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Friday, July 04, 2008 1:07 AM
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By Mark Wineka
mwineka@salisburypost.com
For now, Salisbury city officials say they must stick with the current water supply contract they negotiated with China Grove some six years ago.
"This is driven by the water quality," City Manager David Treme told Salisbury City Council Tuesday.
The current water flow going to China Grove is necessary to maintain the proper chlorine residual in the system and keep the water fresh and up to drinking water standards, according to utility personnel.
China Grove had asked that the contract be amended to reduce the amount of water the town is obligated to purchase from Salisbury daily.
Under the contract, China Grove receives 300,000 gallons a day, but town officials have said that's more than they need. The average daily usage in China Grove is roughly 250,000 gallons a day, and town wells could supply virtually all of that total.
In recent weeks, Salisbury-Rowan Utilities investigated whether the amount of water going to China Grove could be reduced without affecting water quality.
Salisbury also has contracts to supply Kannapolis with 300,000 gallons of water a day and Landis with 75,000 gallons a day off the same supply line.
The line has a capacity to supply the southern Rowan County area (and beyond) with up to 1.1 million gallons a day.
Jeff Jones, planning and research manager with Salisbury-Rowan Utilities, said he graphed the chlorine residual in the line from July 2007 to April of this year, and the utility needs to be running at least 675,000 gallons of water a day through the line to maintain a high water quality.
More usage translates to a better chlorine residual.
If usage is reduced, the utility would have to flush the lines even more than it does now to maintain the proper chlorine. "We end up wasting water down there, (to maintain the water quality)," Treme said.
Salisbury could possibly look at reducing the amount of water it sends to China Grove, Treme said again Tuesday, if Kannapolis and Concord would need more water from Salisbury in the future.
Since Salisbury's line connects to Kannapolis, it also could send water to Concord through Kannapolis' connection.
The 2002 contract with China Grove was signed during one of the worst droughts in history. Projections then put the town's water usage at 550,000 gallons a day. Town officials thought they could purchase the 300,000 gallons a day from Salisbury and supply the rest with their wells.
But some industrial operations shut down or took major steps to conserve water. Overall, customers also cut their water usage because of continuing drought conditions.
Comments (10)
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Common Sense
Just Remember : Monday, July 07, 2008 5:30 AM
Salisbury is not interested in doing what is right. They just want the money from China Grove. Solutions exists, if indeed there is even a problem with clorine levels as claimed by Treme, but Treme has no interest or incentive to find and implement a solution. Just remember in the upcoming elction that Salisbury is running two candidates for the county commission - Lylerly and Coltrain.
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: Sunday, July 06, 2008 2:16 PM
If China Grove doesn't pay their fair share then my bill in Granite Quarry will go up. This isnt a bully move, this is good for everyone else except China Grove.
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Curious
Which is cheaper in the long run? : Sunday, July 06, 2008 6:03 AM
Just out of sheer curiosity, would it be possible, feasible, and cost effective to put in a chlorine induction station along the water line at a point where it leaves the city and feeds the other towns? Could the city install a storage tank and pump system to circulate the injected chlorine to allow the flow to be decreased going out yet allow the concentration to be maintained? Just a curious thought.....
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China Grove water contract : Saturday, July 05, 2008 3:05 PM
A contract is a contract! Don't be so quick to blame Salisbury for holding China Grove to the contract that your leaders approved. After all, your leaders are the ones that requested 300,000 gallons a day. Sounds like someone grossly overestimated. Blame your own town for this mess you are in. They signed the contract! If China Grove can pump it's own water and tell Salisbury what they can do with theirs, I hope your wells don't run dry and need water again. If you do...it may cost you double what it does now. Never burn bridges that you may need to cross again!
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Relying on SRU for water
Just another example? : Saturday, July 05, 2008 11:56 AM
Isn't this just another example of how Salisbury has proven to be the region's bully? It would be interesting to see an article that shows all local municipalities' contracts with SRU, the expiration dates, and the alternatives if they don't buckle to Salisbury's strong-arm tactics. Particulary during an election year, it would be quite telling, and would give candidates some food for thought.
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Should have thought it through : Saturday, July 05, 2008 6:42 AM
China Grove should have thought about these things before they singed a contract. Blame the officials in China Grove not Salisbury. Nobody forced China Grove into the contract.....
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Skeptical
Are They telling the Truth? : Friday, July 04, 2008 8:50 PM
"This is driven by the water quality," City Manager David Treme told Salisbury City Council Tuesday. --- This could be true, but also remember that Salisbury has plenty of water to sell, and will do what is necessary to sell more, even if it hurts others. The county bully does things like this and then wonders why everybody dislikes them so much. Why could they not simply add a bit more clorine to compensate? Don't buy their arguement without proof. They really offered on numbers to back up their claim.
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For Fair Treatment
Get Even with Salisbury : Friday, July 04, 2008 8:39 PM
The November election will give you a chance to get even with Treme and the City Council. They have two candidates running for the County Commission, Lyerly and Coltrain. Lyerly ran for City Council in 2007 and lost. Coltrain lives in Salisbury and according to the Salibury Post, three city cancilmen have contributed to his compaign. You can vote for Lyerly and Coltrains opponents in the election and get even with Salisbury.
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: Friday, July 04, 2008 12:54 PM
China Grove pays the same water rate that Salisbury residents pay. If Salisbury reduces the minimum volume to China Grove, the fixed costs will force the utility to raise rates for everyone else, including Salisbury, Spencer, East Spencer, Granite Quarry and Rockewell. Salisbury also offered to take over the utility in China Grove, which would have saved CG residents a ton of operational costs, but the Town Board thought it better to have "control", rather than a lower rate. Go figure. China Grove agreed to purchase 300,000 gallons per day during the 2002 drought - back when restaurants were serving food on paper plates and you had to ask for water with your meal. Now that the crises has (for the time being) alleviated, the Town of China Grove wants to go back on their original agreement, nevermind that Salisbury and Rowan County (which paid a majority of the line extension costs) have lived up to their end of the bargain. I know its popular for non-Salisbury and county residents to kick Salisbury at every chance, but in this case, Salisbury has the high-ground and to suggest otherwise is both misguided and misinformed.
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Sick of the games : Friday, July 04, 2008 8:59 AM
Well as usual, Salisbury has control and will continue to treat China Grove like second class citizens. They are similar to the oil companies in the way that they control the water and everyone else has no choice but to pay what they set. Why did they slam China Grove with such a big increase this year. Our city officals try to help, try to talk to them for some relief, but they JUST DON'T CARE. Its all about the money. Its a shame that they treat us like they do, but hey, when you hold all the cards, you can play what you choose. I hope that when this contract runs out, China grove can buy water from someone else of pull it from wells and tell Salisbury what they can do with their water. Then what will happen to the flow. Salisbury needs to think of that.
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