Bradford City Water Authority customers will be seeing a difference in the appearance of their bills.
The authority announced Wednesday that it’s switching to a new billing system, which Executive Director Steve Disney said will put the water authority, the Bradford Sanitary Authority and the City of Bradford on the same billing software. The new bills give customers a breakdown of charges including the fixed meter charge and total.
“This will provide many avenues to increase efficiency between the three entities and will offer additional options and benefits to customers for payment purposes,” explained Disney, who provided information to The Era following Wednesday’s regular authority meeting.
Anyone with questions about the new bills or payment options can call the water authority at 814-362-3004.
The new system is under Edmunds Gov-Tech, formerly known as Edmunds & Associates.
Disney is hopeful they will be able to work with the company to increase the font size on bills and to show any penalty amounts owed by customers if they fail to pay by a certain date.
In other news, the authority has extended the grace period for customers to comply with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection guidelines on backflow prevention devices.
The authority announced in April that it developed a Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention Program to make sure everyone connected to the water system has proper backflow prevention devices.
Customers will pay for the installation and testing of devices.
National Water Specialties Co., who is administering the program for the authority, has been notifying industrial and commercial customers.
Industrial and commercial customers have until March 31, 2022, to have a testable device installed and have current test results filed with NAWSC, and customers with fire line connections have until Aug. 31, 2022.
NAWSC will begin notifying residential customers after all the industrial and commercial are completed.
As for the 2020 Drinking Water Quality Report, Disney said, “All drinking quality parameters and benchmarks were achieved.”
He noted that the DEP issued a late reporting violation for residual disinfection concentration (free chlorine) for Dec. 29-Jan. 4. The samples were collected and analyzed, but they were reported late to the DEP due to the New Year’s holiday schedule.
Customers can access the report online at http://www.bradfordwater.com/ccr.html, or they can obtain copies at the water authority office, 28 Kennedy St., Bradford. Individual copies will not be mailed.
At the Gilbert Reservoir, the gravel access road has reopened to all traffic after being closed for maintenance.
Ken Kane, president of Generations Forestry, gave an update on an inventory being done of authority property. He said that additional stands of ash needed to be harvested before they were lost to the emerald ash borer. This slowed down the inventory project.
Disney provided an update on several projects.
Regarding the installation of the new 24-inch transmission main, he said Bankson Engineers submitted the permit completion report to the DEP and continues to work on record drawings based on contractors’ drawings and inspectors’ records. Both contractors are working on final cleanup, punch list items and final restoration.
At Marilla Brook, Bankson Engineers completed and plotted a topographic survey for plans to replace 12-inch and 14-inch water mains. The study was done because of a leak in one of the exposed joins on one of the mains.
The authority has negotiated an agreement with APC Towers for the company to buy out the current lease on a cellular communications tower located above Reservoir No. 4.
The submittal process is underway for both contractors for the Gilbert raw water pump station project. Notices to proceed were effective April 23.
