April 1999

AWARE (the Stewartstown Borough/Hopewell Township Alliance for Water Reform) would like to welcome the new residents to our community. AWARE is a group of your neighbors working to remedy our water problems.

Your water is supplied by the Stewartstown Water Company. We have been on water restrictions for five of the last seven years, as the wells that supply the system are unable to keep up with the demand.

On May 27, 1998, the Water Authority voted 4 to 3 to build a reservoir using Ebaugh Creek for our drinking water. Ebaugh Creek has been rated poorly for the last eight years by a federal regulatory agency, with high levels of calcium and chloride and a low water quality. They suggest that wastewater discharges from the Stewartstown sewage treatment plant and leachate from the York County Solid Waste and Refuse Authority landfill affect water quality and the biological community. The headwaters of the creek originate at the landfill, a Department of Environmental Protection superfund site. There is also an old unregulated dump site next to the creek. With the reservoir your rate will probably stay the same or rise slightly.

The Authority also considered buying bulk water from The York Water Company. The wells would still be used as a supplementary water source. While this would give us a good water source, your rate would probably go up.

A third option, which was not voted on, is to sell the system to The York Water Company. This is the option that AWARE, after much research, promotes. The sale would insure us an abundant, good quality source of water at a reasonable rate. Customers of The York Water Company pay a monthly meter charge of $7.75 plus $3.00 per thousand gallons of water. The York Water Company has not had to call for water restrictions due to a lack of water since 1966.

Members from AWARE have come door-to-door with two petitions, one against using Ebaugh Creek as our drinking water source and a second one recommending the sale of the system to The York Water Company. Already 800 of your neighbors have signed our petitions. If you would like to be among them write us at: AWARE; PO Box 276; Stewartstown, PA 17363 or Email us at aware@nfdc.net. For more information, check out our web site at www.southernyorkcounty.com/org/aware.

AWARE
April 1999
Page Two

Are you AWARE that the Water Authority has paid off their loan and voted on March 24th to lower our water rate by $1.95 (from $8.40 to $6.45) per thousand gallons? While we commend the authority for this action, AWARE is asking them, for the good of the community, to seriously consider the sale of the system to The York Water Company.

Are you AWARE that this move was opposed by authority members Jeff Grow and Louisa Jordan? AWARE is asking voters to remember Mrs. Jordan's opposition to the rate decrease in the May election for the borough council seats. Mrs. Jordan and Mr. Grow obviously didn't think that it is important to save us all some money. Why don't you call them and ask them to explain why they opposed this chance for the Water Authority to lower our rates. Jeff Grow can be reached through the borough office phone number 993-2963 and Mrs. Jordan's phone number is 993-2866. Please call at a decent hour and ask them politely for their views on this.

Are you AWARE that the Water Authority term for the only member from Hopewell Township, Steve Udzinski, is up as of the April 28th meeting?

Are you AWARE that we are backing several candidates for offices in the up-coming election? We will be doing a voter registration drive in the borough and township. Voting is the only way to make positive changes in the community. If you want things to change, it's your responsibility to vote and make sure they do change. Exercise your right to vote.

Do you have any water conservation measures you would like to share? Please contact us with your suggestions. To check for leakage from your toilet tank into your toilet bowl, put a few drops of red food coloring in the tank and see if it seeps into the bowl. If it does you should check the seals in the tank.

Email: AWARE@NFDC.net