programming from cable networks, Northland must enter into contractual
arrangements, often for a long term, that stipulate channel placement, the level of
service (basic, expanded basic, tier, etc.) on which the programming must be carried,
as well as dozens of other provisions that affect Northland's ability to deliver
programming to subscribers. Along with hundreds of other cable companies,
Northland has joined a cooperative purchasing organization to negotiate better deals
with the powerful networks so we can provide a wide variety of high-quality
programming to our customers at the lowest possible price.
Summary of Previous
Year's Activities
Local Origination Programming
Channel 3 is Northland's local origination channel in the Port Angeles area. Local
origination programs consist of Northland Cable News, public service announcements,
and public awareness announcements.
Channel 3 is also used to provide information about planned outages, schedules of
taped events, and any other information that would be important to our customers. We
also provide advertising space to local businesses.
Audits and Investigations
1998
Total Homes Audited 1,219
Illegal Connections 51
NORTHIZlND
COMMUNI~TIONS
, CORPORATION
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 3600
January 7, ]099 Seattle, Washington 98101
FAX (206) 623-9015
(206) 621-1351
VIA FEDERAL EXPRESS
John P. Wong, Chief
Engineering and Technical Services Division
Cable Services Bureau
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, DC 20554
Dear Mr. Wong:
Submitted herewith are the Basic Signal Leakage Performance Reports (FCC Forms 320) for:
Northland Cable Properties Seven LP
WA-0274 Camano Island (C) WA-0468 Snohomish (NW)
WA-0555 Camano Island (S) WA-0576 Utsalady
WA-0289 Stanwood
Northland Cable Properties, Inc.
WA-0189 Newport ID-0004 Priest River
ID-0005 Oldtown
Northland Cable Television, Inc.
CA-0494 Yreka CA-1237 Montague
CA-0865 Siskiyou
WA-0134 Port Angeles WA-0177 Port Angeles
If there are any questions concerning the foregoing, please contact my office at (206) 621-1351.
Sincer/g!~
Vice President Technical Services
cc: FCC file
System copy
Approved '~y OMB
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 3060-0433
Expires 1131199
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554
BASIC SIGNAL LEAKAGE PERFORMANCE REPORT
FCC FORM 320
SECTION [ -- GENERAL INFORMATION
(1) Cable System Owner: NORTHLAND CABLE TV INC
Phone Number: (2~06) 621-1351
Address: ]20{ TH{RD AVENUE #3600
SEATTLE WA 98101-
(City) (State) (Z~)
(2) Community Served : FORT ANG~T.~.q
(3) Community Unit No.: WAOI77 (4) PhySical System Id: 000417
SECTION il -- LOCAL SYSTEM INFORMATION
(1) Person(s) Responsible fcr report:
Name: STURGEON MIKE
(Last) (First) (M)
Phone Number: (360) 452-8466
Address: 725 FAST FIRST ST
PORT ,~N GF..T .F.q ~ 9~362-__
(City) (State} {ZIP)
(2) Are aeronautical frequencies (i.e., 108-137 or 225-400 MHz) used by this cable
television system? Yes X No
(a) If No, complete Section iV Oelow and c'eturn to FCC.
(b) If Yes, attach as Exhibit A all precisely offsetted aeroilautical frequencies
used by this Community Unit.
(3) TEST RESULTS: CLI: lOLogIoo: 51.67 ; lOLogI300~:
Airspace: Passed: Failed:
SECTION Ill -- LEAKAGE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
For operators conducting measurements on geographical areas that contain more than one
Community Unit, (e.g., headends t~at ~erve more than one community unit) fill i~ the
measurement information below. NOTE: ?he s~bmission of the accompanying exhibits,
either 8 or C, may De incorporated Dy reference to another Community Unit filing
that had undergone the same measurement tests as this Community Unit. That Community
Unit must be identified by z~s Cormunzty Unit Code Number in response to Question (2)
or (4) below.
(1) GROUND-BASED MEASUREMEN75:
(a) Person(s) Respcns~ble
Name: FUDALLY .... MICHAEL
Phone Number: {360 452-846~ '~ (First) (M)
(~) Miles of plant ~e
FCC 320 EXHIBIT A
AERONAUTICAL FREQUENCIES USED
PO~T~GET,~
1 of 2
Authorized Measured
Channels Frequency Frequency Comments
98 109.2750 109.2750 0 Hz
99 115,2750 115.2761 +1100 Hz
SCRAMBLING
~RT~ 117.5250 117.5261 +1100 Hz
14 121.2625 121.2632 + 700 Hz
SCRAMBLING
CARRIER ~23.~1~ 123.5132 + 700 Hz
15 ~27,26~5 127.2629 + 400 Hz
SCRAMBLING
~R~T~ 129.5125 129.5129 + 400 Hz
16 133.2625 133.2619 - 600 HZ
SCRAMBLING
~ARRIER ~$$.~1~ 135.5119 - 600 Hz
25 2~9.2~ 229.2626 + 160 Hz
26 2~,26~ 235.2616 - 900 Hz
27 2~,2625 241.2624 - 100 Hz
28 ~7,2~ 247.2619 - 600 Hz
29 ~3.2~ 253.2617 - ~00 Hz
30 259.2625 259,2620 - ~00 Hz
31 26~.2625 265.2629 + 400 Hz
32 271.2625 271.2597 - 2800 Hz
33 277.2625 277.2630 + ~00 Hz
34 ~83.2625 283.2619 - 600 Hz
35 2~9,2625 289.2629 + 400 Hz
36 295,2625 295.2630 + 500 Hz
37 301.2625 301.2634 + 900 Hz
38 ~Q7,2625 307,2628 + ~O0 Hz
--~' ~' I
FCC 320 EXHIBIT A
AERONAUTICAL FREQUENCIES USeD
SYST~4 PORT AN~.~,~-q
Sheet 2 of 2
Authorized Measured
Channels Frequency Frequency Comments
39 313.2625 ' 313.2628 + 300 Hz
40 319.2625 319.2633 + 800 H~
41 325.2625 325.2633 + 800 H~
42 331.2750 331.2753 + 300 Hz
43 337.2625 337.2625 8 Hr
45 349.2625 349.2634 + 900 Hr
53 397,2625 397,2621 - 400 H~
QA02-2 Rev.
NO ND
CABLE
TELEVISION FCC 320 EXHZSZ? B
FIELD WORK
SYSTEM PORT ANGELES
Employee/Title MICHAEL FUDALLY/CUSTOMER SERVICE TECHNICIAN
Detection Equipment Operational Below 20 Microvolts/Meter Yes X No
Sheet 1 of 1
Date Work Order Date Level
Detected Location Written Repaired ~v/m Probable Cause
12-15-98 323 E 10TH YES I-~-~q 150.00 F FITTING/INSIDE
12-16-98 623 W 14TH YES ~- ~-~ 150.00 5~qTRY FITTING
12-16-98 2111 W 4TH YES I-~'-9~ 150.00 F FITTING
12-15-98 I 707 S LINCOLN YES l-S-~q I 100.00 DROPS
12-17-98 1326 W 9TH YES /--~---~ 100.00 ~qTRY FITTING
12-17-98 1327 W 16TH YES ~_ ~.~[ 100.00 ENTRY FITTING
12-15-98 2640 HWY 101 YES I-~-~ 75.00 HOUSE AMP
12-15-98 3034 MCDOUGAL YES ~ _ ~ _ ~ ~ 75.00 F FITTING/INSIDE
12-15-98 503 E 6TH YES ~_ ~. _~ 75.00 F FITTING/INSIDE
12-16-98 720 S C~DAR ~8 YES /_ ~_~ 75.00 F FITTING/INSIDE
12-16-98 l, 922W6TH YES /_~_C~C~__.__ 75.00 ENTRY FITTING
12-17-98 904 S F YES ~ -I,~ - ~ 75.00 F FITTING
12-15-98 8TH & PEABODY YES / - ~-q~ 50.00 F FITTING
12-16-98 310 W 12TH YES J-~ -q~ 50.00 F FITTING
UPTOWN MOTEL
12-16-98 101 E 2ND YES ~o~- ~P~,.~. 50.00 F FITTING
[ 12-15-98 138 SHALE RD YES [-'7-C~Cl 75.00 F FZTTTNG
12-16-98 505 W 16TH YES I' 7-~ 50.00 F FITTING
~oNO~hJandCableTelev~ion S~S~
FCC Exhibit
CLI Procedures and Calculations
TEST PROCEDURES
Test Signal for Detection:
Frequency 133.2625 MHz
Level Carried on System 49 dBmv
Type VIDEO
Test Signal for Measurements:
Frequency 133.2625 MHZ
Level Carried on System 49
Modulation Type VIDEO
Correction Factor of
Unmodulated Signal 1 dB
After completing the leakage detection equipment operation verification, the
system was monitored for signal leakage. The system monitoring included all
areas of the system that may have less leakage integrity than the rest.
The test signal used for measurements was set to the same level as the
highest carrier level on the system, and a 1 dB correction factor was
used to compensate for the difference between a modulated and unmodulated
test carrier.
During the test, all detected leaks were logged and measured using the level
measurement equipment described. After tuning the equipment to the test
signal, the dipole was placed 10' from the suspected system component,
keeping it a minimum of 10' from the ground and other metallic objects, then
rotating the dipole on a vertical axis to obtain a peak reading.
CALCULATION PROCEDURES
Readings were converted to microvolts/meter using the following steps:
1. Convert readings to actual leakage level in ~mmv using the following
formula:
Leakage level dBmv = Reading - Pre Amp Gain + Correction Factor
Example: -39 dBmv = -26 dBmv - 16 dB + 2 dB
2. Convert leakage level in dBmv to microvolts using the attached chart.
Example: -39 dBmv = 11.22 microvolts
3. Convert microvolts to microvolts/meter using the following formula:
Microvolts/meter = voltage in microvolts X .021 X frequency in MHz
Example: 31.4 microvolts/meter = 11.22 microvolts X .021 X 133.250
QA09 rev.9.98 page 1 of 3
~]oNO~hland Cable Television
d~mv to. Voltage Conversion
0 dBmv = 1.0 my across 75 Ohms
d~mv ~v 4B~v ~v d~mv ~v d~mv ~v
-59 1.12 -29 35.48 +1 1,122 +31 35,480
-58 1.26 -28 39.81 +2 1,259 +32 39,810
-57 1.41 -27 44.67 +3 1,413 +33 44,670
-56 1.58 -26 50.12 +4 1,585 +34 50,120
-55 1.78 -25 56.23 +5 1,778 +35 56,230
-54 1.99 -24 63.10 +6 1,995 +36 63,100
-53 2.24 -23 70.79 +7 2,239 +37 70,790
-52 2.51 -22 79.43 +8 2,512 +38 79,430
-51 2.82 -21 89.13 +9 2,818 +39 89,130
-50 3.16 -20 100.00 +10 3,162 +40 100,000
-49 3.55 -19 112.2 +11 3,548 +41 112,200
-48 3.98 -18 125.9 +12 3,981 +42 125,900
-47 4.47 -17 141.3 +13 4,467 +43 141,300
-46 5.01 -16 158.5 +14 5,012 +44 158,500
-45 5.62 -15 177.8 +15 5,623 +45 177,800
-44 6.31 -14 199.5 +16 6,310 +46 199,500
-43 7.08 -13 223.9 +17 7,079 +47 223,900
-42 7.94 -12 251.2 +18 7,943 +48 251,200
-41 8.91 -11 281.8 +19 8,913 +49 281,800
-40 10.00 -10 316.2 +20 10,000 +50 316,200
-39 11.22 -9 354.8 +21 11,220 +51 354,800
-38 12.59 -8 398.1 +22 12,590 +52 398,100
-37 14.13 -7 446.7 +23 14,130 +53 446,700
-36 15.85 -6 501.2 +24 15,850 +54 501,200
-35 17.78 -5 562.3 +25 17,780 +55 562,300
-34 19.95 -4 631.0 +26 19,950 +56 631,000
-33 22.39 -3 707.9 +27 22,390 +57 707,900
-32 25.12 -2 794.3 +28 25,120 +58 793,300
-31 28.18 -1 891.3 +29 28,180 +59 891,300
-30 31.62 0 1,000 +30 31,620 +60 1,000,000
QA09-1 rev.9.98 page 2 of 3
L,~'Northland Cable Television
ACTUAL CA.~CC~.~T IONS
Microvolts/meter = Squared x Qty Total
150.00 z = 22500.00 x 3 67500.00
100.00 z = 10000.00 x 3 30000.00
75.00 ~ = 5625.00 x 7 39375.00
50.00 ~ = 2500.00 x 4 10000.00
2 = X
2 = X
2 = X
2 = X
Sum Total I 166875.00 I
Plant Miles
CLI 10 LOG = 10 LOG (Sum Total x Miles Plant Tested)
190.5 )
51. 67 = 10 Log ( 146875.00 x 190.5
Completed by Date 12-21-98
Title SENIOR TECHNICIAN
QA09-2 rev.9.98 Page 3 of 3
Planned Construction and Upgrades
Planned Construction and Upgrades
For 1999
Purchased 450 MHz S/A trunk amplifiers $34,133
Line Extensions $10,000
Quality Assurance Upgrades $38,597
Subscriber Tap Audit $20,000
MDU Security Replacement $12,437
Quality Assurance Headend Equipment $ 1,350
Amplifier Module Upgrade $ 2,967
NCN Equipment Upgraded $30,000
Local Ad Insertion Upgrade $35,000
Ghost Canceling Equipment - Channel 9 $ 3,800
Future Upgrades
Future plans are to increase our operating bandwidth to a minimum of 450 MHz. This
planned upgrade, along with digital compression technology, will greatly increase our
channel capacity and services that we can offer.
Current and Future
Technology Advances & Services
Current Technology
We currently employ fiber technology. We have five fiber optic node receivers
strategically located in the Port Angeles area, positioning the system to offer
interactive digital service.
The fiber optic system also provides improved quality and reliability by delivering high
quality signals directly to the fiber optic nodes located in the neighborhoods we serve.
The fiber optic cable and equipment we utilize are:
Fiber cable Siecor
Fiber count 60 / 34 / 24 / 12 / 6
Laser transmitter AT&T
High power laser
750 MHz bandwidth
Optical receivers Harmonic Lightwave / 550 MHz bandwidth
Future Technology and Service
Digital Television
This technology allows approximately a 12:1 channel compression ratio. Twelve
digital channels can be compressed into one 6 MHz standard analog television
channel. In other words, twelve channels can be put in the bandwidth space of
one. Deployment of digital television in the cable industry became feasible within
the last 18 months with the commercial production of digital set top converters.
The cost of the digital set top converters has dropped by approximately 30%
since they were introduced in 1997. We are currently investigating digital
program providers and the services they offer.
Cable Modem/ISP Service
Providing high speed Internet access using cable modems is another area we
are investigating in two systems. The ISP Channel was launched in a Beta test
group in February 1999, at our Bainbridge Island system. Our Starkville,
Mississippi system also recently launched the ISP Channel. The ISP service on
the Beta test systems is being evaluated for quality, reliability, and customer
service in preparation for company wide roll-out in the near future.
Additional Information
Quality Assurance Results
Customer service is a top priority at Northland Cable Television. We follow an
aggressive company-wide Quality Assurance Program and we strive for the
highest standard of service to our customers.
Northland's Quality Assurance Program includes the requirement that members
of our staff randomly select names from our customer list and contact those
subscribers to determine their level of satisfaction with our service. In this
Random Customer Call Program we contact about 10% of our customers each
year. The information gathered from these surveys is used to detect and resolve
unreported signal quality problems and to improve how we conduct business
within the community. Throughout 1998, Northland's Port Angeles office
maintained a 99% satisfaction rate on the customer call program.
Northland's Quality Assurance Program also includes the requirement that
members of our staff follow-up on service calls and the work performed as a
result of such calls. In this Service Order Call Back Program, we attempt to
contact every customer who requests a service call, after the work has been
performed, to determine their level of satisfaction with the work performed.
Throughout 1998, Northland's Port Angeles office maintained a 100%
satisfaction rate on the call back program.
Planned Community Involvement
Port Angeles Community Outreach Calendar
May 1999
Boys and Girls Club Donations
PA 500 Food Bank drive through NCN and KONP
YMCA Hook-Up Donations
Youth Salute through KONP (throughout entire year)
Car Seat Coupons/Give-Aways coordinated through Northland, Wal-Mart, and The
State Patrol
Community awareness spots on NCN (car seats) in coordination with State Patrol
July 1999
Family/Kids month
August 1999
Customer Appreciation Day (August 11, 1999) - Live feed with KONP
October 1999
Fire Safety Month
Free fire detectors for the first 25 hook-ups
Fire safety spots once a week on NCN - coordinated with PA Fire Dept.
PA Fire Dept. has offered free batteries to anyone who gets connected to cable or
to anyone who has any service or trouble performed during the month of
October
November 1999
Food Bank Special - $10.00 off hook-ups with donation of 5 or more cans of food
Northland employees volunteer to bag and hand out Thanksgiving baskets
Thanksgiving Turkey give-away
December 1999
Salvation Army Food Bank special - $10.00 off hook-ups with donation of 5 or more cans of
food
Toys for Tots drop-off site
Employees volunteer at the Salvation Army to hand out the gift and food baskets
Christmas Turkey 9ive-aways
Christmas coloring contest
Development of a Student of the week program with NCN