It gets more and more insane as the blind supporters of the Mayor insist that West Palm Beach water "tastes disgusting." It is unreal that our water is a political football. The mayor is betting his political career on supporting the County over a city...more voters. Of course he was very willing just to give away our entire water source--burn nearly $15 million already into our RO plant to do so. It is unbelievable to me that someone can believe this bull and even go to the extent of organizing some College Park people to speak against West Palm Beach.
This water is cheaper than what the County will charge. The County will charge us $2.59/1,000 gals and WPB is $2.34/1,000 gal. We must do this because South Florida Water Management has required that we reduce our withdrawal of water from the Surficial Aquifer from 6 MGD to 5.28 MGD per day. West Palm Beach can give us up to 1.5 MGD. Palm Beach County can not provide that much water and it is MORE EXPENSIVE!!!
We are only going to use this water when it is NEEDED-- when it is absolutely necessary.
Now we are going to alternate from one source to another? Why? The Mayor has committed to Palm Beach County no matter the cost to Lake Worth and Retha Lowe is on the train. Some citizens have joined the insanity supposedly because of taste. And the Utility Director and City Manager says that the RO plant is the way to go and buy PB County Water. They NEVER SAY WHY PB County water is better. Prove it.
This must be about the most outrageous decision that has come down the pike and it was cleverly done, orchestrated by the mayor, while Commissioner Mulvehill was out of the country. Now we alternate the week that we buy water--Palm Beach County one week and West Palm Beach the next.
To top it off, Commissioner Jennings suggested that one option would be to restrict individual water use by shutting off the water supply. One attendee when asked why he was leaving the meeting early said, "I'm hurrying home to take a shower while I still can."
Why not do a blind taste test of Lake Worth Water, West Palm Beach Water and Palm Beach County Water and as a control bottled purified water.
ReplyDeleteWater independence is vital for the survival of any town. Without water there is no life.
ReplyDeleteA clever group of speculators are buying up small town water producing plants. They send a snake oil salesman around giving them facts obfuscating about water production, dog and pony show and the gullible small town Administrations believe their false promises and sell out their Citizens. Their Company is called WATER AMERICA. They are so successful that they are a public Co. traded on the Stock Exchange. They can in the future dictate any rate they want to charge, to enrich themselves and stockholders.
Palm Beach County is doing the same thing. They are creating a monopoly in Palm Beach County. They send around their snake oil salesman with false promises and no guarantee of delivery!!!
Then Governor Crist, with SB 360, has just opened the gates to unlimited overdevelopment, without conditions for speculator-developers, to provide water or roads or electric for their developments, so we must provide it. The unconscionable 40 year contract forces the obligation to provide their water down our throats. We must pay for the pipe building to these developments. The first two pipes two Lake Worth, we don’t need, would cost us $18.000.000. - And they require a $16.000.000.- reserve fund from us. They County Water Managements Board, had a reserve loss of $36.000.000.-. Lake Worth 40.000 must make up for this.
In draught ridden Florida, Clemens, Lowe and Vespo signed unscrupulous 40 year Contract with these life threatening obligations! In times of Florida draught periods the County will take care of its own first with extortionate rates. If there is none left we get nothing, no water. Reverse Osmosis wells are our most vital source of water.
Cancel that cruel contract with PB County. Build a desalinization plant for future water shortages. Melissa Meeker (WMD) came back from Israel, with methods costing 1/3 of what we are paying now!
Build our own future water supply with mandatory cisterns for all new developments.
I think that insiders have been posturing over water since the GAO report came out in 2003.
ReplyDeleteDo you know that when the Florida Forever progam purchases land for conservation they don't necessarily buy the right to the water under the ground?
"A major new emphasis under Florida Forever is less-than-fee acquisition. Nearly all of the transactions closed under Preservation 2000 were outright purchases of land in fee simple. Forever Florida, however, requires the acquiring agency to examine alternatives to acquisition in fee. Put another way, the question is whether the conservation objective can be attained by purchasing various interests in property. It is another important tool in the tool chest because it allows the acquiring agency to purchase the development rights or the water rights and negotiate a management plan with the land owner."
http://www.hklaw.com/id24660/PublicationId1839/ReturnId31/contentid48154/
Great blog. Made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteWe know Retha Lowe wants County water because Loretta Sharp wants it. There is no other logical reason. The rest of those against WPBeach water are looking for a platform for any cause even if it is dumb and it makes the taxpayer here pay much more money. These people are about the worst. Thank goodness Lindsay didn't win.
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