×

Gardeners deserve water accommodation

I am writing in response to the Altoona Water Authority rate study article published in the March 24 edition of the Mirror.

The reasons cited for the study are logical enough.

I take issue with tying sewage rates to consumption without some method of also providing residents the ability to exclude non-sewage-generated activities like gardening or reversing a decision that wells may not be used in the city.

I’m an avid gardener. During gardening season, my water usage doubles.

None of the water used to water the garden is subsequently processed at a sewage station. Having lived elsewhere, there were options and considerations provided from a base line billing adjustment to grey water systems.

I am a responsible gardener and use water wisely. As a hobby, it’s a fairly inexpensive garden.

My activities generally create community interest and conversation. It’s a labor of love that all in the neighborhood can enjoy.

I have a larger lot in Pleasant Valley, annexed into the city that once had a well. In Altoona, there doesn’t appear to be any water usage consideration for gardeners.

I’ve inquired to the authority and have been told there simply aren’t options for adjustments to household water usage here.

I would ask Gwin Dodson & Foreman, the Water Authority and the City Commission to make some type of reasonable accommodation for those of us who enjoy gardening and utilize water outside the house.

Examples would include installing a secondary meter to track external water usage, providing a separate irrigation meter, offering some credit to seasonal increases, or reviewing the use of wells for irrigation inside the city when location and accessibility to install one is feasible.

David C. Roth

Altoona

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today