Updating the By-laws
At the November monthly meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved presenting the revised By-laws for a vote of approval at the Annual Meeting December 17th. The By-laws are being updated to include that the annual meeting should be held in the month of December and the language of the By-laws is being updated to reflect the changes in the composition of the District over the past 25 years. The proposed update of the By-laws can be seen by clicking here.
Open Water Commissioner Position
We are currently seeking to fill an opening on the Board of Water Commissioners. All members of the District who are registered to vote in Grand Isle and live within the District are encouraged to consider volunteering to help guide the water system (there is a $1000 per year stipend). Water Commissioners do not operate the system, they simply make decisions regarding issues that pop up and address current and future plans to ensure continued delivery of safe drinking water to the District members. Experience with drinking water issues is a plus but it is definitely not required! The Board meets the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm both virtually and at the Water Plant in Grand Isle.
If you are interested in serving your community as a Water Commissioner, please attend a meeting or contact any member of the Board for further information. Please note that all District members are always welcome to voice their opinions at any Board of Commissioners meeting.
Penalty Charge Increase
Grand Isle Consolidated Water District (GICWD) is comprised of approximately 750 homes and businesses that are all subject to the policies and regulations put in place to ensure equity throughout the District and delivery of safe drinking water to all members. When members do not adhere to these policies, a penalty that covers a variety of situations may be assessed. For the past several years the penalty has been set at $112, but the Board of Water Commissioners has decided that to make the penalty more effective, as of the third quarter billing in September of 2025, the penalty will increase to $250.00 per quarter.
In addition, users that have been assessed a penalty for four consecutive billing cycles must address and correct the issue causing the penalty before the next invoice is issued. Otherwise, the District has the right and may choose to disconnect the member immediately.
For further information, please refer to GICWD’s Water Use Ordinance.
New Payment Address
Effective immediately all payments must be mailed to:
Grand Isle Consolidated Water District
Department 4300
PO Box 986500
Boston, MA 02298-6500
Be sure to include Department 4300 or it will be returned to you and not credited to your account.
Carbon Change-out Completed
Unceremoniously, one of the two vessels of our GAC filtration system had its carbon media removed and replaced with new carbon on Friday February 21, 2025. The vessel was placed second in line, behind the vessel that had its carbon replaced previously, to catch any breakthrough from the first vessel as its carbon becomes depleted. Although a routine maintenance item, the GICWD Board of Water Commissioners decided to change the carbon now to address the higher THHA and HAA levels (disinfection by-products) being produced due to excess organics circulating in the past year in Lake Champlain, our water source. The GAC was built originally to lower the higher DBPs levels at that time and was successful. Although our system is currently in compliance with DBP levels and our running average is currently below the maximum level allowed by the state and EPA, this carbon change-out should ensure the system remains in compliance. Each vessel is now on a schedule to have its carbon replaced every four years.
Bond Vote Results from March 5, 2024 Vote
The results are in and the bond vote has been passed with a tally of 294 in favor and 104 against. Thank you for coming out and voting!
Official Warning – Bond Vote on March 5, 2024
WARNING
The legal voters of the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Town Office, in the Town of Grand Isle on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, between the hours of seven o’clock 7:00) in the forenoon (a.m.), at which time the polls will open, and seven o’clock (7:00) in the afternoon (p.m.), at which time the polls will close, to vote by Australian ballot upon the following Article of business:
ARTICLE I
Shall general obligation bonds or notes of the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District in an amount not to exceed One Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars ($1,630,000), subject to reduction from the receipt of available state and federal grants-in-aid, be issued for the purpose of financing the cost of construction of upgrades to the water distribution mains along US Route 2, Hyde Road and Tebeau Terrace, the aggregate estimated cost of all such improvements being One Million Six Hundred and Thirty Thousand Dollars ($1,630,000)?
The legal voters of the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District are further notified that voter qualification, registration and absentee voting relative to said special meeting shall be as provided in Chapters 43, 51 and 55 of Title 17, Vermont Statutes Annotated.
The legal voters of the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District are further notified that an informational meeting will be held on February 26, 2024 at the Ed Weed Fish Culture Station, in the Town of Grand Isle at six thirty O’Clock (6:30) in the evening, for the purpose of explaining the proposed improvements and the financing thereof.
Adopted and approved at a regular meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners of the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District duly called, noticed and held on January 17, 2024. Received for record and recorded in the records of the Grand Isle Consolidated Water District on January 18, 2024.
Help Keep Rates Down – Conserve
It costs money to produce water so conserving water helps to keep rates down. Although it is tempting to use excess water when the temperatures climb, please use your water wisely. Sprinkle the garden by hand using your hose early in the morning or when the area is in the shade in the evening. Sprinklers waste water, so “target water” by watering by hand at the base of plants using your hose spray nozzle. Avoid washing your car or at least do not let the water run while you soap up the car or boat. Fix plumbing leaks. A little bit of thought and planning can make a big difference!
Thank you!
GICWD Water Treatment Facility Dedication at Open House!
The Board of Commissioners was pleased to name the water treatment plant after our long-time operator Warren Steadman of Simon Operation Services. Along with Green Mountain Engineering, the Board presented a bronze plaque to be mounted in the building dedicating the facility. Visitors from the State of Vermont, Green Mountain Engineering and the Islander along with several members of the District came to the Open House June 13, 2018 to tour the facility and were present to witness the surprise dedication ceremony. We thank Warren for helping the District to be what the Board believes is one of the best water municipalities in the state!
You never Know!
Look what Joe Danis of SOS found while cleaning out our shed!
Job Well Done!
In 2017 the State of Vermont performed its annual Sanitary Survey inspection and records audit at the GICWD water plant. Operator Warren Steadman received the subsequent letter from the state and had the following to say in an email sent to the Board of Commissioners, “Attached is the letter the state sent regarding the Sanitary Survey that was done last month. This is the first one that I have ever been involved with that resulted in no sanitary discrepancies. It is also the first one where the operators were commended. We (Simon Operation Services, who operates the GICWD system and many others throughout the state) are extremely pleased with the results. You as a Board should be pleased too. It reflects the Board’s leadership, overseeing good operation and maintenance practices and forward looking, planning for the future.”
Click here to download the letter from the state.
Monitoring
Our System Operators are constantly monitoring the water for many different things and from many different locations. Here Joe Danis is collecting a Total Coliform sample and testing the chlorine residual from within a home in the distribution system. Samples are collected from several homes within the District to meet State quarterly testing requirements.
Staying informed with VT-Alert!
If the District ever has to issue a boil water notice or other water restrictions, we will notify you through the VT-Alert system. However, you need to give us your notification information, such as cell phone numbers, the carriers (if you want to receive text messages) and all email addresses you want notified. VT-Alert is free, secure and reliable. Over 80 Vermont agencies have signed up in the two years Vermont has offered this notification program. You will receive only messages related to GICWD water emergencies unless you go to the VT-Alert website and sign up yourself for notifications from other Vermont groups. We encourage you to visit vtalert.gov for more information and to sign up for additional notifications.
GICWD Celebrates 20 Years of Operation!
October 2015 is the 20th Anniversary of the District! We are celebrating 20 years of delivering quality water to the community! Congratulations to every member for helping to provide a healthy environment for all members.
The GAC Filtration System is Online!
As printed in the July 14th 2015 Islander:
With little fanfare and just the turn of two valves, at 10:30AM July 8th Grand Isle Consolidated Water District (GICWD) made history by becoming the first drinking water treatment facility in the State of Vermont to utilize a granular activated carbon filtration (GAC) system to purify its water! It will take a few days for the water to reach all members of the District, but if you suddenly notice your water tasting better, you are not imagining it!
It all began when testing showed the District exceeded the EPA’s maximum contaminant levels of disinfection by-products called DBPs, potentially cancer-causing compounds produced during water treatment. The Board of Water Commissioners in place at that time announced plans to add ammonia to the water to form chloramine in an attempt to resolve the issue. Opposed to adding yet another chemical to our water, citizens of the GICWD banded together to contest the solution, as they learned other options, such as a GAC system which would actually remove many contaminants, had not been thoroughly investigated. With a newly elected board in place, GICWD began to investigate alternative options available for their treatment system. Three years later and countless hours of planning, working with the State and steadfast determination by the board, Warren Steadman of Simon Operation Services, Brad Washburn and Alan Huizenga of Green Mountain Engineering, and the members of GICWD are now drinking some of the best water available – anywhere!
The construction of the GAC Filtration System was not without its hiccoughs, but was completed within a few weeks of its original target date, came in under budget, was financed through a zero percent interest loan and holds the possibility of continuing to exceed expectations. The board opted to go the extra mile to hire a third party testing firm to examine and test the filtration vessels to ensure their quality and conformance to industry specifications. After some tweaking by TetraSolve, the vessel manufacturer, the end result is a superior product that even the company feels is the best vessel out there! Wanting to help ensure a smooth start-up, the owner of TetraSolve was present to turn the last two valves on July 8th bringing the GAC filters successfully online.
Therefore, the Board would like to celebrate this historic milestone in Vermont’s drinking water industry by holding an open house in early September (more details to come). We invite anyone interested in viewing the system and having a tour of the facility to attend. We expect representatives from the State of Vermont and from other water systems around the state to come to Grand Isle as this is a model treatment option available for other water systems also facing the myriad of water quality issues. We encourage members of the District to come see this system and be proud of GICWD’s accomplishment!
