LRAA Member Water Usage

Usage is listed by meter number to protect member privacy. If you don’t know your meter number, please use our Contact Form to request yours. Select “Water System” as the email topic.

Water Use Committee Recommendations

Adopted unanimously by the Board of Trustees on April, 21, 2024. Effective July 1, 2024.

At the annual HOA meeting in May 2023, there was considerable discussion dedicated to water use and water conservation issues in Lost River. The discussion concluded with the creation of a water use committee. The committee was charged with researching and recommending to the LRAA Board appropriate water conservation measures generally and to specifically identify what level of water use is excessive and warrants additional usage cost.

The committee recommends:

1. Anyone with a water connection in Lost River can use up to 2000 cubic feet per month by paying the annual water fee determined by the LRAA Board. This is the fee that is paid each year together with the annual dues. This year that fee was $200. Two thousand cubic feet per month is roughly 500 gallons per day. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American family uses 300 gallons of water at home each day.
   Roughly 70 percent of this use occurs indoors. Outdoor use accounts for 30 percent but may be higher in drier parts of the country. We believe that 500 gallons per day allows a generous amount of water for indoor domestic use and a reasonable amount for outdoor watering.
   

2. Anyone with a water connection in Lost River will pay an additional $0.05 per cubic foot (7.48 gallons) for water used in excess of 2000 cubic feet per month. We note that in 2023, there were 175 water connections in Lost River. Eight users recorded water use greater than 12,000 cubic feet (1000 cubic feet per month) for the year. Two of the eight highest readings were the result of vandalism and a broken pipe. These two issues have since been corrected. The remaining six highest annual consumers ranged from a high of 75,720 cubic feet (6,310 cubic feet per month) down to an annual use of 13,987 cubic feet (1,166 cubic feet per month). None of the remaining 167 connections exceeded use of 12,000 cubic feet per year (1000 cubic feet per month). In the months of January, February, March, October, November, and December, no user intentionally exceeded 2000 cubic feet (there were a small number of leaks, broken pipes, and vandalism that resulted in excess use). During the 6-month period from April through September 2023, water use exceeded 2000 cubic feet per month on 49 occasions (4 times in April, 9 times in May and in June, 13 times in July, 11 times in August, and 3 times in September). Some of these overages were small (less than 100 cubic feet in excess of 2000 cubic feet) but some were quite large. In June and July, peak uses of 17,342 to 19,759 cubic feet were recorded. Had a cost of $0.05 per cubic foot in excess of 2000 cubic feet been in effect, these large usages would have cost $767 and $888.
   

3. A charge of $0.05 per cubic foot over 2000 cubic feet per month is justified because 1) using more than 2000 cubic feet per month is extravagant and such users should pay more than the vast majority of water users (167/175) that never use that much, and 2) an additional charge for amounts over 2000 cubic feet per month will encourage more water conservation. The fact that water users in Lost River do not exceed a water level usage of 2000 cubic feet per month during October-March is evidence that 1) 2000 cubic feet per month is sufficient for domestic indoor water use and 2) excessive water use is primarily the result of excessive outdoor water use during April-September. An additional charge of $0.05 per cubic foot for amounts over 2000 cubic feet per month should help to conserve water in summer months without affecting or hampering normal indoor water use.
   

4. An additional charge for water use greater than 2000 cubic feet per month should only be applied to intentional use and no charge would be applied to excess use caused by vandalism, leaks, broken pipes or other causes unbeknownst to the water user. Although this policy does not intend to charge homeowners for unintentional water use, homeowners do have a responsibility to correct problems when they are discovered. Failure to act with reasonable diligence to fix leaks or broken pipes may result in a surcharge of $0.05 per cubic foot for water use greater than 2000 cubic feet per month. Alternatively, LRAA may have the problem fixed at the owner’s expense.
   

5. Invoices for excess water use should be issued to water users as soon as possible after monthly meter readings are taken so that water users are made aware of how much water they are using. In addition, the board should develop a system that makes it easy for water users to track their usage over time.
   

6. The board should also take measures to ensure that water users in Lost River arepromptly notified whenever the Washington Department of Ecology issues a notice restricting outdoor watering because of low flow conditions in the Methow River. LRAA has two water rights that govern our water use. The first is an interruptible right that allows LRAA to take 289 acre feet/year of groundwater. Because this right is interruptible, water can only be withdrawn when the base flow is above a minimum flow set by the Department of Ecology. The second water right is a noninterruptible right to 7 acre feet per year of water for indoor domestic use. This water right is continuous and allows LRAA to withdraw water even when the water level in the Methow River is below the minimum set by the Department of Ecology. This water right is limited, however, to indoor domestic use. No outdoor water use is permitted under this water right. LRAA has an obligation to ensure that outdoor water use does not occur after being informed by the Department of Ecology that minimum flows in the Methow River have been reached LRAA can be subjected to fines of up to $5000 for outdoor water use and LRAA may seek reimbursement from home owners responsible for violations resulting in fines.

View Water Usage Data for April 2023 - March 2024. (You’ll need your water meter number.)