INSIDE
Point Roberts Facts & Figures

By Syd Wallace

The Point Roberts Water District #4 (PRWD #4) is not the typical rural district. It would be more accurately described as having many of the characteristics of a small town.

The Point Roberts assessed property value exceeds that of the incorporated towns of Sumas, Everson and Nooksack. The diversity of property ownership is, to say the least, unusual. Our district starts each day with a sufficient water supply to meet the community’s basic water needs exclusive of sprinkling. The Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) contract provides and we pay for 840,000 gallons per day every day regardless of the amount used. All municipalities in the GVRD have similar contracts.

The unusual characteristic of PRWD #4 requires that the elected commissioners must have a clear understanding of the depth and breadth of their responsibilities.

The depth of the responsibilities must be defined in the terms of the community that elected the commissioners, whereas the breadth involves all property owners.

The responsibilities of the elected board of commissioners to the community include, but are not limited to:

Health – The water supplied must be to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. The public must be advised any time these standards are not met and in each instance corrective action is taken.
Safety – The distribution system must meet and maintain the pressure and the volume of water at each hydrant necessary to meet the state fire flow standards. All hydrants must be tested and maintained mechanically on a regular basis. Note: These technical responsibilities, 1 and 3, are well managed by a capable and technically qualified staff.
Economy – Water is a key factor is the prosperity of any community. Any decision by the board restraining the use of water or the granting of new connections must tend to maximize the community’s economy. The construction industry, a large factor in the economy, is particularly sensitive to the allocations of water connections. Note that in the national economy, housing starts are tracked continuously because they are a key factor in the country’s prosperity and are a component in the gross domestic product.
Policies – For management consistency, the commissioners must enact policies that are catalogued and available to the public.

Planning for the future is one of the most important functions of the commissioners. Management’s input is required, but the commissioners are elected to lead.

Fundamentally, responsibilities cannot be delegated.
The breadth of responsibly can be measured in the terms of the number of properties within the district. The Whatcom County Assessor’s property rolls of February 2006, show that there are 3,471 properties in Point Roberts. These 3,471 properties can be separated into three groups.

U.S.-owned properties. There are 1,379 properties with owners in 33 states. These properties have an assessed value of $156,816,310 including Point Roberts owners. These 1,379 U.S. properties, Point Roberts residents own 1,102 with an assessed value of $117,893,663.
Canadian properties. There are 1,910 properties with owners in six provinces. These properties have an assessed value of $119,117,663.
Offshore owners (UK, Saudi Arabia, Fiji, etc.) There are 26 properties with owners in 16 countries, with an assessed value of $1,509,805.
The balance, 171 of the total of 3,471, is made up of government public sector and ancillary properties – federal, state, county and local.

•Properties can be grouped by the immediacy of their water needs.
•Permanent and second home residences, existing businesses and established recreational facilities.
•Those properties purchased for the immediate construction of permanent of second homes or new businesses.
•Speculative land holdings. The granting of a water connection to any such property creates a windfall for the owner.\

The commissioners are responsible for establishing policies that will result in an equitable granting of water connections and satisfy the needs of the community within a time frame sufficient to develop an additional water supply.

For example, a policy could be written to provide a water connection for construction which would be conditional until full exterior construction is complete (foundation, walls, windows, roof and lockdown).