Small Community in Arizona Needs Your Help
As you may have seen on the news, the Yarnell Hill Fire has devastated thousands of acres in Arizona. We would like to pass along this information we received from the Rural Water Association of Arizona.
The Yarnell Water Improvement Association (YWIA) is a not for profit organization which runs solely off the revenues collected from its members. Prior to the tragic fire, each of the 510 customers were members of the YWIA. With the loss of the 129 houses which burned to the ground and the 50+ houses damaged by the fire, our customer base is down over 25%. With the devastation to the system by the fire and the loss in revenue, YWIA can barely pay the minimum necessities. The link below will take you to a place where donations of money can be sent. The tracking will occur through a separate account and reports will be available for how the money was spent. YWIA has no employees or administrators, only a billing contractor and an operations contractor so all funds collected will go directly to the YWIA infrastructure. Contact Jerry Postema, YWIA Operations, for more information at azpostema@gmail.com, 602-614-6912 cell.
* Donate Here
Additional Help Needed
With the devastation of the fire and the firefighting activity, the water system took a huge hit on its infrastructure. Over 30 tanker trucks and firefighting equipment used all the water YWIA could produce. There was damage to the water mains and some hydrants, valves, and booster pumps during the heavy demands on the system. Many service lines were melted, meters had the internal plastic chambers melt from extreme heat, solder joints on meter setters were melted. The following items are needed:
* 200 direct read meters - 3/4" x 5/8"
* 200 of matching meter settings and parts (meter setters, curb stops, shut off ball valves, PRV's, brass nipples) all 3/4"
* 200 #1 concrete meter boxes, bottoms and lids
* 200 thick walled poly pipe repair clamps - assorted 3/4" by 3", 6", 9" and 12"
* 500 feet of C900 6" pipe and fittings
* 500 feet of C900 8" pipe and fittings
* 300 feet of 6" AC pipe and fittings
* 300 feet of 8" AC pipe and fittings
* 500 feet of 3/4" poly pipe, 500 feet of 1" poly pipe and inserts and couplers
* 24 6" RW valves
* 24 8" RW valves
* 12 hydrant repair kits
* Several water main repair clamps - 6" and 8" for AC pipe and C900 pipe
* 25 tons of washed sand, 25 tons of a/b, 25 tons of cold patch just for the immediate needs
Funds are tight, but the YWIA is working with Yavapai County to get FEMA funds and checking on insurance. A lot will not be covered and there is a need for other items such as controls for tanks, booster pumps, controls for the wells, 3" meters for the wells and master meter - the SCADA was damaged beyond repair and needs to be replaced, control level sensor for the tanks are out and the whole system is being operated manually. Any help is much appreciated.
