Your PUD PUD News Line
8/12/2005
More PUD job info on-line
Chelan County PUD’s Human Resources Department has added more employment information on their Web site. Besides job opportunities, potential job applicants can now read about benefits, apprenticeships and how the PUD recruits for jobs. Click here to learn more.
PUD financial forecast strong, for now
Last month commissioners received a quarterly financial update from Chief Financial Officer Joe Jarvis who reported that while retail and surplus energy sales are forecasted to rise steadily, the PUD must be ready for low-water years or other revenue challenges. Budgets have been held down in recent years, but Jarvis warned that deferring projects will postpone expenses, not alleviate them. He also advised commissioners that if revenues do not increase, cash reserves could fall below desired levels by 2011, and the PUD’s bond rating could be impacted. Jarvis repeated his message from earlier this year that small, yearly inflationary rate increases would be less of a burden on customer-owners than large increases later. “The longer the wait, the higher the costs,” said Jarvis. If Chelan County PUD added a 2.5-percent increase each year, in 2011 the county’s electric rates would still be less than today’s rates at most other PUDs, about 3.5 cents per kwh. The national average is about 9 cents.
Watch for fluctuating river levels
Hot weather has increased the regional demand for electricity, which can lead to rapid changes in the level of the Columbia River. Boaters are reminded that river levels can vary by several feet within an hour, depending on operations at Rocky Reach and Rock Island dams. That could leave boaters who pull onto a beach stranded.
Low water can also expose rocks and other hazards in the river. Boaters are reminded to be on the lookout for debris and rocks at all times and to stay outside security buoys above and below the dams.
Click the links for river flows and Lake Chelan’s water level.
How often should you water your lawn?
Water use rises dramatically in the summer as customers turn on their sprinklers to irrigate lawns and landscaping. But there is a danger of overwatering. Landscape contractors who conducted a pilot outdoor water audit for Chelan County PUD in 2003 said about 90 percent of the homeowners they visited were using too much water on their lawns.
How can you tell if you’re overwatering? One way is to dig a small hole in your lawn. Healthy root systems are 4-6 inches deep. Lawns with shorter root systems are getting too much water. In addition to wasting water, overwatering will cause diseases and loss of nutrients. Watering thoroughly, but infrequently, makes roots grow deeper and more drought resistant.
Grass is best watered with sprinklers that deliver large drops of water close to the ground. Overlap the sprinkler patterns for good coverage. Adjust your watering to compensate for changing seasons and weather conditions. About 1 inch of water per week is recommended at 70 degrees. Add ¼ inch for every 5 degrees in temperature. When temperatures exceed 85 degrees, increase watering to 2 inches or more. This amount of water should penetrate 6 inches into the earth. Check periodically and adjust the schedule accordingly.
Visit www.chelanpud.org. and click on “Conservation, then “Water.” The Web site includes tips, links to other Web sites, and beautiful photos of the flowers and grasses from the Riverfront Park Xeriscape Demonstration Garden in Wenatchee.
Stay in touch with your PUD
The PUD’s Web site is getting a makeover, but in the mean time, we’ve made it easier to get important information about the PUD on one page. Go to our Web site, http://www.chelanpud.org/, and click on the PUD logo at the top of the page to visit On the Record. You can also take a survey to help us improve our Web site.