After two years of a self imposed moratorium the Riviera West Mutual Water Company board unanimously voted in their September 23^rd meeting to allow water hookups effective November 1^st in the Riviera West Subdivision.  Originally scheduled to end in January 2007 the board lifted the ban because "the system has the capability to supply the existing homes and new growth," said Water Company president Jim Snodgrass.  "However, our water supply concerns are not over and conservation is still vital. Responsible water use, monitoring of growth, increasing efficiency of the facility are a few of the factors that the Board will continue to address."  Snodgrass continued.

All new building construction was stopped in September 2005 because the water company stopped issuing permits for water hookups. The original reason given was; "This temporary emergency moratorium is necessary to protect existing households in case of fire and until the Water Company can complete necessary improvements to the water plant," as stated in a letter to the home owners written on September 6, 2005.

Local builder Doug Bridges was very pleased by this action saying, "There never was a state mandate for a moratorium but it was something that the water company felt that they had to do."  Bridges owns several lots in Riviera West and is known to build high end quality homes.

"One of the responsibilities of the Board is to deliver quality water at the lowest possible cost, while keeping a responsible eye to the future," said Snodgrass.  "The expenses of the Water Company have been exceeding its income. For the first two months of the fiscal year, expenses were $6,828.61 higher than income. This trend is unacceptable and cannot be sustained. Certain improvements have been made, due to absolute necessity, and have been paid for using funds from our bank balance. This will decrease as standby fees are paid. There are now plans for an Assistant Operator for the Water Company and a provision for capital improvements. These actions are mandated by the State and are good business practices. Other issues are being addressed with the rate change. This Board is committed to moving forward to protect the investments of all shareholders and creating a stable financial position is imperative. Continued vigorous monitoring of expenses is paramount," continued Snodgrass.

"We are all concerned about the time it has taken processing our application for the State loan for the plant upgrade. We have received communication from the State that we have done everything to complete the application and are simply awaiting the Department of Water Resources to issue the Notice of Application Acceptance," concluded Snodgrass.

The next board meetings will be held on November 16, 2007 at 5 PM for property owners and 6 PM for the water company.