EFLOW: Emmaus For Locally Owned Water

Tennessee Town Has Run Out of Water

2007-11-04T07:26:00.000-05:00

Nov 2, 7:09 AM (ET)

By GREG BLUESTEIN

(AP) Tony Reames releases the water from the water tank to the 145 residents of Orme, Tenn., Wed., Oct....
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ORME, Tenn. (AP) - As twilight falls over this Tennessee town, Mayor Tony Reames drives up a dusty dirt road to the community's towering water tank and begins his nightly ritual in front of a rusty metal valve.
With a twist of the wrist, he releases the tank's meager water supply, and suddenly this sleepy town is alive with activity. Washing machines whir, kitchen sinks fill and showers run.
About three hours later, Reames will return and reverse the process, cutting off water to the town's 145 residents.
The severe drought tightening like a vise across the Southeast has threatened the water supply of cities large and small, sending politicians scrambling for solutions. But Orme, about 40 miles west of Chattanooga and 150 miles northwest of Atlanta, is a town where the worst-case scenario has already come to pass: The water has run out.

Atlanta Urinals, Fountain Run Dry as UPS, Coke Fight Drought

2007-11-01T17:38:00.000-04:00

By Mary Jane Credeur and Laurence Viele Davidson

Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Urinals without water. Fountains without water. A waterfall without water.

Dry is the goal as United Parcel Service Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and other companies in the Atlanta area rally to cut water use in response to the region's most extreme drought since at least the 1920s. Metropolitan Atlanta, which has added more new residents than any other U.S. city since 2000, may face limits on growth if the shortage persists, business officials said.

``We are very galvanized around this issue,'' said John Somerhalder II, chief executive officer of AGL Resources Inc., which provides natural gas in Atlanta, and vice chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce's environmental committee. ``It is the No. 1 topic that businesses are concerned about.''

Sydney man charged with 'hose rage' murder

2007-11-01T17:34:00.000-04:00

Australia's long-running drought claimed a bizarre fatality when a 66-year-old man was bashed to death while watering his lawn, police said.

Ken Proctor, a retired truck driver, was hosing his grass in the southern Sydney suburb of Sylvania at 5.30pm yesterday when he got into a row with Todd Munter, 36, over the city's water restrictions.

Police said today that Mr Proctor turned his hose on Mr Munter after which the younger man punched and pushed him to the ground before kicking him. Mr Proctor was taken to hospital but died soon after of a heart attack.

Mr Munter was charged in a Sydney court today with Mr Proctor's murder. He was remanded in custody until November 15, when he will be asked to enter a plea.

As severe drought grips southeastern United States, Atlanta only weeks away from running out of water

2007-10-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

Oct. 15, 2007
An unprecedented drought stretching across the southeastern United States has forced some of the region's largest cities to declare water emergencies.

The situation has become so serious that officials in Atlanta, where rainfall totals are more than 16 inches below normal, said they could run out of drinking water in a matter of weeks.

Money magazine ranks Emmaus as the 87th best place to live in America...

2007-07-17T13:35:00.000-04:00

Residents like its safe environment, nice downtown and 'quaintness.'
By Spencer Soper | Of The Morning Call
July 17, 2007
People on the streets of Emmaus say they like its small-town charm, friendly atmosphere and unique mix of shops where you can find anything from a used floral sun dress to a box of 39 mm ammo. But Money magazine noticed the borough for its affordable housing prices, low crime rate and short commutes.

Bottled Water, More Harm Than Good?

2007-07-17T13:30:00.000-04:00

As beverage companies look to bottled water for profits, critics are getting louder as well, with Ruth Caplan, Sierra Club chairwoman; Joseph Doss, International Bottled Water Association president; and CNBC's Liz Claman

FT REPORT - BUSINESS AND WATER: Virtual use casts light on inequality

2007-04-19T15:35:00.000-04:00

By Fiona Harvey, Financial Times
Published: Mar 22, 2007

Few people, when they slice up a tomato for a sandwich, or tuck into an apple, give a thought to the amount of water that went into the production of those foods. But the water that we consume indirectly, through the food we eat and goods that we use, dwarfs our water consumption for drinking and washing. About 70 per cent of the water consumed by people in the UK, for example, comes from overseas, according to Waterwise, a UK government- funded body that aims to reduce water usage by businesses. It is imported in the form of food, clothing, computers and cars. These imports give people in developed countries a far higher "water footprint" than people in poor countries. Take that tomato. About 13 litres of water went into its cultivation. The apple took about 70 litres to grow. And the hamburger represents a whopping 2, 400 litres of water.

Water Senate Bill No. 1287

2006-09-28T09:47:00.000-04:00

PRINTER'S NO. 2003
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 1287Session of
2006
INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, RAFFERTY, BOSCOLA AND RHOADES,
JULY 13, 2006
REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE,
JULY 13, 2006
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the procedure to
3 obtain certificates of public convenience and for acquisition
4 of water and sewer utilities.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Sections 1103(a) and 1327(a) of Title 66 of the
8 Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to read:
9 § 1103. Procedure to obtain certificates of public convenience.
10 (a) General rule.--Every application for a certificate of
11 public convenience shall be made to the commission in writing,
12 be verified by oath or affirmation, and be in such form, and
13 contain such information, as the commission may require by its
14 regulations. A certificate of public convenience shall be
15 granted by order of the commission, only if the commission shall
16 find or determine that the granting of such certificate is
17 necessary or proper for the service, accommodation, convenience,
__________________________________ 18 or safety of the public. The finding or determination shall
____________________________________________________________ 1 include consideration of whether willing adjoining municipal
______________________________________________________ 2 corporations can provide adequate, efficient, safe and
________________________________________________________________ 3 reasonable service that furthers the goals of regionalization by
____________________________________________________________ 4 reducing the number of entities providing the service in the
_______________________________________________________________ 5 area and, in the case of an acquisition or transfer of property
__________________________________________________________ 6 involving a transfer of patrons, whether willing adjoining
________________________________________________________________ 7 municipal corporations can provide adequate, efficient, safe and
_______________________________________________________________ 8 reasonable service at lower user rates to the patrons served by
_____________________________________ 9 the property proposed to be acquired. The commission, in
10 granting such certificate, may impose such conditions as it may
11 deem to be just and reasonable. In every case, the commission
12 shall make a finding or determination in writing, stating
13 whether or not its approval is granted. Any holder of a
14 certificate of public convenience, exercising the authority
15 conferred by such certificate, shall be deemed to have waived
16 any and all objections to the terms and conditions of such
17 certificate.
18 * * *
19 § 1327. Acquisition of water and sewer utilities.
20 (a) Acquisition cost greater than depreciated original
21 cost.--If a public utility acquires property from another public
22 utility, a municipal corporation or a person at a cost which is
23 in excess of the original cost of the property when first
24 devoted to the public service less the applicable accrued
25 depreciation, it shall be a rebuttable presumption that the
26 excess is reasonable and that excess shall be included in the
27 rate base of the acquiring public utility, provided that the
____________________ 28 acquiring public utility proves [that] all of the following:
____ 29 (1) That the property is used and useful in providing
_ 30 water or sewer service[;].
20060S1287B2003 - 2 -
____ 1 (2) That the public utility acquired the property from
2 another public utility, a municipal corporation or a person
3 which had 3,300 or fewer customer connections or which was
_ 4 nonviable in the absence of the acquisition[;].
____ 5 (3) That the public utility, municipal corporation or
6 person from which the property was acquired was not, at the
7 time of acquisition, furnishing and maintaining adequate,
8 efficient, safe and reasonable service and facilities,
9 evidence of which shall include, but not be limited to, any
10 one or more of the following:
11 (i) violation of statutory or regulatory
12 requirements of the Department of Environmental Resources
13 or the commission concerning the safety, adequacy,
14 efficiency or reasonableness of service and facilities;
15 (ii) a finding by the commission of inadequate
16 financial, managerial or technical ability of the small
17 water or sewer utility;
18 (iii) a finding by the commission that there is a
19 present deficiency concerning the availability of water,
20 the palatability of water or the provision of water at
21 adequate volume and pressure;
22 (iv) a finding by the commission that the small
23 water or sewer utility, because of necessary improvements
24 to its plant or distribution system, cannot reasonably be
25 expected to furnish and maintain adequate service to its
26 customers in the future at rates equal to or less than
27 those of the acquiring public utility; or
28 (v) any other facts, as the commission may
29 determine, that evidence the inability of the small water
30 or sewer utility to furnish or maintain adequate,
20060S1287B2003 - 3 -
_ 1 efficient, safe and reasonable service and facilities[;].
____ 2 (4) That reasonable and prudent investments will be made
3 to assure that the customers served by the property will
_ 4 receive adequate, efficient, safe and reasonable service[;].
____ 5 (5) That the public utility, municipal corporation or
6 person whose property is being acquired is in agreement with
7 the acquisition and the negotiations which led to the
_ 8 acquisition were conducted at arm's length[;].
____ _ 9 (6) That the actual purchase price is reasonable[;].
____ 10 (7) That neither the acquiring nor the selling public
11 utility, municipal corporation or person is an affiliated
_ 12 interest of the other[;].
____ 13 (8) That the rates charged by the acquiring public
14 utility to its preacquisition customers will not increase
_ 15 unreasonably because of the acquisition[; and].
____ 16 (9) That the excess of the acquisition cost over the
17 depreciated original cost will be added to the rate base to
18 be amortized as an addition to expense over a reasonable
19 period of time with corresponding reductions in the rate
20 base.
_______________________________________________ 21 (10) That there was not an adjoining municipal
__________________________________________________________ 22 corporation that was willing and able to provide adequate,
_____________________________________________________________ 23 efficient, safe and reasonable service at lower user rates to
_____________________________________ 24 the customers served by the property.
25 * * *
26 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
D18L66MSP/20060S1287B2003 - 4 -

Officials enlist opponents to water firm sale

2006-04-12T21:47:00.000-04:00

By Dan Hartzell April 12, 2006
The owners of a private water company serving about 415 homes mostly in South Whitehall Township were asking $374,000 for the company when the township water authority was negotiating its purchase in 2002, a township official said Tuesday. In light of...
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Aqua America closes four new water system purchases 04-04-2006

2006-04-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

HENDERSONVILLE -- With the acquisition of four more water systems in Pennsylvania, Texas and North Carolina, Aqua America Inc. has closed a total of seven transactions in the first quarter 2006.
In North Carolina, the company acquired the Hooper's Valley Water Company, which serves approximately 200 residents near Hendersonville in Henderson County. Since October 2005, the company has been operating the troubled water system at the request of North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) officials. The company repaired a number of large leaks in the system and plans to invest an additional $200,000 for needed improvements in the distribution system, which is eligible for recovery under a special program established by the NCUC for troubled systems. In addition, the company purchased the water system serving the Dearon Village condominium complex in Surry County, which is expected to house approximately 60 residents at build-out.

Attention Residents! Country Club Gardens * Springhouse Farms * Maple Hills

2006-03-31T07:30:00.000-05:00

Your water system is being sold to a national for-profit corporation!
Public Information Sessions
Tuesday, April 11 1:30 p.m. & 7 p.m.
South Whitehall Township Building
4444 Walbert Avenue

Learn what you can do to:
• Keep your water under local control.
• Maintain long-term rate stability.
• Gain fire protection, additional water sources, and other public water system benefits.
• Help the PA Public Utility Commission to understand residents’ concerns during their upcoming determination hearings in April.

All of this CAN be accomplished, while still allowing Country Club Gardens Water Co. owners to retire with fair compensation after decades of service to your community!
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TO MAKE IT WORK!
Can’t attend the April 11 meetings?
Want to learn more about what you can do?
Email: LehighValleyWater@yahoo.com * Phone: 610-737-1434

Hearing on Aqua Water purchase of Country Club Gardens Water Co.

2006-02-28T07:15:00.000-05:00

Public Input Hearing Notice

Type: Public Imput Hearing
Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Time: 2:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
Location: Woodlawn Fire Company - Social Hall
2217 Belmont Street Allentown, PA 18104
Presiding: Adminstartive Law Judge David A. Salapa
PO Box 3265
Harrisburg, PA 17105-3265
Phone: 717 783 5452

Borough levies up an average of $132

2006-01-19T07:29:00.000-05:00

By Randy Kraft
Emmaus residents will pay an average of $132 more in borough property taxes and water rates during 2006. Water rates are increasing 92 percent and property taxes are increasing 9 percent. Average property taxes are going up by $52.10, said Borough Manager...
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Emmaus council reshuffles its officers

2006-01-19T07:27:00.000-05:00

By Randy Kraft
Michael Waddell jokes that he has become the answer to a couple of new Emmaus trivia questions. They are: Who became Borough Council president the same night he was sworn in as a member of council for the very first time? Who served the shortest term as...
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H2 whoa! Soaring water sales spur new area plant

2005-12-29T07:09:00.000-05:00

December 22, 2005
By Dan Shope

A division of food and beverage giant Nestle wants to build a second plant near Fogelsville to keep up with overflowing demand for bottled water. The $200 million plant would employ 90 workers initially and as many as 250 within a few years, the company...
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Emmaus council may raise property tax rate 10.3%

2005-12-13T08:02:00.000-05:00

By Randy Kraft
The Emmaus property tax rate probably will go up 10.3 percent, slightly more than originally projected in 2006, so another full-time police officer can be added to the 16-member force. Residential water fees should increase slightly less than 112 percent,...
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Emmaus proposes 112 percent water rate increase

2005-12-13T07:55:00.000-05:00

By CORRINE DURDOCK

cdurdock@tnonline.com
Emmaus Borough Council, at its Nov. 21 meeting, discussed the need to increase water rates. Facing a deficit in the water fund, Dr. Roger Whitcomb, chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, presented a proposed new rate structure that will eliminate the shortfall while generating a modest surplus of $32,236 for 2006. (more)

Home Rule in Pennsylvania

2005-11-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

7th Edition March 2003

The basic concept of home rule is relatively simple. The basic authority to act in municipal affairs is transferred from state law, as set forth bt the General Assembly, to a local charter, adopted and ammended by the voters. (full text by clicking on above link)

Emmaus Budget and Finance to recommend water rate increases

2005-11-14T14:57:00.000-05:00

By CORRINE DURDOCK
cdurdock@tnonline.com

As a precurser of what is to come, Dr. Roger Whitcomb, chair of Emmaus Council's Budget and Finance Committee, said the Budget and Finance Committee would be presenting its budget recommendations at the Nov.(More)

Cost of water may double in Emmaus

2005-11-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

By Randy Kraft
Emmaus residents face paying water rates that are twice as high in 2006. ''Rates will double,'' said Roger Whitcomb, chairman of Borough Council's Budget and Finance Committee. ''I can't be more blunt than that. It might be a little more than double, but...
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Authorities unite against water giant

2005-10-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

They aim to stop Aqua Pennsylvania from buying local company.

By Veronica Torrejón
Of The Morning Call
The Lehigh County Authority joined South Whitehall Township's water authority Wednesday in trying to block water-giant Aqua Pennsylvania Inc. from gaining a toehold in the county by buying a small water company....(more)

LCA still thirsty for Emmaus water

2005-10-18T13:17:00.000-04:00

Authority could take over service to 410 clients outside borough.

By Randy Kraft
Of The Morning Call

Lehigh County Authority General Manager Aurel Arndt made a pitch Tuesday to acquire the Emmaus water system, even though Borough Council already rejected that idea. Arndt acknowledged he was ''swimming upstream,'' but said it was premature for council to...(more)

Emmaus Water Committee tables another option

2005-10-07T08:07:00.000-04:00

Emmaus Councilwoman Susan Schmidt, chairperson of the borough's water committee, presented the committee's recommendation to council Monday that one of the options, that of retaining the water system as it presently exists and appealing to the Public Utlity Commission for a rate increase, be taken off the table.
The Water Committee has studied the water system for several years arriving at several options to assauge the drain of funds that maintenance of the system is causing, which will someday cause the system to operate in the “red.” Council has already eliminated the option of selling the system to a private company or to Lehigh County Authority.
Councilman Brent Labenberg argued that taking the option of retaining the system would be a slap in the face to the 630 residents who signed a petition asking council to retain the system.
Labenberg said Quakertown was recently successful in its request to PUC for a rate increase, asking for 130 percent increase and receiving approval for 101 percent increase.
Schmidt said the committee's decision to remove the option of going to PUC from its list is due to its desire to focus on the more favorable options.
Councilman Dennis Gouldy said he saw no reason to remove retaining the system from the table at the same time as exploring the other options. Council President Craig Neely agreed.
Instead of asking for a vote on the committee's recommendation, Schmidt asked to table the recommendation, which council passed 5-2, with Gouldy and Neely opposed.
The committee will next meet Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 11 p.m.

Emmaus council delays vote on 'status quo' for water system

2005-10-05T05:16:00.000-04:00

Councilwoman says change is needed to maintain the service.
By Randy Kraft
Of The Morning Call

An effort to reduce options for the future of the Emmaus water system stalled during Monday's Borough Council meeting.

Council previously voted not to sell its water system to a private water company or to Lehigh County Authority.

On Monday Susan Schmidt, who chairs its Water Committee, proposed three options:

Form a utility authority that would own or operate the system, or both.

Retain the water system but ''convey'' about 400 Emmaus water customers in Upper Milford, Lower Macungie and Salisbury townships to those municipalities.

Have Lehigh County Authority serve those 400 customers.

Emmaus will not sell water system to private company

2005-09-23T08:28:00.000-04:00

By CORRINE DURDOCK
cdurdock@tnonline.com

Some 60 people packed Emmaus Borough Council Chambers Sept. 6 and listened patiently to 17 residents as they made appeals to Council, some 11 of them regarding the proposed sale of Emmaus' water system.(more)