For residents of the Athal community, the State’s mandatory consolidation order was only the beginning. During a community meeting hosted on Wednesday, representatives from the State Water Resources Control Board and Lamont Public Utilities District (LPUD) began answering the questions residents now have about what happens next: when they will begin paying LPUD, who will operate their water system in the meantime, what will happen to the existing well, and how long it will take before the community is connected to a new system.
The State Water Board issued the mandatory consolidation order requiring Athal Mutual Water Company to transfer its water system to LPUD. The order gives Athal 90 days to transfer ownership, with the first 45 days dedicated to gathering its records, customer accounts, and billing information for LPUD.
Brian Potter of the State Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water said officials are currently in that first 45-day period and are working to obtain the information needed for the transition.
“We don’t have a lot of information from Athal yet, but we are trying to meet with them weekly to ensure that they’re preparing their information,” Potter said.
If Athal does not provide the required information, Potter said the state can escalate enforcement against the company and its leadership, potentially including legal action to force the system to be handed over to LPUD.
LPUD General Manager Scott Taylor asked residents at the meeting to provide their names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses so the district can begin building its own customer records.
“We’ve got a lot of records, and we have to do our own accounting for you first,” Taylor said. “And you will be getting an invoice every month from us.”
For residents, one of the biggest questions was when that new invoice would arrive and whether they should continue paying Athal in the meantime.
The consolidation order sets October 30 as the target date for payments to transition to LPUD, Potter said, although he acknowledged that the date could be delayed if Athal does not provide the necessary information.
Taylor said he does not expect the transition to happen by that date.
“The goal is October 30. But I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t think it’s going to happen by October 30,” Taylor said.
Until the transition occurs, residents’ current rates will remain unchanged.
“Your bills are not going to change right now,” Taylor said. “Whatever you’re paying now, that’s exactly what it’s going to be. It’s not going to be more. It’s not going to be less because we don’t know.”
Once the billing transition happens, LPUD plans to maintain a separate accounting system and bank account for Athal customers’ funds. Residents will receive notice before they are expected to begin paying LPUD, and officials said the transition will be coordinated so customers are not charged twice.
While the billing system changes, LPUD will also take over day-to-day operation of the existing water system. Taylor said LPUD employees will conduct daily “well rounds” at the existing site to ensure the well is functioning properly and chlorine levels are maintained. LPUD will also respond to major leaks in the street, while problems occurring on private property will remain the responsibility of the property owner.
LPUD plans to eventually install new water lines throughout the community, connect individual homes, install meters, and drill a new well south of the community. The existing well will then be abandoned.
Taylor estimated construction could take about a year to a year and a half, partly because of the time needed to drill the new well.
“All of those improvements, that new water line, the new well, total about $28 million,” Taylor said.
The State Water Board is funding the infrastructure project and is also providing financial assistance to LPUD to help cover the cost of operating the Athal system during the transition.
The state also plans to hire an auditor to examine Athal’s finances once LPUD receives access to the company’s books.
Potter said the audit will look at the company’s financial history, including its expenses, bank accounts, and how much money should be available.
“The key is for the community to understand that LPUD wants to be transparent, so does the State Board,” Potter said. “It’s about a smooth transition and part of that is being transparent with the financials and the history as best as we can understand.”
One resident asked what would happen to the property where the existing well is located after the new system is built. Taylor said the land would be transferred to LPUD as an asset of the water company, but its eventual use has not been determined.
For now, LPUD’s role is to keep the existing system operating while the larger project moves forward.
The State Water Board said it will continue communicating with residents as the transition progresses, while LPUD and community organizations will provide additional information about billing and customer accounts.
Potter said the ultimate goal remains providing Athal residents with safe drinking water.
“Our current goal, like I said, is that the community of Athal gets safe drinking water,” he said.
