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Dialogue in Patton important

Patton-area residents can imagine the horror of residents of Butler County’s Petroleum Valley about a decade ago when they learned they had been drinking contaminated water apparently for many years, as well as, of course, using it for their other household needs.

The Butler County contamination was tied to improper disposal of petroleum industry chemicals and other materials and waste over the years, perhaps decades.

The area ended up getting a municipal water system, with the help of state funding, putting an end to their dependence on well water.

The Patton area’s current water fears and frustration began after Patton, under orders from the state, switched to well water from a longtime surface water system.

Since the switch, which took place earlier this year, residents have been complaining about problems such as turbidity in their water, a foul odor, bad taste, and whatever in the water is causing stains in laundry.

The state Department of Environmental Protection, which issued the switch mandate, maintains that Patton’s water remains safe to drink, but many residents aren’t convinced, and some are continuing to use bottled water despite the assurance.

Those residents have the ear of state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Johnstown, who held an open-house meeting with residents at the Patton Senior Center to review the situation and plan a course of local action.

Advice given by Burns at the meeting made sense and should be adhered to by residents during future meetings and other contacts with state officials.

A letter from DEP has made reference to a meeting about the water that “may be held in mid-June.”

In his advice to water customers regarding that upcoming meeting, Burns urged residents to band together, designating a speaker who would be tasked with asking data-driven questions in a professional manner.

“You don’t want controversy,” Burns said. “You want a seat at the table. You want to come at them with an intelligent argument.”

A meeting where emotions run rampant and substantive discussion is prevented from happening is not the approach that allows progress to be made.

If Burns’ advice is heeded, state officials at the upcoming session will have the opportunity to offer important explanations that would be impossible to attain amid unsubstantiated accusations, unruliness and uncontrolled verbal sparring.

After the meeting with Burns, water authority member and Borough Councilman Mark Stephens observed correctly that “people deserve to know what actions and solutions are being done to solve this problem.”

He said neither the authority nor borough council is satisfied over what has transpired in regard to the water.

“The council and the authority, we are both frustrated,” he said.

It’s human nature for people not to fully appreciate something until it’s gone. People of Butler County’s Petroleum Valley learned that when their area’s contaminated-water secret was exposed.

Patton residents dealing with their current water-related anxieties now understand the inconveniences that concerns about safe water entail.

The best advice for Patton is to put forth their concerns methodically and with determination, but also in an open-minded way.

That will provide the best opportunity for a shortened path to a permanent solution.

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