Mobile homes on tap?

The Saratoga Water and Sewer Joint Powers Board (Sewer Board) met Wednesday and held two meetings; the first its regular monthly meeting and the second a budget hearing to pass the board’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

At the regular meeting, the board heard from a member of the public who expressed interest in putting a small mobile home or RV park near Chatterton and Sharp streets in the town of Saratoga. The board briefly got updated on the sewer lagoon improvement project, and heard about the town’s water quality.

The proposed park would have space for several mobile homes or RVs. The owner of the land believes the existing well and sewage would likely be suitable for RVs, but had questions for the sewer board about installation of a water line and taps for mobile homes.

Board chairman Don Price told the landowner the biggest expense, as far as sewer and water, would be extension of the existing water line and installation of sewer taps for each mobile home in the park.

According to Price, under ordinance, multifamily buildings or mobile home parks in town limits require an individual sewer tap for each residential unit.

The board said it would do some research to find where the water line that would have to be extended stops.

The landowner said the expense of extending that water line to his property said the potential expense of extending the line, along with the road work that would be necessary, might make the venture economically unfeasible, but he was eager to hear what the board uncovered in its research.

The board also introduced two engineers from Colorado-based Element Engineering, the firm that is engineering the sewage lagoon improvements.

Two representatives from the firm were present, and provided a brief update on the early stages of the project, focusing mostly on the timetable for the project.

The board also heard a water quality report from Jon Anderson (AC) of North Fork Engineering who performed water quality testing.

The wells providing water to the town have become harder over time, Anderson said.

In initial testing in 200 of the five wells, well no.1 was barely considered not hard, with a measurement of 117 milligrams per liter of mineral content. According to Anderson, 120 mg/L is considered hard water.

Well no.2 was originally 140 mg/L; well no.3 was 160 mg/L and well no.4 and no.5 were at 175 mg/L.

For data collected in May, wells No. 2 and no.3 were unchanged, but wells No. 4 and no.5 increased to 197 mg/L. Well no.1, which was produced water that was not hard in 2009, increased its percentage of minerals from 117 to 135 mg/L.

Anderson suggested to the sewer board that wells which have less hard water could be operated more than they currently are, saving the hardest wells, No. 4 and No. 5, to fill in when demand is high.

After hearing other routine reports, the board then adjourned the regular meeting and immediately convened a budget hearing to approve the budget for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

The budget hearing went quickly. The sewer board’s anticipated revenues for the year will be $1,158,637.30. The planned expenditures mirror that amount. Administrative costs were estimated to be $19,950.

The board voted to accept the budget. The budget will next be sent to auditors for review.

The next regular meeting of the sewer board will be 6 p.m., Aug. 9 at Saratoga Town Hall.