There is now an open seat on the Bartonville Water Supply Corporation's Board of Directors. Our current policy dictates that when a seat first becomes available it is only open to those in the vacating board member's area. However, since it has now been over 30 days the position (seat) is now open to all members of Bartonville Water Supply Corporation.

For those considering running, or nominating someone for a Board of Directors position, here are some items for consideration as stated in The Water Board Guide by Ellen G. Miller and Elmer Ronnebaum:

A Director is someone with an "ATTITUDE OF SERVICE". Some aspects of board members are:
· Commitment: to mastering complex issues, to putting in long hours.
· Understanding: why you're on the board and what being a public figure means.
· Experience: jobs, working with and listening to people.
· Tolerance: of different points of view(sometimes vividly or angrily expressed), and of people who are different from you.
· Responsibility: for making sound financial and legal decisions that affect the direction of the Corporation.

The above is an overview of the role of a Director. If you would like additional information, please contact the office.

Bartonville Water Supply Corporation is proud to announce that it's most recent round of capital projects, which have been underway for the past 3 years are now complete. These improvements, that began in 1996 include the following projects:
1. installation of a .5 million gallon elevated storage tank
2. miles of large diameter interconnected water mains
3. 2 million gallon ground storage tank
4. 3 - 300 h.p. high service booster pumps
5. radio operated system control and data acquisition system
6. emergency diesel powered generator

These improvements are all operational at this time. Bartonville Water Supply Corporation is also participating in new Upper Trinity Regional Water District projects to ensure adequate supply of treated surface water now and in the future.

These new improvements allow Bartonville Water Supply Corporation to better serve our customers and to increase our member base from our current 1743 connections to over 2500.

These improvements have allowed all Bartonville Water Supply Corporation members to be served by our elevated water storage tank and have also made it possible to operate our water system which consists of 7 separate pump stations as one integrated service area.

These additions will also allow us to better utilize the available surface water from the Upper Trinity Regional Water District. System wide, members will now receive a blend of well water and surface water as a result of these improvements. As we blend the two types of water, you may notice that your water does not seem as "soft" as it once did. One indication of this might be less lathering of your detergent or the ability to rinse soap more readily from surfaces. You may also notice a slight difference in taste, which is not uncommon when water sources are blended or changed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office at 817-430-3541. If you would like to see any of these system additions, please call the office and a visit/tour can be scheduled.

At their June 14, 1999 Board meeting, the Directors voted to approve allowing the installation of 1" water meters for residential purposes.

If you are interested in considering having your meter replaced with a 1" meter, please call the office. Since each change out will be different in regards to materials and labor, each request will be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine the actual additional cost to the customer.

Currently, the majority of our customers have a standard residential 5/8" X 3/4" water meter. Rated flow for this size meter is 15 gallons per minute maximum continuous operation or over 21,000 gallons in a 24 hour period. A 1" meter flowing continuously for 24 hours could result in a flow of over 72,000 gallons at 50 gpm.

For most residential applications, the standard 5/8" X 3/4" meter is adequate. However, due to varying circumstances eg. size of residence, number of stories, number and type of water using fixtures, etc. one inch (1") meters have been made available over the years by many water utilities. No meters larger than 1" will be installed for residential applications.

Please call the office @ 817-430-3541 for more information.

We would like to remind all those who have signed up for preauthorized credit card payments that when the expiration date on your credit card changes you must fill out a new form for authorization. The company that processes our transactions requires this. Furthermore, by law we can not change your credit card information without written authorization. It is in the interest of our customer's security and peace of mind that we have these policies. We hope that you understand the rules and procedures for preauthorized credit card payments are there for your protection and ours. The forms are conveniently located on our web site at www.bartonvillewater.com or you may stop by the office.

Folks, you can now reach us at the URL of www.bartonvillewater.com . Bartonville Water Supply Corporation has been on the Internet since September of 1998. You can find all the forms that we use in the office on our web site. Please check our web site for the latest information relating to water conservation, water conservation stage levels, Board meeting information and other notifications. Don't forget to bookmark the site to give yourself easy access to important information relating to your water needs.

We keep receiving customer complaints regarding the delivery of Bartonville Water Supply Corporation's water bills. If you do not receive your water bill by the first of every month, please call us. We currently have a form from the Post Office for complaints concerning mail service. The form is titled "Consumer Service Card" and is available at our office or the U.S. Post Office for documentation of mail service problems.

Drip irrigation may also be known as trickle or micro irrigation. Keep in mind, that a plant's requirement for water is the same regardless of how the water is applied. The savings point, both monetary and water wise, comes in the precise application of water with minimal runoff, less evaporation from an essentially closed system, and less water lost on weeds and undesirable plants (since the water is placed exactly where it is needed). The plant doesn't use less water…. less of the water is wasted.

The basic components of a drip irrigation system are as follows: 1) Water source (well or city), 2) filter, 3) delivery lines, and 4) emitters. The water source used will dictate the amount of filtration needed. Basically, there are two types of emitters. There is one type for long paths and one for crooked. The emitters are designed to be either low (1-2 gals/hr at 2-5 psi) or high (1 gal/hr at 15 psi) pressure. The emitters can be spaced along a poly hose, or hose can be bought which already has holes in it or emitters within. All the products are basically good, even so, all emitters will eventually stop up. Drip systems must be maintained and cared for. This might be considered when placing emitters and loops.

It is also important to do some research on the plants that you will be watering. The most absorptive roots for most smaller plants will be in the top 6-12 inches of the soil (it contains the most oxygen). In order for water to be absorbed by a plant, oxygen must be present….An irrigation system should never operate for longer than 8-12 hours in a day. The ideal situation is to maintain uniform moisture and oxygen in the soil (not to go from extreme wet to extreme dry). When irrigating trees, the key is to wet as much of the tree root system as possible, but be sure to maintain water in the top 18-24 inches of soil.

Xeriscape landscapes or those using native plants or other varieties requiring less water should be considered for additional water savings. Drip irrigation and Xeriscaping would provide the optimum in water conservation.

You may notice a new face among the Bartonville Water Supply Corporation employees. We would like for everyone to welcome Ginny Nelson to our staff. Ginny will be working in the front lobby area helping customers with their needs. She comes to us as a replacement for Darrin Ezell. Darrin has earned his B.B.A. in Marketing from UNT and is moving to Austin late this summer. Drop by and say hello to Ginny or goodbye to Darrin.

The Argyle Volunteer Fire District is in need of additional volunteers. For more information and explanations, please call: