Mad River Union
McKINLEYVILLE – The McKinleyville Community Services District Board of Directors gave a local couple a break last week after they received a monthly water bill for $1,947.10. The Hiller Road residents sprung a leak late last year that gushed for about a month before being detected.
“It was a perfect storm,” said MCSD Manager Patrick Kaspari at the Jan. 6 MCSD meeting. The residence uses an average of about 2,992 gallons of water a month, but in October, the usage jumped to 249,832 gallons. That’s enough water to fill nearly 38 percent of an Olympic-size swimming pool.
When the district read the meter in September, there may have been a small leak. A short time after the meter reading, the line broke, and leaked, undetected, until the next meter reading in October. The residents were immediately contacted, the water was shut off and repairs were made.
The MCSD agreed to a 75/25 percent split, with the homeowners paying $483.48 plus $13.20 from their regular bill. The MCSD will absorb the rest of the cost. The MCSD manager has authority to make water leak adjustments up to $750. Adjustments larger than $750 require approval from the board, which voted unanimously Jan. 6 in favor of the adjustment.
