James City Service Authority - Background
The James City Service Authority is a public body politic and corporate of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The JCSA was created in 1969 by the James City County Board of Supervisors pursuant to the Virginia Water and Sewer Authorities Act (Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended). The JCSA was created to acquire, construct, operate and maintain, to the extent determined by the JCSA to be financially feasible, an integrated water system and an integrated sewer collection system in James City County. The Board of Directors is appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and since 1976, the Board of Supervisors has appointed its members as Directors of the JCSA to more fully coordinate JCSA activities with those of the County in the planning and development of utility systems.
The Board of Directors has authorized water and sewer operations for the JCSA within the Primary Service Area (PSA) in the County. The JCSA also provides water and/or sewer service to limited sections of York County and the City of Williamsburg with the concurrence of the appropriate governing bodies.
The JCSA's water system includes the central water system with 10 production facilities and six independent production facilities. There are approximately 321 miles of water transmission and distribution lines throughout the entire system. The water system facilities supply approximately 4.8 million gallons of water per day to 17,500 water customers.
The JCSA's sewer system includes 71 pump stations with approximately 361 miles of sewer collection lines. The sewer system facilities collect and move approximately 4.4 million gallons of sewage per day for 18,500 sewer customers. The JCSA has no sewage treatment facilities. Sewage treatment for areas served by the JCSA, as well as for other Hampton Roads communities, is provided by the Hampton Roads Sanitation District.
As of July 1, 2006, the JCSA had 85 full-time employees and one part-time employee with the responsibility to operate and maintain its utility facilities and lines. The JCSA's operating funds are self-supporting, and the JCSA receives no share of any local or property tax levies. The Board of Directors has the sole power to set water and sewer utility rates and related fees. The Board of Directors adopted an inverted-block or inclining rate structure in 1996 to be effective for fiscal year 1997 for residential customers which incorporates a unit charge that increases with increasing consumption. The primary objective of establishing the inverted-block rate structure was to reduce water use, particularly from large-volume residential customers.
On July 1, 2006, the residential water consumption service charge was set at the first block for $2.50 per 1,000 gallons for less than 15,000 gallons consumed per quarter, the second block was set at $3.00 per 1,000 gallons for more than 15,000 gallons but less than 30,000 gallons consumed per quarter, and a third block was set at $8.50 per 1,000 gallons for more than 30,000 gallons consumed per quarter. Commercial and industrial customers were set at a flat or uniform rate structure of $3.00 per 1,000 gallons. The sewer service charge for all categories of customers was set at $2.80 per 1,000 gallons.
The JCSA currently has groundwater permits to withdraw 7.2 million gallon per day to support the residential and commercial customers. With the current rate of growth, it is estimated that this amount of water will meet the County's needs through 2013. An additional 4 million gallons per day is needed to meet the County's needs through 2040. The JCSA is pursuing a separate initiative to meet its long-term water demand by participating in a regional effort to supplement the JCSA groundwater with surface water or desalinated groundwater. Water conservation is a component of meeting the future water needs.
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