The Board meets on the first and third Monday of each month. Meetings begin at 1:00 p.m. and are held in the department conference room at 65 Lafayette Ave, Littleton. Board meetings are open to the public and time is allotted for public comments at each meeting.
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The regularly scheduled Board of Commissioners (BOC) business meeting began at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, September 16, 2019 in the Littleton Water and Light (LWL) conference room. Present were Commissioner Peter Cooper (via telephone), Commissioner Schuyler Sweet, Commissioner Ralph Ross, Financial Director Cheryl Wilkins and Superintendent Thomas Considine.
MINUTES REVIEW:
The minutes of the September 3, 2019 regularly scheduled Commissioners meeting were reviewed. Commissioner Ross made a motion to accept the minutes as presented, seconded by Commissioner Cooper.
The vote was in favor of the motion 3-0-0.
SUPERINTENDENT/ GENERAL MANAGERS REPORT:
1. The new PFAS drinking water testing guidelines were recently made available by the NHDES. LWL will most likely begin taking samples at Gale River and Brickyard well in November 2019 and then for the next three consecutive (3) fiscal quarters thereafter.
2. Dufresne Group Consulting Engineers, on behalf of LWL submitted a grant application to the NH Drinking Water and Ground Water Trust for the relocation of the water main in Bethlehem Hollow. Grant determination will be made in October 2019.
3. The BOC reviewed the results of the lead and copper eleventh (11th) compliance round of samples. Of the twenty (20) sample collected and analyzed for both lead and copper LWL passed the 90 percentile with a lead and copper concentration of 6 ppb and 0.39 ppm respectively, well below the maximum contamination limits (MCL) of 15 ppb and 1.3 ppm. Of the forty (40) tests completed all the sample sites passed with the exception of one (1) location. Upon discussions with the customer it was determined that the sample was collected from a site in the basement and was not in compliance with NHDES guideline as it was not the primary drinking water faucet in the home. Adjacent sites in the immediate neighborhood all tested well below the MCL.
4. The kickoff design meeting for the river restoration and removal of the dam on the South Branch of the Gale River took place at LWL on Friday, September 13, 2019. About fifteen (15) participants from the White Mountain National Federal Forest (NFS), NH Fish and Game, American Rivers and LWL discussed the intent of the project and ultimate goal. The design schedule, funding alternatives/sources, and the timeline that the major project milestones must be met were the focus of most of the discussion.
The National Environment Protection Act (NEPA) which has a restrictive timeline was of major concern for the NFS personnel. They requested an abbreviated project intent, scope of work and proposed action statement be submitted to them for review by January 1, 2020. The NEPA website will then be populated with the project information. (Note: The NEPA process allows other agencies (federal/state) and the public the opportunity to evaluate and provide comment about the proposed environmental and the related social and economic effects of a proposed project.)
A tentative construction/demolition date in September/October 2020 is proposed pending final approval from the NFS. An on-site visit followed the meeting to acclimate and introduce the participants to the project location.
The next meeting, sometime in November 2019 is tentatively planned. This meeting will focus on and will coincide with the thirty (30) percent design review and the preparation and submittal of the NEPA statement to the NPS. This is a key (milestone) decision making point in the design process and when design changes and alternative approaches should be introduced and finalized prior to the design proceeding.
GENERAL/ OTHER BUSINESS:
1. Commissioner Sweet commented that he represented the LWL at the stakeholder meeting for the second phase of the River District in their design charrette on Friday, September 13, 2019 at the opera house.
Following some discussion the BOC agreed that LWL should write a letter to the planners of this event and advise them that the land behind LWL will most likely be utilized as a public drinking water well site. LWL is proceeding toward a short duration pump test to validate the water quantity and quality in 2019 for the two (2) artesian wells installed in 2018 and the property will support a third well if needed.
2. Mr. Considine stated that Daymark Energy is in the initial process of preparing a Request-For-a-Proposal (RFP) that will solicit wholesale power resources for LWL for a three (3) year block beginning in 2021. On average LWL has a spot market vulnerability of about forty (40) percent beginning in 2021. This equated to about 27,000 Mwh (on an annual average) of both on and off peak energy that will hedge LWL and limit market price fluctuations.
Commissioner Ross asked if a target price ($$/Mw) is being discussed before LWL would lock into a contract as spot market prices are the lowest in years. He is in hopes that LWL can lock in a price per Mw of about $35 to $38.
Mr. Considine stated that no prices have been discussed to date and that LWL’s current contracts are at about $47-$49 per Mw. Based on the established prices and the volume requested through the RFP the expected annual expense would be about $1.2 million for the proposed wholesale power supply resources.
Following some additional discussion Commissioner Ross made a motion to authorize Superintendent Considine to proceed with the RFP for wholesale power resource in 2021-2023. Superintendent Considine is also authorized to execute the necessary contracts on behalf of LWL and that the existing Mwh hedge cap is to remain set in place as a target purchase limit, seconded by Commissioner Cooper.
The vote was in favor of the motion 3-0-0.
ADJOURNMENT:
There being no further business to come before the board Commissioner Cooper made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Commissioner Ross.
The vote was in favor of the motion 3-0-0.
Meeting adjourned at 1:38 p.m.
The regularly scheduled Commissioner’s meeting is held twice monthly on the first and third Monday, at 1:00 p.m., in the Department’s conference room.