5/8/12
One reader of this blog asked for an explanation of the Mayor's push for city-wide water. So, here goes.
The Insider can't explain it!
Mayor Lizee has been an advocate of city-wide water for years, going back to her terms as a council member. There was a water plan done in her council member days, but it went nowhere. She spouts platitudes like it's for the greater good, and nonsense like you'd hear from a grade school kid wanting to go to a party (All the other kids are doing it. But, actually they're not). Another reason espoused is fire safety. The fire department has tanker trucks and plans to use them effectively. Even the insurance industry no longer considers having city water a reason for a lower risk rating.
One thing is clear, Lizee has no sense of cost or the financial impact on residents being forced to pay for a water pipe in their streets they don't want.
One commenter wrote about arsenic risk. Yes, there are areas where private wells have arsenic issues. Contrary to some doom and gloomers, simple reverse osmosis systems can provide safe water for drinking. A do-it-yourselfer can install one to supply drinking water to the kitchen sink and the refrigerator (treating the whole house is not necessary) for less than $200. Commercial systems are readily available to do the same thing and for under $2000, installed. These are far cheaper than $14,000 or more for city water hookup to the house which does not include the quarterly water bills from the City, forever.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
I have also been advised that even with city water we would still have to maintain our water softening and filtration systems as well as our drinking water systems because it is essentially the same water we are pumping out of the ground ourselves, albeit from a deeper well. So there are absolutely no savings involved here. None.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation, Insider.
We live in Shorewood and have well water with a fairly high level of arsenic.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the idea of my kids drinking water that contains arsenic, so our reverse osmosis system removes the arsenic. However, that doesn't work in our bedroom bathrooms upstairs, so we use bottled water there. Add in the maintenance of the water pump, the reverse osmosis filter, and the whole house water filter that removes the smell for showers and other uses, plus the regular recommended water testing, and the whole thing starts to feel like a hassle.
I'd rather invest in city water and not have to think about water as much as I do now.
Are you going to be the "poster boy" household that Teal LizZerby will use to try to push this thing through? Well, I would rather invest in YOU. If every household in Shorewood without city water gave you 10 dollars, you could put in the best and deepest well possible. Sound good? Your arsenic problem would be solved, and the rest of us would not to be burdened with city water.
DeleteIt could be the Mayor wants city water so our community can support high-density, low-income housing projects. You can't have those if you don't have city water first.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it is a "white-guilt" thing that needs to be satisfied, at the expense of our quiet community.
Spies report that the Developers are lined up in their Panzer tanks at the Western Front of Shorewood. They fly black flags with the number “8” (as in Section), behind their dark eyes lies the determrination to take from us our children and dogs, while leveling our gentrified neighborhoods in a massive takeover of sacred Shorewoodian bastions.
DeleteThese evildoers will leave no cul-de-sac untouched in their quest for the coveted density, urbanization and the destruction of gentrification, and once that as accomplished, they will add fearsome trails.
All they need is water, precious water. We must deprive them of it, and fend them off! Oh the humanities... :)
A wee bit over dramatic.
DeleteAnd you didn't even address the concern.
You should check your water for arsenic and/or coolaid. ;-)
What are the specifics on arsenic? If it is just in one area, then city water might be useful. Will a new well fix the problem? A new well will be a lot cheaper than laying city lines and hooking up.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. And arsenic levels vary from house to house on the same block. Homes on on our block who have had their water checked have varying but low levels of arsenic while one home has none. I personally have yet to meet someone who has high arsenic.
DeleteIn order to get the biggest returns for the buck, you can retail outlet online for these types of utility sink faucets without likely to a retail retail store. Some online retailers offer good discounts on utility sink faucets devoid of compromising quality and also durability.
ReplyDeleteArsenic, though probably in our water to some extent all along, has only become part of the disucssion in the last 2-3 years. The mayor has supported water her entire political career. If arsenic is her reason, she needs to say that so we know what pushes the agenda. Transparency.
ReplyDeleteTough to pin Lizee down. She'll just talk about "listening to the people" or some such gobbledygook. And with the council and the planning commission in her back pocket, she doesn't have to produce any residents who agree with her. Token public hearing and its done. Whatever it is. Mandatory City Water is one thing. Low-cost housing another (read: high density). What other developments are in store?
ReplyDeleteCity water has arsenic also. EPA standards are 10 parts per billion - used to be 50ppb - so they're making progress. What does city water currently contain? Don't know but it has to be under 10ppb - my private well tests at zero. If I switch to city water I may get more arsenic. BTW - according to the EPA, arsenic is orderless and tasteless - so to whomever, you have other issues. Also, did you know there are some bottled waters that have been tested that contain arsenic?
ReplyDelete