Welcome! Sometimes in life, one is lucky enough to have your passion become your profession. I’m Doug Bjornstad, a registered professional engineer with a BS in Civil Engineering and 30+ years of engineering experience and am thrilled to be your District Manager of the Jeffco Public Sewer District. I truly believe in our mission of providing clean water solutions. From the drinking water we provide to the clean water released into our streams from waste water treatment plants, Jeffco Public Sewer District is a guardian of clean water solutions for all of Jefferson County. I asked the volunteer board (which is an outstanding group of local experts who care about water cleanliness because they live here too!) to approve this quarterly newsletter expenditure as way to communicate with you. We are printing at least the first three and then hope to transition to an electronic format to help save costs – which saves you money. (Please visit the website to sign up for the electronic version!) The newsletter will contain information that makes a difference to you. We proactively consult our team to see what questions our customers are asking and then provide that to you. As we continue our goal of regionalizing old systems into our newer ones, you will be the first to know. There will also be an education component to the newsletter. It will be short, to the point and worth your time to read. I welcome your feedback (dbjornstad@jeffcopsd.org or 636-797-9900) on what you would like to see covered in future newsletters. Jeffco Public Sewer District is a full-service public utility operating Department of Natural Resources (DNR) waste water and DNR approved drinking water facilities serving cities and communities in unincorporated Jefferson County. We are here to serve you and to provide clean water solutions.
March 2019
CUSTOMER SERVICE ahughes@jeffcopsd.org
Team Corner
24 Hour Emergency: 636-789-1326 for all water issues or sewer backups/emergencies. Note: This line is answered by field personnel. Billing inquiries must be done via the main number: 636-797-9900. Call: 636-797-9900 for all general questions and billing related issues Office Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Visit: 4632 Yeager Road, Hillsboro, MO 63050 Mail: PO Box 632, Hillsboro, MO 63050 E-Mail: jcpsd1@jeffcopsd.org Fax: 636-797-8436
doug bjornstad
Sewer Backup Insurance Homeowner Insurance coverage is needed to cover damage caused by sewer backups. The District makes every effort to be responsive to customer needs and concerns when a sewer backup occurs. The District inspects, cleans and maintains sewers on a regularly scheduled basis. Unfortunately, because a sewer is not a closed system, many things put into the sewer can clog the system. The District CANNOT accept responsibility or assume liability for sewage backup incidents resulting from blockages within District lines. Blockages usually result from causes not within District control such as vandalism, improper disposal of grease and solid waste products, unpredictable tree or plant root growth, failure at pipe joints and customer connections, as well as other causes unknown or undiscovered by the District in sufficient time to take corrective action. Grease and disposable diaper wipes are two common items that clog sewer lines and create backups. Homeowners' insurance policies typically exclude damage resulting from sewer backups. The District urges you to check with your home insurer regarding the availability of additional sewer backup insurance. We have found that adding coverage for backups is relatively inexpensive, and we encourage all our customers to obtain coverage for sewer backups. We also encourage you to help ensure that only proper things are put into the sewer system and report any issues to the District immediately to help prevent and/or minimize damage. Check out our website, www.jeffcopsd.org/emergencyservice to learn more about what to do in the event of a sewer backup.
important numbers to know
contact us: 4632 yeager road Hillsboro, mo 63050 636-797-9900
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE chargis@jeffcopsd.org
volume I
alicia hughes
check with your insurer re: special sewer backup insurance
education
connie hargis
DISTRICT MANAGER dbjornstad@jeffcopsd.org
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE lbaker@jeffcopsd.org
doug's news
Newsletter
lynda baker
When your house is on a sewer system, it has more value and everyone’s ground water is cleaner! Since 2000, we have been working WITH you to provide AFFORDABLE sewers and CLEAN water to more Jefferson County residents and businesses through regionalization of facilities. 2006 - Sandy Branch Estates Subdivision in Hillsboro became the first system we operated. 2007 – Raintree Plantation in Hillsboro became the first large-scale sewer system and first drinking water customer. Extensive capital improvements have been made and additional ones are planned. 2007 – The Falls at Little Creek in Festus started with 3 homes and now has 72 active homes. 2007 - Brookside Parc in Hillsboro was the final addition in our high-growth year of 2007! 2008 – Mirasol Subdivision in the Eureka area (drinking water and wastewater) is an example of partnerships fostered between subdivision developers and Jeffco Public Sewer District. The systems installed for the subdivision were built by the developer to District standards and we now maintain and operate the facilities. 2011 - Sunrise Acres in Cedar Hill was a small group of homes that built their own sewer system to get off an old lagoon. The Home Owner’s Association then turned it over to us for continued operations. This cooperation proves that Jeffco Public Sewer District is here to help – regardless of the size. 2016 – The 12 systems that formed the old House Springs Sewer Company were acquired and expanded our service in this area by 700 commercial and residential customers. 2017 - Granada Meadows is a small 19-home development near Hillsboro that transferred their plant ownership to Jeffco Public Sewer District. Due to increased regulation and additional maintenance and upkeep required to operating within its permitted limits, the subdivision association was no longer interested in owning/upgrading the plant. 2018 – 5 Cedar Hill treatment plants were added moving us towards our goal of regionalization of the County’s wastewater treatment through acquisition, capital improvements, and consolidation of smaller systems. 2018 - City of Byrnes Mill, Sometimes cities sell their systems. In March of this year, we acquired the city's sewer systems and began providing all billing/ operations/ maintenance /service calls for the residents and businesses. Projected 2019 – Summerset Lake near DeSoto is the newest subdivision to be part of the Jeffco Public Sewer District for both drinking water and waste water service. We will be upgrading the drinking water system and the existing wastewater treatment facility will receive significant upgrades that ensure compliance and clean water. As you can see over our 18-year history, we are able to provide affordable sewers and clean water to an ever-increasing number of Jefferson County residents and businesses by regionalization of existing facilities. We really care about clean water solutions because we live here too! When you call Jeffco Public Sewer District you talk to a REAL person! How nice is that? While our team cross-trains in each other’s jobs, normally Lynda and Alicia will answer the phone first. They can handle any billing question, take your payment over the phone, answer most questions or direct you the right person for your specific issue. Often that is Connie Hargis, Accounts Payable, who has dealt with almost every issue during her 10 years of service. Of course, at the end of the day, the ‘buck stops’ with our District Manager, Doug Bjornstad. Doug is a Professional Engineer with 35 years of experience and handles all planning and plan reviews, permit issues, capital improvements and overall management functions. Our office team is working hard to make paying your bill online much easier. Our office staff works hard to answer every call and is dedicated to providing first class customer service. If your call does not go through, kindly let us know and we can will work to make corrections to our system. Also, each newsletter issue will contain a “Did You Know…” which will be something that our team would like to communicate directly to you.
STANDARD POSTAGE PERMIT 632 HILLSBORO,MO 63050
Jeffco PSD
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18 years and growing
"Since 2000, we have been working WITH you to provide AFFORDABLE sewers and CLEAN water to more residents."
•Website: JeffcoPSD.org •Facebook.com/JeffcoPSD •Receive a recorded message phone call immediately upon an issue arising that affects YOUR water or sewer service (Please call our office 636-797-9900 to verify the phone number you want us to use.) •Read the quarterly newsletter in print or email or on our website or Facebook page.
PO Box 632 Hillsboro, MO 63050
Mail a check payable to: Jeffco Public Sewer District PO Box 632 Hillsboro, MO 63050 Drop off a check at: 4632 Yeager Road, Hillsboro, MO 63050 Our friendly employees will be happy to take your payment in person Mon-Friday 8am – 4:30 or you can use our Payment Drop Box any time which is located on the right-hand side of our office building. Payments by Phone: 636-797-9900 Pay Securely Online: www.JeffcoPSD.org
that the 24 hour emergency line (636-789-1326) is only to be used for sewer backups or real emergencies that concern the water or sewer service or plants? Many times, people will call the emergency line about billing questions. This line is answered by field personnel, so they can be the first responders to help with your emergency. They don’t have access to any billing information, so please, ONLY call the emergency line for true emergencies.
If an emergency happens, such as a drinking water boil order, we use an automated phone blast to contact you directly. We also use our website and Facebook, but accurate phone number and email addresses are critical to this process. Without current information there is no way for us to contact you during an emergency. To make sure your contact information is up to date, call the office at 636-797-9900 and tell us you want to verify your contact information. Newsletter: Sign up for the electronic version by clicking on the “Newsletter Sign Up” on our website.
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