SEPT/OCT 2015 On Tap

LOUDOUN WATER

ON TAP

www.loudounwater.org 44865 Loudoun Water Way Ashburn, VA 20147

LOUDOUN WATER UPDATE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH September is National Preparedness Month and this year’s theme is “Don’t Wait. Communicate.

Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” We are encouraging everyone to take part, make a plan and know what to do during an emergency.

Loudoun Water will be sharing information created by FEMA on our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the month, encouraging families to create emergency plans that fit their individual needs.

LOUDOUN WATER EARNS TRIPLE-A BOND RATING Loudoun Water has earned a triple-A bond rating - the highest credit rating available - from all three major bond rating agencies.

Moody’s upgraded Loudoun Water’s rating in late July from Aa1 to Aaa, citing, “... the Authority’s very strong finances, supported by an ample liquidity position and consistently solid debt service coverage due to conservative management practices.”

Loudoun Water is now one of only 10 combined water and wastewater utilities in the United States to hold an Aaa rating from Moody’s.

Fitch Ratings awarded Loudoun Water its first AAA rating in 2005 followed by Standard & Poor’s in 2008.

“This is a testament to Loudoun Water’s longterm financial planning and strong financial position,” said Loudoun Water Chairman Johnny Rocca. “Receiving a Triple-A rating from the three major agencies will enable Loudoun Water to

fund capital improvement projects at the best possible rates, providing our customers with costsavings and honoring our ongoing commitment to outstanding service.”

The ratings come in advance of Loudoun Water’s plans to issue $60 million in water and sewer system revenue bonds and $60.3 million in refunding bonds.

Fitch expects little change in the authority’s strong credit profile, noting key rating drivers such as an affluent service area and robust economy; sound capital and resource planning; strong finances and low rates; and an elevated, manageable debt burden.

Standard & Poor’s noted the service area supports a steadily growing, very diverse and affluent Loudoun County; affordable rates, autonomous rate-setting ability, and demonstrated willingness to adjust rates to maintain strong financial margins.

IN THE WORKS LOUDOUN WATER’S CUSTOMER PORTAL Loudoun Water is working on a robust, allinclusive customer portal solution that offers complete functionality for e-billing and personal account management services for Loudoun Water customers. Features to be included are: · E-billing and Auto-debit · Mobile optimization · Leak alerts · Consumption monitoring · Custom information based on preferences While this process has taken longer than originally anticipated, we are doing our due diligence to ensure this comprehensive customer portal will offer features that will be secure and reliable. We will share updates as work on the customer portal becomes finalized.

We look forward to sharing more information on this new benefit as we make progress. Do you have any suggestions for things you would like to see in the customer portal? Email us at: communications@loudounwater.org.

SAFETY ALERT: PHONE SCAM In August, Loudoun Water was made aware of an individual who was attempting to impersonate a Loudoun Water employee by phone in attempt to gain credit card and other personal information. The Loudoun County Sherriff’s office has worked with Loudoun Water to ensure customers are protected. Protect yourself and your personal information from imposters with the following: • Automated phone calls regarding bill payment and service are only performed during regular business hours. If you want to verify the authenticity of any phone call you receive regarding service, please call our Customer Relations department at 571.291.7880.Loudoun Water employees NEVER:

• conduct financial transactions or ask for personal information in the field.

• call demanding immediate payment. All payments by phone are handled through a third-party vendor. If you wish to verify the authenticity of our third-party payment provider, you can call back to process a payment or check the balance of your account at 1.866.539.1988.

• call offering unsolicited discounts.

If you have any questions whether a person calling you is a Loudoun Water employee, then please hang up and immediately call our Customer Relations department at 571.291.7880. Our normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We respond to emergency requests only after hours and on the weekends. After hours we have an answering service available that can also put you in touch with our on-call staff if you wish to verify work being performed.

DON’T FLUSH UNUSED MEDICATION

REPLACING YOUR SHOWERHEAD

Medications play a very important role in treating many conditions and diseases, but when they are no longer needed, it’s important to dispose of them properly to avoid harm to others. In Loudoun County, residents are encouraged to follow the FDA’s guidelines when they are interested in disposing of their expired or unused medications.

Visit the Loudoun County Landfill’s page to see what is acceptable.

The Leesburg Police Department received a grant from CVS/Pharmacy to install a Drug Collection Unit (pictured below) which is located at the Leesburg Police Headquarters, 65 Plaza Street, N.E. in Leesburg. This dropbox allows Loudoun County residents to safely dispose unused, unwanted or expired medications.

Showering accounts for up to 17 percent of residential indoor water use for the average family, which according to the EPA adds up to nearly 40 gallons per day! An easy and cost effective way to cut back on water usage and cost is by retrofitting your showerheads with WaterSense labeled models which can range anywhere from $25 to $250.

WaterSense products lower demands on water heaters, save energy and reduce the amount of water used.

WaterSense products can be purchased at your local hardware store or retailer.

(L-R) – Deputy town Manager Keith Markel, Town Manager Kaj Dentler, Chief of Police Joseph Price, Mayor Kristen Umstattd, Dr. David Goodfriend with the Drug Collection Unit.

FOR TEACHERS: LOUDOUN WATER SCAVENGER HUNT Did you know that Loudoun Water has an information scavenger hunt set up for our educational exhibits? This is a great extra credit project that students can complete as they go through the exhibits by themselves or with a friend to find the answers to the questions. We recommend our exhibit scavenger hunt for students in grades 3-12. Our exhibits are open Monday through Friday until 5 p.m.

Have your students stop by our front desk to pick up a copy of our scavenger hunt. Email us using your official school address for the answer key.

Interested in Loudoun Water coming to your classroom? We can do that too! Email us at communications@loudounwater.org.

AQUIARY TRAILS ARE OPEN Our outdoor interpretive trails are open every day from dawn to dusk and are nearly one mile long. The trail features a fountain, low-water landscape, bioretention basin, wetlands, overlooks, reforestation areas and ponds.

While you’re out on our trails, feel free to Instagram your favorite exhibit and tag it with the hashtag, #loudounwater.

RECLAIMED WATER: WHAT IS IT? There has been a lot of local and national media coverage lately about reclaimed water. Â The use of reclaimed water (highly treated) wastewater for non-potable uses is rapidly taking hold throughout the United States as a sustainable alternative to using highly treated drinking water for irrigation and cooling tower coolant.

Reclaimed water is available from Loudoun Water’s Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility. There are key benefits of using reclaimed water for non-potable uses; it conserves precious drinking water, reduces water withdrawal from rivers, reduces nutrient loadings to the Chesapeake watershed and is cost effective.

While most wastewater utility companies return all treated wastewater to waterways, Loudoun Water has developed the Reclaimed Water Program to take advantage of reclaimed water and partnered with local businesses to develop more sustainable ways of using this treated water.

Purple Pipe In the United States, reclaimed water is always distributed via purple-colored pipes to distinguish it from drinking water. Since 2008 Loudoun Water has developed a reclaimed water distribution system with more than 12 miles of purple pipeline which is available to commercial and industrial customers.

Loudoun Water is currently working to complete the reclaimed water distribution system by providing a looped connection in the southern end of the system between Loudoun County Parkway and Waxpool Road. To do this, Loudoun Water will add over 11,000 feet of 16-inch diameter reclaimed waterline which will improve service to the reclaimed water customers in the area.

WINTERIZING YOUR HOME It may seem early to be thinking about winterizing your home, but cooler fall temperatures are right around the corner! Cold temperatures can cause costly repairs and headaches for homeowners who forget to or do not winterize their plumbing.

Winterize your plumbing by shutting off and draining the pipes leading to your outside faucets.

Using the valves located inside your home, make sure no water is left to freeze, expand and cause a leak in these lines.

Know the location of your main shut-off valve.

Minimize the potential for water damage by ensuring that everyone in the house knows how to shut off the water in an emergency.

Insulate pipes in unheated spaces. Hardware or building supply stores carry insulation designed to keep pipes in these areas from freezing.

If you’ve invested in an irrigation system in your yard, now is the time to protect that investment. Irrigation systems that are not properly winterized can freeze or crack. Many companies recommend that owners turn off the water from inside, drain the water out of the system and release the air pressure. Contact the company that installed your irrigation system or retail store for more information, or visit www.irrigation.org.

CONNECT WITH US Do you follow Loudoun Water on social media? Every day we post things like water conservation tips, important service updates and more. Click on the icons below to check out our pages and follow along:

#loudounwater