Terlingua Moon
Volume 33, No. 26
June 21, 2022 by FreeBird

“Do what we can, summer will have its flies.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Brewster County Commissioners Court ‑‑ Due to lack of a quorum, Brewster County Commissioners Court has been postponed to June 28, 2022, at 9:30 a.m.

Study Butte Water Supply Company ‑‑ New Electronic Water Meters

If you are an SBWSC customer please read all of this notice as it contains information about interruption of water service.

SBWSC is delighted to announce that the long delayed water meter replacement program is finally moving ahead.  Accidentally, the delay has proved to be beneficial, as valuable new technology has emerged in the last two years.  The new meters will be tamper proof, accurate, drive-by readable and will maintain records of water usage for the entire time the new meter is in operation. The new technology is an Ultrasonic Acoustic Leak Detection system built into the ultrasonic water meter.

The monthly reading will be carried out, simultaneously, on all meters in the system on the defined day and hour every month. The possibility of an error by the person reading the meter will be totally eliminated.  The new system will flag possible leaks for further investigation on both sides of the meter.  The customer will still be responsible for leaks on the customer side of the meter.  Should the new system flag a potential leak, we can tell which side of the meter the leak is located by simply turning off  the water to the residence.  If the acoustic leak disappears then the leak is on the customer side and they can be informed.  If it does not disappear then it is on the company side and it becomes our responsibility to repair it.  We have never before had this ability and while it can not guarantee to catch all leaks, being able to catch at least some of the leaks will protect some of our customers from large bills in the coming months and years.

The leak detection system is not perfect.  We are not claiming it will find all leaks and it will not guarantee you never get a large bill because of a leak.  What we are claiming is that we will have one of the most sophisticated leak detection systems in the world.  This is state of the art.  The perfect system is to have all the cold water lines above ground so they can be visually inspected, but these would freeze in winter and be 150 degrees in summer.  Not practical.

We plan to start installation at the earliest possible moment.  Installation will involve interrupting supply on a customer by customer basis.  The interruption will be short, probably less than half an hour, and you will each be notified, in advance, of when this is likely to take place.  The installation will involve cleaning out the meter box, shutting off the water, removing your existing meter and installing a new one in its place, turning the water meter back on and recording all the details of the installation.

At some point we will need to shut down large sections of the water distribution system as we install new data logging meters in the main supply lines.  This will involve cutting the main supply lines, installing new shutoff valves and new totalizing meters.  This could take up to three hours depending on the particular size of line being worked on.

When the entire program is completed we will have detailed information of hour-by-hour usage throughout the entire system and we will have a system-wide leak detection system which will be one of the first in the nation.  It will, for the first time, be able to tell us we have a leak on the company side of the meter, even if it is invisible.  It will not tell us exactly where it is, but it will tell us roughly where it is.  This will make it possible to detect water wasting leaks that we may not have discovered for weeks, months or maybe never.

As a bonus it will enable us to detect cheating.  Meter bypasses and illegal taps into the water line on the company side of the meters will be easily detected and we will be able to make everyone pay their fair share.  Even quite small taps, used only occasionally, will be flagged with great accuracy.  We will not be able to detect illegal taps on your side of the meter.  Remember the easiest and cheapest illegal tap is still a hosepipe and only you can fix that.

We are confident that the new Ultrasonic Acoustic Leak Detection System will provide us the best leak detection system at the current level of available technology. 

John Holroyd
Chairman of the Board
Study Butte Water Supply Corporation

4th of July Parade – presented by the Big Bend Chamber of Commerce and Terlingua Fire and EMS.  The parade starts at the old Study Butte Store, across from the Cottonwood Store at 5:30 p.m., finishing at the Fire/EMS station.  For more information, see attached flyer.

Shot Time Liquors ‑‑ .C I G A R E T T E S are on clearance while supplies last.  Overstock sales will continue thru June.  New Hours are noon to six until further notice.  Adult novelties are clearanced at 40% 0FF.  ALL “dinky” wines (375ml or less) 40% OFF while supplies last. .  Overstocked items at 40% off:  Drambuie 750ml with 2 free rock glasses, D.O.M. Benedictine 750ml, and Dulce Vida Jalapeño Pineapple Tequila!!!

“T H E  B E E R  I S  B A C K”  Get your favorite brew again & priced just the way ya like it:  Bud/Bud Lt. 6pks $7.39, 12pks $15, 18pks $20.09; Mich Ultra 6pks $8.78; Dos Equis 6pks $9.70; A N D the official beer of Terlingua:  Lonestar 6pks $7.16, 18pks $16.63! ! !  Also featuring the usual suspects in various sizes:  Coors Lt, Miller Lt, Corona, Pacifico, Modelo, Sierra Nevada, Omission, Guinness Draught, Mike’s Lemonade, Bud Hard Seltzer’s, Twisted Tea, Fosters, Tecate, & Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The Terlingua Bottoms Group of AA ‑‑ meets every Thursday at 7:30 at the Big Bend Church in Study Butte.  The meetings are open to anyone who has or thinks they may have a drinking problem.  For more information, call 432-371-2073.  Leave a message and we'll get back to you.

Taqueria El Milagro ‑‑ Summer hours:  Friday through Sunday from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. Come in and enjoy the best tacos in town.  We specialize in authentic Mexican recipes and also have steaks, great sides and much more.  All served in an outdoor setting or pick up via a drive thru window.  We're BYOB so come prepared!  432 372-2060.

Espresso ... y poco mas ‑‑ we are located in the heart of the Ghost Town.  Home-cooked breakfast and lunch plus smoothies and other cold goods during the hot weather.  A friendly place with comfortable outdoor seating, amazing views and open from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. daily.  Get newspapers, wifi and enjoy the view of the Chisos.

The Property Owners Association of Terlingua Ranch, Inc. (POATRI) ‑‑ seeks to hire a manager who will be responsible for the total operation of the following parts of the organization:

·        A Property Owners Association with approximately 5,000 property owners and includes 192,000 acres, known as Terlingua Ranch.

·        A 32-room Lodge with a restaurant and swimming pool.

The manager will report directly to the President of the Board of Directors and will be responsible for a $1.8M budget and a staff that varies from 26 to 32 depending on the season.  A key part of the job will be working with the board of directors on long term development plans.

To receive more information and apply for the position please send your contact information and resume via email to the following link: www.indeed.com/job/manager-property-owner-association-and-lodge-operation-8c1f4b34d895fb01

Bad Rabbit Cafe is hiring!  Terlingua Ranch Lodge is hiring!  Bookkeeper, cafe cooks and servers - Housekeeping - Maintenance.  Competitive hourly pay based on experience.  Background check required.  RV hook-ups available if needed (must provide own RV).  Come on by Terlingua Ranch Office for an application, or send an email to: propertyinfo@terlinguaranch.com for details.

Summer Solstice ‑‑ in ancient China, the summer solstice was a time to celebrate yin qualities.  At the height of summer when the heat is greatest, it's important to find ways to slow down to maintain balance.

Happy Summer Solstice!