Oak Forest Water Supply
Frequently Asked Questions
Friday, May 20, 2011
Q: Are we under “drought restrictions”? Why?
A: Yes, beginning in March, the Oak Forest Water Supply Corporations (WSC) Board enacted emergency conservation measures. All residents should conserve water.
Reason: Our Edwards Aquifer well produces between 25-35 gallons of water per minute; not enough to meet the needs of the subdivision. We can buy (and have bought) “emergency water” from the City of Hays through an connection with Elliott Ranch. This water also comes from the Edwards Aquifer. However, prolonged use of Hays water is costly and uses funds that would otherwise be used for system improvements. Until the Trinity Well comes online, all residents should use water only for essential need such as drinking, cooking and washing. A good rule of thumb for conservative use is 2,000 gallons per month per person.
We are also required to implement conservation measures when the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD) announces drought stages. Drought stages are based on the level of the aquifer and flow from Barton Springs in Austin. Board of the BSEACD declared drought stage two at its April 28th Board meeting. Further drought is predicted for the region, so conservation is very important to ensure that each of us have water. For more information on the current drought stage or water conservation, visit the BSEACD web site at http://www.bseacd.org/
Q: Where does our water come from?
A: If you are a member of the Oak Forest Water Supply Corporation (WSC), your water comes from the Edwards Aquifer either via the WSC well (near Oak Forest Drive and Woodland Oaks Trail) or via an emergency connection with the City of Hays.
Members of the WSC Board are working to provide water from a well in the Trinity Aquifer. The Trinity Aquifer well was drilled late in 2010 and continues to be developed. The well is not currently online because of aesthetic water issues.
Q: If water use is restricted, why is it being poured into the ditch in front of the well/tank?
A: The water in the ditch is coming from the Trinity Aquifer, not the Edwards.. It is standard operating procedure to pump a new well to remove pollutants and particulate matter from the system in an effort to get the best possible water quality. As of April 24th, a little over 3 million gallons have been pumped from our Trinity Well in an effort to improve water quality. Unfortunately, there has been little improvement. The Board is considering when to cease this practice pending the outcome of new operational procedures and advice from our consultant. Our neighbors at Ruby Ranch have drilled a well almost identical to ours and have pumped 10,000,000 gallons in a creek to clean their well.
Q: Why aren’t we using the Trinity Well water?
A: The Trinity Water Well has been approved by the State of Texas for interim use. The problem we had previously with using the Trinity water was most likely caused by polyphosphate. Polyphosphate is the additive used to keep the iron suspended. If we didn’t use this additive our water would turn red and try to turn everything it came in contact with the same color. The problem is suspected to be that too much polyphosphate was used and it started cleaning the pipe used to deliver the water which had years of calcium buildup. This caused some customers to get water that look terrible. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again and are being careful to deliver water that not only is drinkable but has a crystal clear appearance. We are using the Trinity Well to supplement our Edwards well by blending it in the ground storage tank. At the present time, we are trying to keep the iron levels in the water below the 0.3 state maximum but if there is any problem with the Edwards Well it might exceed that maximum. We will inform everyone if that happens.
Q: What is being done to remedy the problem and provide water to residents?
A: The Oak Forest WSC Board is researching treatment alternatives for the Trinity Well, and testing mixing ratios to blend our Edwards and Trinity Wells.
Q: Who makes decisions about our water?
A: The Oak Forest WSC is owned by the customers who live within the Oak Forest WSC Certificate of Convenience. The WSC is governed by a seven-person Board elected by members at the annual meeting held the second Tuesday of March of every year. WSC Board meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the first Tuesday of each month at Southern Hills Church of Christ on FM 967. All residents of Oak Forest are invited to attend these scheduled meetings.
Daily management of the system is provided by Professional General Management Services (PGMS). For water hook-up, meter installation, billing, or other service questions contact PGMS at (866) 643-3472.