Letter: 'Patchy' thinking clouds water issue

A letter to the editor "Stop patching, start fixing," June 7, is a good thought, but seven years too late.

The city has been patching this system since it purchased Hillcrest Water Company in 2001 and continued to provide us with "poor quality well water." Now they want Walton residents to pay for their past mistakes by enticing them with a $20 per month charge to fix a city problem. Twenty dollars is important to the average person in the current gas crisis which affects most everything we purchase. Walton residents should pay no more than the majority of other city customers pay today!

The author of the letter has apparently forgotten the most important water issue — water quantity. Drought and water crisis prevail, impacting water availability and cost, and it won't be going away in the near future — maybe never.

Hillcrest wells provide about 20 percent of the city's water supply. The city's plans indicate that conversion to surface water significantly impacts the city's future water supply. The only water supply the city owns comes from wells. Surface water is obtained from permits and contracts from other agencies. These agencies control the quantity and cost of your water. Hillcrest wells will help mitigate the impacts of these agencies on the city's water supply.

Switching Hillcrest users to surface water will cause the city's water treatment plant to be at near capacity. This will cause significantly more expense for future development.

Don't be fooled by special interest groups trying to further development at your expense.

Donald Kessel

Yuba City