Jasper County PWSD #1 Office and Tower 1
Thank you for visiting our website
www.jaspercountywater.com Please note that there are a total of 3 Public Water Supply Districts in this area, so please make sure you are visiting the correct web page prior to paying through the online bill pay. We service the rural Northwest end of Joplin and the rural Carl Junction area. Thank you! |
WATER BILLING STATEMENTS Statements are typically sent out at the end of the month and are due in the office by the 15th* of the next month. A 20% late fee will be added to any late payments. If you do not receive a bill by the 5th of the month, please contact the office at 417-781-8844. *unless a different date is stated on your bill card |
THE OFFICE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Payments can be made by mail, via drop box, online or by phone.
We are also accepting credit card payments at this time
(a 3% convenience fee will be added to all card transactions starting Jan 1, 2022)
THE OFFICE IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
7:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Payments can be made by mail, via drop box, online or by phone.
We are also accepting credit card payments at this time
(a 3% convenience fee will be added to all card transactions starting Jan 1, 2022)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLIC NOTICE…. PUBIC NOTICE …. PUBLIC NOTICE…. PUBLIC NOTICE…. PUBLIC NOTICE….
Jasper County PWSD #1 would like to inform that we are planning major well and tower maintenance this month for Tower #2, the white and orange checkered tower off of Fountain Rd. Those that draw from Tower #2 include those people located in the Village of Airport Drive, the Tabor Woods area, and those west of Main Street, Joplin east to at least Peace Church Rd.
Our crew will start the maintenance process on Friday, November 10, 2023 and will run through the first week of December. Maintenance is to include draining, cleaning, repairing, and painting, as well as making a few safety upgrades. During this time the water distribution system may experience variations in system pressure and possibly a slight change in taste. The water will be completely safe to use and drink during this time, as we will be drawing from our auxiliary source (Missouri American Water) during this time. Missouri American does use a different type of chlorination than us, so there may be a slight change in taste. We do ask that water users refrain from drawing large quantities of water from the distribution system, if possible, until the maintenance is complete.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time and hope that if everything goes smoothly there will be very little impact to your daily living. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the water office at 417-781-8844. Thank you!
2023 RATE INCREASE - Effective January 15, 2023
As officers and directors of Jasper County PWSD #1, we are incredibly proud of the district. We can report some good things, but we also must find ways to correct some bad. We provide service to some 2,250 customers, most of which are homes that could not be there without rural water. As best we can, we provide this water at cost; no one makes a profit off our service. The district is a government agency, similar to a school district, and any excess income is used for emergency repairs, replacements, and rebuilding. These problems occur much more often in an older system than a young one.
Now for the bad news: our system is incredibly old. Experts rate useful life at 30 to 50 years (if one is very lucky). Our system is approaching 60 years old. Despite Herculean efforts, it seems we can’t fix new leaks fast enough. We are constantly losing roughly 70% of all water that we produce, which renders service exceedingly expensive. In the industry, any more than 10% loss is cause for concern. Additionally, we were the first rural water district in Jasper County, and the pipe that was used in those days (class 160) is not the same quality as that used today (class 200, a heavier gauge). This leads to one inescapable conclusion: we absolutely must undertake a considerable system rebuild.
We are consulting experienced experts in designing and financing such rebuilds, coordinating with state and federal officials and agencies that can help, and are conscientiously exploring long term financing, and low-cost loan and grant availability, all to minimize the cost and burden on the public. We will minimize price increases every way we can, but in this time of rising costs, it will be expensive. It is also, unfortunately, completely necessary. An initial increase of 15% is being implemented as of January’s billing cycle (January 16th to February 15th), and others may have to follow.
We provide this explanation so you know the district will be rebuilding, and rate increases will be considered as they are needed. Long term, low-rate financing and available grants will be utilized where possible, and this rebuild will take several years. It is the public that will ultimately benefit, but first the price must be paid. We wanted you to know we are dedicated to finding the best ways to do the job that has to be done. If you have any questions regarding this rate increase or future district endeavors, we encourage you to attend one of our board meetings or email the board directly at www.jcpwsd1boardmembers@joplin.com. Our board meeting schedule can be found on our website, www.jaspercountywater.com.
PWSD #1 of Jasper County - Board of Directors