Many things can be said of the no-action city council meeting of July 6, but the Mayor and "senior aldermen" relieved themselves (pun intended) of anything to do with Wilmer's water service making progress on the problem at least possible.
There were several memorable quotes in the exchanges between Alderman Pena and the Mayor, but it was telling that Mayor Steele foisted all responsibility for solving the problem on Mr. Pena and then proceeded to castigate the voters, Mr. Pena's published opposition to the bond proposal - while emphasizing his own political agenda of connecting at Bonnie View to service the needs of the Allen Group.
WELL! MR. MAYOR LET IT BE KNOWN that there will be no solution to the water problem that includes anything to do with connecting at Bonnie View and running lines as planned in the bond package. Past Council's inability to reframe the parameters of the problem are completely at fault. Although the newly elected have not yet shown their capabilities, at least the imbecilic options presented by the past council are free to be given no consideration at all since fresh minds are engaging the problem.
The most mediocre high school graduate knows that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and it takes a pretty strong mathematician to prove them wrong in a Riemann Space. The epic fail of the proposed piping plan was to bring any line down from Wintergreen at Pinto or Sunrise when ultimately it was to connect to well #2 at Millers Ferry north of Pleasant Run. Any geometry student with a ruler would properly indicate the best route straight from the source, down Wintergreen and then to Well #2, rather than proceeding farther South than necessary and return back north to connect. So other than to benefit the Allen Group properties and potentially certin sitting and recently departed members of the City Council, what justifiable explanation is there for this solution?
Not to mention that "Well #2" isn't particularly functional at the moment even as a transfer station. The "well" isn't usable at all since there's no structure to support the cooling tower that is needed to cool the water drawn from the deep well - the existing pump for water transfer isn't working so great either as there have been several outages of water service in the past weeks.
So what are some of the options?
Wilmer could participate with NTCOG in the 120 plan to bring a huge main off I20 down I45 - which somehow the mayor neglected to retain as he attended those South Dallas Infrastructure meetings (see the City of Wilmer web site).
Wilmer could cooperate in regional planning for future water resources. Wilmer could eliminate their dependence on outside water and operate an self sufficient Water Department.
Wilmer could dedicate all our facilities to Dallas Water and get out of the business of losing money for the taxpayers while providing marginal service to the customers.
At least we have VIABLE options that can be considered instead of preconceived boondoggles with no apparent benefit to the public.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
FINALLY - A Solution to the Water Problem
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5 comments:
Well the first thing that you are going to HAVE to do is raise enough money to replace the quickly deteriorating infrastructure beneath the surface of Wilmer. Without a water-tight system, it really doesn't matter where you get the water from or how its transfered or whatever. And yes with over 15 years of experience in water and wastewater I know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Fix the problem of BAD water and wastewater lines and then actually raise the water rates high enough to pay for the water that is being bought and get a little more in line with what everyone else is charging. Give the people that maintain the system your support both financially and morally and then you will have a sound system...good luck!
Well #2 is funtional. The well does not need a cooling tower. When you use a cooling tower evaporation will consumer 40% of the water that is cooled. Besides the fact that the water from the trinity auquifer has high levels of hydrogen sulfide that most of the older citizens have consumed for years. Which taste and smells like sewer water. There has not been anyone with enough knowledge or equipment to treat water from the well. The money that would be spent on treating the water is not comparable to what we pay now for pretreated water. The low water pressure is usually only during the time of peak demand. You think you are losing money now go ahead and let dallas take over. They wont lose money they will just increase the water and sewer rates like they have done 4 times in the last 2 years. Maybe that is what wilmer needs to do. And then they can hire more help than 3 guys. To run the water system and the sewer system. Not to mention the limited resources and equipment. The workers are doing everything in thier power to keep these systems running and in tact. Please feel free to contact the water superintendent for any options or volunteer work you can do.
So where is the progress? Over a month and still no progress. Two council meetings where they are no shows. A third where only excuses and trying to throw it back on someone else. Even a little progress like a polling, or forming a committee and the committee actually meeting and brainstorming. There could have at least been a report back that a committee was formed and so and so was on the committee. Put the average joe citizens on the committee to give input or even put on a public hearing to hear input from citizens. All of this could have/should have already taken place. Progress what progress?
Thanks to David Shook for the inside knowledge on our water problems. Perhaps he can help us with the details on what and where the problems esist. There don't seem to be any drawings or reports available from City Administration regards the water systems. The BWR report from the Comprehensive Plan states our water capacity is adequate. At this point, the crux of the problem is the lack of information for planning purposes.
Do any of you know of a plan for bringing water to Wilmer, how much its going to cost, when its going to happen, and what the water rates will be? I do.
Have any of you contacted your Council and shared whatever knowledge you possess about the water situation. I have.
Does David Shook or anyone else have access to the plans and drawings of what and where these deteriorating lines actually are?
DO we have a system that's not water-tight have any deficiencies actually been identified?
The point here folks is that if you want to be involved, do it. If you're waiting for a public spectacle, need to be invited, don't have a contribution to make but want to bitch about perceived lack of progress - go ahead, wait.
My advice to you all is to get informed, get involved, share information, call Pena with your concerns and do something about it.
The "task force" isn't waiting for somebody to schedule a meeting. When are YOU going to figure out what YOU can do to help?
Special Note to Becky - all you suggest has been in progress for months, you just haven't chosen to participate
If there was a public hearing or any meetings for the water tell me where they were posted and took place, certainly not here. I have tried to talk with councilman Pena and he refuses to talk with me, walks away every time. Maybe some need to stops thinking that so and so is on this side and so and so is on the other side. I am at the council meetings when my Union meetings are not held on the same night and have not heard of any talk of meetings. I guess they are by invite only.
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