Acreage homeowners consider $14,000 each for public water

For years people in the Acreage have complained about their well water.

"Oh the well water always smells," remarks Aurora Rush.  "The treatment is constant."

Adds Robbie Robinson, "When I came to this area, the water had this rotten egg smell."

Now with a cancer cluster confirmed in the Acreage, switching to a public water system is taking on new urgency.  Thursday representatives of Palm Beach County Utilities are set to give a presentation on switching to county water.

The county projects the per home cost for design and construction of extending their system at $10- to $14,000. Figure another $3,000 for the connection.  Pay it all at once, or over 20 years at $125 a month, on top of what you pay for water use.

"Excellent idea," responds homeowner Robinson.  "But the one problem I see is that it's too expensive.  Excessive."

"I think that the government should come in and help us a little bit with that," offers homeowner Rush.
There is hope government stimulus money, grants, even issuing government bonds, could help reduce the cost.

"We don't want this to be a financial burden at all to anybody," says Michelle Damone, chair of the Board of Supervisors of the Indian Trail Improvement District, the body in charge of the Acreage's drainage and infrastructure.  "I know the county officials are concerned about that too," says Damone.

Wednesday in Washington, D.C., a Senate committee is scheduled to meet to try and figure out what the federal government can do to help areas classified as cancer clusters.  
The presentation by Palm Beach County Utilities is Thursday at 3:30 p.m., at the Indian Trail Improvement District headquarters.
"If your health is a concern," conclues Rush, "you have to pay it."