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Residents and a social organization along a stretch of Valley Avenue near Horseshoe Curve are seeking municipal water service.
Their well water is sulfurous, high in iron, doesn't smell or taste good and isn't good for cooking or washing whites.
Filtering the well water is costly, and fire protection isn't great, according to Valley representatives, including resident Matt McCloskey, who presented an 82-signature petition to Logan Township supervisors recently, while asking for -- and receiving -- their support for the effort.
Because the township lacks an ordinance requiring hookups for existing buildings when a line is run, the stakeholders will need to organize themselves and hire a contractor to build the line, service connections and meter pits to Altoona Water Authority standards -- after which the authority would take over, authority officials said.
It's not certain how much the 1,900-foot line would cost, but the more stakeholders among the approximately 25 potential customers along that stretch who participate, the lower the bill, said authority General Manager Mark Perry and Water Maintenance Supervisor Tim Manley.
Many residents on Valley are retired and on fixed incomes and so might be hard-pressed, according to McCloskey.
Maybe the stakeholders could ask state lawmakers representing the area to seek grants for the work, said Supervisors Chairman Jim Patterson.
If the township were to adopt an ordinance making hookups mandatory for existing buildings when a new line is run, the authority board might consider taking on the project, according to Perry and Manley.
"(But) that would mean a change in our policies," Manley said.
In such a case, the authority would "cost that project out," calculating materials and labor, resulting in a price per customer.
Without assurance that all customers would hook on, it's too risky for the authority to initiate line construction, Perry and Manley said.
Other areas nearby, including the Klock Development, which is located past the upper end of Valley, is already on municipal water service, according to Perry and Manley.
Having municipal water service would eliminate the "astronomical" cost of paying for water filters, said Mike McDonough, commander of the Catholic War Vets hall, which is along that stretch of Valley.
Municipal water service would mean hydrants, which would improve fire protection, said officials, including Logan Township United Fire Department Chief Rusty Shoenfelt, who was at the supervisors' meeting.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.