To the Valued Members of Our Water District,

As Chairman of the Board, I want to take a moment to address recent concerns and correct some misinformation regarding the purpose and funding of our system upgrades—particularly the installation of a second large well.

There has been a narrative suggesting that the well was required solely due to the annexation of properties west of Weir Road and south of Seasons Road. This is not factual. The reality is that the need for a second well was identified as early as 2000—well before any annexations took place—as part of our long-term infrastructure planning. The purpose was straightforward: to ensure redundancy in the event our primary well failed.

The properties that were annexed into the district paid their fair share through annexation and capitalization fees. These funds helped us build a reserve, which ultimately allowed the district to save $750,000 toward the cost of a new well. When the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) later mandated the construction of a secondary well and imposed a moratorium on new connections, our system was still serving just 300 users—well below the 400-user capacity it was originally designed for.

To those who feel they’ve already “paid” for the system and question the value of recent investments, I offer this real-world example: Just two years ago, our district faced a large and dangerous fire that required both air support and ground firefighters. That fire occurred the day after our primary well failed. Fortunately, the new well had just been brought online, enabling us to provide the water support needed during that emergency. Without that redundancy, the outcome could have been disastrous. The value of system resilience is no longer theoretical—we’ve already seen its importance firsthand.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that since assuming control of the system in 1998 for just $1, the district has:

• Implemented fire flow protection,
• Repaired system leaks that were causing over 25% water loss,
• Purchased two 250kW backup generators,
• And achieved all of this without requesting additional funds from users—while still managing to save $750,000 toward our well project.

Through the efforts of our engineering team, we also secured a $1 million grant to further reduce the financial impact on the district.

These upgrades were not driven by growth or new users—they were rooted in the original deficiencies we inherited and have worked diligently to correct. The goal has always been to ensure safe, reliable, and resilient water service for everyone in our community.

We thank you for your continued engagement and support as we manage and strengthen the system for current and future generations.

Sincerely,

Shawn Mosqueda
Chairman
Remington Water District