Barlow Water Improvement District Spring 2024 Newsletter

Greetings Barlow Water members! Spring is in the air and before long, Summer will be here and Pine Hollow will be bustling with visitors. Here are some updates from Barlow Water.

Many of the roads in Pine Hollow have deteriorated to a point that they are jeopardizing our pipes that are buried in the roadway. In those vulnerable areas, we need to fill, compact, and make needed repairs to protect our piping and valves. In 2021, we began working on this project. Many of you have asked when repairs to your road will be addressed. More road repairs will likely be done this year, but the locations have not yet been determined. These repairs will continue over the coming years with the worst areas being done first. Please keep in mind that each month, we only have enough funds set aside for two truckloads of gravel.

We would like to clarify confusion regarding road maintenance duties. Barlow Water’s duty is to provide safe drinking water to the community of Pine Hollow. We are not a road maintenance company. Furthermore, we are being proactive in protecting our existing water system from damage caused by the weather and not cause additional undue costs to our customers. Road maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowner to fix the road where their property resides.

Election for board members is coming up in May. We have one vacant seat as Steve Gordon is not seeking re-election. We thank Steve for his commitment to the board. His expertise was instrumental in accomplishing several projects over his term and he will be missed. If you are interested in becoming a board member, please call Laurie so your name can be placed on the ballot. This is a great opportunity to volunteer in your community and have input on what happens at Barlow Water.

Before you know it, summer fun will be upon us. Due to popular demand, we plan to rent porta potties again this year from May to September.

Barlow Water is excited to announce we will be receiving a new generator in the coming months. Thank you to Larry Warren and the Barlow Water’s board for all their hard work making this possible through 100% grant funding.

Our Consumer Confidence Report is included with this newsletter. We are required by law to send these to you annually. If you have any questions about the information in the Consumer Confidence Report, please feel free to call Laurie at 541-544-2920.

Barlow Water hold board meetings the second Saturday of every month at 9 am. Weather permitting. The community is encouraged to come and voice any concerns or ideas.

There have been several questions regarding the billing and how it breaks down. Here is the breakdown:

Bills of $60                                                              Bills of $37

$26 - USDA loan payment                              $26 - USDA loan payment                   

$23 - Water                                                             $11 - Operation and Maintenance         

$11 - Operation and Maintenance

This breakdown can be located on the website under Talking Points.

Barlow Water’s last fee increase of $5 was in 2021. This fee was incurred to protect our water pipes allowing safe drinking water to the community.

Barlow Water’s operating documents have recently been updated. If you’d like to take a look at these and make sure you are informed about our Rules and Regulations, Operating Procedures, etc., please go to barlowwater.net and click on the “About BWID” link.

Many of you ask what your options are to pay your bill other than sending a check. There is a “Make a Payment” link on our website at barlowwater.net. If you pay using your checking account and routing number, there is no charge. However, if you pay using your debit or credit card, a fee will be assessed by the third-party processor called DOXO. The office is not longer able to process credit card payment over the phone.

Lastly, there are still many accounts that either have no phone number or an incorrect phone number. We’d like to stress the importance of keeping our members’ contact information up to date. In the event of a water leak, a billing issue, or other emergency, we must be able to contact our members quickly and efficiently to prevent unnecessary property damage. To ensure we have your correct phone number on file, please call (541)544-2920. If you prefer, you can email at lauriebwid@gmail.com. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 8:00am to noon.