Service Pressure

The Operations and Maintenance section, Section VII, paragraph 6⁵ of the Draft GO 103, continues the service pressure requirement of not less than 40 pounds-force per square inch gauge (psig), nor more than 125 psig at the service connection. Respondents and interested parties are asked to consider and comment upon the following questions:

1. Should utilities continue to "grandfather" low pressure (less than 40 psig) service as they do fire flow?

2. If utilities no longer "grandfather" low pressure service, how should water utilities go about improving the low pressure areas to 40 psig?

3. How would your answer change if the cost to improve the pressure was:

a. Less than 1% of rate base?

b. Less than 5% of rate base?

c. More than 5% of rate base?

4. Should there be a maximum threshold in cost per customer to meet water pressure standards?

5. Under GO 103, Section I(1)(a), the replacement or abandonment of facilities is not required prior to economic utilization of facilities. However, this standard was established in 1956, and most economic utilization would have been exhausted by now. Therefore, should utilities simply improve any remaining systems in areas with low water pressure?

⁵ Entitled "Pressures."