The Players:

 

      Champlain Water District – 83,000 customers

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      The Village of Westbury – a municipality of 250 families

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What’s going on?

 

     Since 1972, Champlain Water District (CWD) has sold water to municipalities at a wholesale rate. The wholesale rate is a lower rate that factors in municipalities' role in repairing their own water systems. Municipalities then increase the price of the water to a retail rate which covers the cost of operations, repairs and improvements to their distribution system.

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     Currently, CWD charges residents in the Village of Westbury a retail rate (250% of the wholesale rate) for their water. Those additional funds are being used by CWD for repairs and improvements to a water system Westbury is not physically connected to. Additionally, the residents of Westbury Village must find the money to pay for repairs and improvements to their own water system. We don't think this is fair.​

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Why is this happening?

 

     Between 1972 and 2019, the area within the Village was a private mobile home business. Although the State determined that CWD would supply the water, Colchester Fire District 3 (FD3) claimed they had "an exclusive right to sell water" in that part of Colchester.

 

     For 47 years, FD3 read the Westbury water meter, billed Westbury the retail rate and paid CWD the wholesale rate. Because the water flowed directly from the CWD system to the mobile home park system, FD3 provided no repair or service work to the Westbury water system. 

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     Based on the current mark up, that would equate to roughly $50,000 x 47 years or $2.3 million (in today’s dollars) for what amounted to reading Westbury's meter 4 times per year.

 

     In March of 2023 FD3 dissolved after transferring to CWD all its assets and infrastructure. Separately, in August of 2023, the residents in Westbury formed a municipal village to address services not available from the Town of Colchester. In doing so, the Village became a municipality giving it permission to sell water in the village.

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What are we asking Champlain Water District for?

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     Being a municipality within the Champlain Water District, we are asking for the rate CWD has given to all municipalities that they supply so that we can invest in the Westbury system as all other municipalities do.

 

     We believe that CWD understands the absolute necessity for municipalities to be able to do this. The General Manager of CWD testified to the US Senate sub-committee: 

 

               "Many of our small and rural systems operate on a thin margin, meaning only 1.5% to 2.0% revenue over expenses... communities must have the ability to modernize their water and waste water infrastructure, much of which is approaching or past its useful life."

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As such, why would CWD continue to funnel off Westbury Village's operating revenue  and require it to search for other sources of funding?

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We ask you to support our effort to to be treated equitably. Please sign our petition and pass it on to other people you know.

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If you have more questions we would love to answer them. We need your help.

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