It looks like modern technology will be making Boothbay Region Water District customers’ and employees’ lives a little easier. District manager John Ziegra expects a new online bill paying service operational on Nov. 1. And the district has made significant progress converting to a digital format for work orders. The district began the process of providing digital access to information stored on its Global Information System (GIS) network in 2012.

Ziegra updated the BRWD trustees about these two ongoing projects during the July 28 board meeting. Ziegra expects the online bill paying option to be ready after a 90-day start-up period.

“It’s really going smoothly and we’ve received a lot of positive feedback,” Ziegra said. “I had two seasonal customers tell me today how much easier it will be to view and pay their bills when they’re out of the country.”

Ziegra also reported how field workers enjoy accessing work information from their mobile phones. Ziegra explained how the 3-year project was nearly complete. The system allows the district to transition from paper to digital work orders. Field workers now have more access to work orders and inventory through their mobile devices.

“It just makes record keeping and billing so much easier,” Ziegra said. “This has really become a massive data tool for us. The systems helps locate meters, identify serial numbers, access inventory, view a location’s past work history , and generate work orders. I’m pretty jacked up about it, too.”

The project connecting mobile devises to the district’s GIS and NDS (Northern Data Systems) information centers began in 2012. Ziegra estimates field workers complete 20-30 projects a day. The new system is  more efficient and saves the district time and money, according to Ziegra. The system is expected to be fully operational in August.

In other business, district officials are optimistic about receiving two federal grants. The BRWD already received a $10,000 a Lake Friendly Grant this year for their watershed protection plan. The district uses the funds to correct environmental problems on privately-owned lands.

The two federal grants may bring an additional $150,000 to the district. One grant is being submitted in conjunction with the town of Boothbay. It is a for a Clean Water Act from the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant would fund projects for addressing erosion and run-off issues associated with town roads in the Knickerbocker Lake and Adams Pond watersheds.

The second is a Natural Resources Grant to purchase 64 acres near Adams Pond for conservation and restoring a stream impacted by logging. Both federal grants are $75,000 a piece.

“We got the three grants cooking and it looks like we could have a total of $160,000 at the end of the process,” Ziegra said.

The district may also have interest in purchasing another property. Back River Road resident Dave Chapman has expressed interest in selling his combined residence and auto repair shop to the district. The property is located in the Knickerbocker Lake watershed at the head of the pond, according to Ziegra. The district has previously bought two other properties to protect the watershed.

“If we pursue this, we’d buy it, clean it up, and flip it. Probably at a loss,” Ziegra said. “We’d remove the grandfathered designation for the auto repair shop. We’d also need to get all the legal work finished before selling it.”

The trustees instructed Ziegra to bring back further information about a potential deal.

The trustees are also expecting information about a rate review at their next meeting. Maine Water Company, a private firm in Biddeford, began reviewing the BRWD’s rates in January. The review is designed to ensure the district charges enough to cover operating costs. The last rate increase occurred in 2011.

The trustees will next meet at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11 in the district office.