EPA reviewing CUC’s management report, draft master plan

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency inspector stressed their concerns to the Commonwealth Utility Corp. board over how vacant senior management positions might affect execution of the court-stipulated order projects that EPA oversees.

Speaking though teleconference, Tinger sought an update on the utility’s vacant executive director, deputy executive director, drinking water and wastewater manager, and technical manager for oil positions.

According to Tinger, they are “very concerned” about the vacancies in these positions and it’s “potential impact it has on CUC to be able to follow through on” court stipulated order projects.

EPA last month sent a letter requesting a report on how CUC would fill these positions.

“…The lack of executive leadership right now is a real concern to EPA with so many managerial positions currently vacant,” Tinger said last week.

Acting executive director John Riegel told Tinger they have announced the executive director position, and have done and will do more interviews for the water manager position. As for EPA’s June 2 request, CUC sent a response on June 25.

On CUC’s master plan, Tinger said it has been a significant effort for CUC to combine together its wastewater and drinking water side of operations and their financial components together. He said EPA will review the master plan “with an eye towards those commitments.”

EPA has reviewed the draft plan earlier. The current review is on CUC responses to EPA comments on the plan’s inadequacies.

According to Tinger, their major comments were on CUC’s commitments to the capital improvement projects over “the short time frame and the longer time frame.” They are now looking at “what CUC is able to commit” for those projects, he said.

He added they would provide “more scrutiny” towards the financial plan and financial health of CUC, including its rate structure.

“The stipulated order requires CUC to be self-sustaining agency with a commitment of funds to be able to sustain itself and pay for services,” he said.

“…And I think as we are all aware, there are some significant issues there currently so with the master plan in place we will use that as an opportunity to really broach the subject of how the funding for CUC is being taken care of,” Tinger added.

CUC chief financial officer Matthew Yaquinto, at the request of board member Joe Torres, informed Tinger of their plans to reduce line losses though infrastructure improvements that may come through a rate change.

“We had a study done for our five years ago that came out saying we should invest about 13 million dollars into our infrastructure and this would help reduce our losses on the system,” Yaqunito said. “We are going to revisit that with economist.com [CUC consultants] as far as what that rate should be and how we go forward as far improving our infrastructure and improving our electricity grid,” he said.