|
Centre Daily Times January 19 2005
Cost of water meters tough to swallow
Pay for the water you use. That's fair, isn't it?
"But the cost of installing the metering system -- as much as $2 million -- is a little salty, and knowing that the cost will eventually be passed on to Bellefonte water system customers makes the deal even less palatable.
Many of the homes in Victorian Bellefonte are historic, and that further muddies the water. The recommended expansion tank on water heaters clouds matters even more.
Still, a usage-based payment system, rather than a flat fee, seems to be the best way to go for a system long plagued by leaks.
Some residents are understandably angry, but installing meters will enable the authority to do two important things:
- Charge customers based on what they actually use, which should help conserve water.
- And by helping to locate leaks, enable the borough to comply with the state mandate that it not draw more than 5 million gallons a day from Big Spring.
Others, after all, live downstream and get their drinking water from the same source. Viewing Big Spring as exclusively Bellefonte's property is not only myopic and impractical, but the state deems it illegal.
So close your eyes, open up and swallow. It may not taste the best right now, but the flavor should improve in the long run.
A second informational session about the project is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 1 at the municipal building, 236 W. Lamb St. -- or, if more room is needed to accommodate those who attend, the meeting will be held in the Bellefonte Elementary School auditorium."
|
|
