​SUD Unaccounted Water Decreases; Employee Holiday Bonus


by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Reporting on operations at the Dec. 15 meeting of the Sewanee Utility District Board of Commissioners, SUD manager Ben Beavers cited two circumstances resulting in a substantial decrease in unaccounted for water loss. Board business included appointing an auditor for 2021 and voting to approve a commissioner’s suggestion to give SUD employees a small holiday bonus.

Unaccounted for water loss is the difference between water produced at the plant and water passing through customer meters, meaning SUD is not paid for the water. Beavers’ report showed unaccounted for water loss decreased by almost half, from an annual average of 28.1 percent to 15.6 percent for November. Beavers attributed a large portion of the change to finding and repairing a water-main leak in Sewanee Summit. Zone metering had been showing a 1.25 gallon per minute (gpm) loss, which for a five-day period jumped to 25-30 gpm. Beavers walked the rugged terrain and eventually found the leak by observing surface water. Leaks in the area are difficult to locate because the water line is buried 6-8 feet underground. Beavers speculated the line had been leaking for some time. With repair of the leak, the zone meter registered a water loss decrease to 0.5 gpm.

Beavers also attributed decrease in unaccounted for water loss to replacement of three residential meters and one residence hall meter that “quit working.” He estimated the residence hall used 100,000 gallons per month.

The board appointed the MG Group to perform SUD’s audit again in 2021. The board has also retained the MG Group to generate a series of reports to assist SUD in long-range planning.

Commissioner Randall Henley introduced the discussion about giving SUD employees a small holiday bonus. SUD has eight employees. Henley suggested $100 per employee. “It’s not much,” Henley said. He pointed out SUD usually treated employees and their families to a holiday dinner, but the event was canceled due to the pandemic. Commissioner Doug Cameron observed the dinner would have cost more than the $800 in bonuses. “It would be a show of good faith,” said SUD Board President Charlie Smith. Smith suggested the bonuses could come from the board’s Planning and Governance budget. Commissioner Ronnie Hoosier pointed out SUD did not replace an employee in 2020 due to difficult financial constraints, and SUD employees covered for the employee’s absence uncompensated. Likewise, due to financial constraints, SUD employees will receive no raise in 2021. After discussion, the board voted to give all employees a $250 holiday bonus.

Addressing finances, Beavers said revenue was 5 percent below budget at the end of November. “We’ll finish the year with a net loss of position, but it’s not horrible.” In May, Beavers had speculated SUD could suffer a 28 percent decrease in anticipated revenue due to the absence of students and cancellation of summer programs. The water sales revenue loss has been somewhat offset by higher-than-expected new water tap revenue, 20 new taps for the year to date. “Land sales are hopping,” Beavers observed.

The board approved the nomination of Smith as a candidate for the January commissioner election. SUD customers interested in serving on the board can become a commissioner candidate by submitting a petition with the names of 10 SUD customers by Jan. 4. For more information, contact the SUD office. Voting for the SUD commissioner election begins Jan. 4 and will continue through Jan. 19 at the SUD office, 150 Sherwood Rd., Sewanee, during regular business hours, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. The SUD office will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

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