Commission discusses testing James Fork supply arrangement as contract, rates are debated

Commissioners pressed James Fork representatives on how the proposed rate changes would affect Greenwood under the current 15,000,000-gallon monthly contract. Jeff Piles said the contract often sets a 15 million gallon baseline and that, historically, James Fork sometimes adjusted monthly pulls when operational issues arose. "If y'all don't meet your 15,000,000 then, I don't I just charge you for what you use," he said in describing how contract months are handled.

Members also discussed a reliability test. Commissioners asked whether James Fork could meet the 1.2 million gallon-per-24-hour delivery the contract requires; Piles suggested running a test in a milder season (for several days or a week) in which James Fork would supply Greenwood at full contract volume while Greenwood’s plant stayed offline or reduced—monitoring tank levels and system impacts before committing to permanent changes. The commission did not vote; they asked staff to coordinate a test schedule and follow up with results.