i received a letter in the mail today from my local water company. It is a very nice presentation, and with all due respect to Mr. Lewis who signed the letter, there are many factual innaccuracies in this letter.
First this ordinance was taken almost word for word from one passed a few years ago in Center Barnstead, NH. Where they got their ordinance form we don't know.
Second, The water company would not have to stop pumping for 60 days, this is a scare tactic. This ordinance was carefully worded so that it merely stops large groundwater withdrawals, over 50,000 gals/day, form being shipped out of town. It specifically does not threaten water used and sold within town. This was discussed at length at the deliberative session.
Third, we have never heard of Attorney Linzey!
Fourth, this is not a zoning ordinance, even town counsel says that! It does not prohibit something in one section of town that it allows somewhere else, it simply stops anyone from pumping water out of the ground in Atkinson, so that they can pipe it to say...... Hampstead or Chester!
Fifth, While the State purports to regulate large groundwater withdrawals, the Rep form the State that came down for the public hearing admitted that they just rubber stamp applications if they are filled out properly, and no one from the town enjoins the case to complain.
This ordiinance is necessary because the Selectmen, who had the responsibilty to enjoin this case on behalf of the residents to make certain that our needs were being considered, as usual, did nothing! People with wells in town, are very worried about their water supply, and they should be.
Lets say, you have a well, and it is 500' deep. And one of these 8 new wells are being drilled within a mile or so of your well, to a depth of 1000' or 1500', how long will it take for your well to be sucking air? 6 months, a year? Guess what you do then,.... you buy water from the water company.
But we are certain they are simply a disinterested party here. Sure.
This is definitely a scare tactic.
ReplyDeleteThey are a utility regulated by the public utilities commission. they can not stop pumping water because they are pissed about a vote.
I read the warrant all this prohibits is withdrawing water and shipping it out of town. There is no penalty if the water stays in town, even for resale.
I hate Liars!
CONCERNS !!!!
ReplyDelete1 Why does a corporate person get to take 400 Gal. Of our water per minute and the state says your family well can be reduced to 4 Gal. Of water per minute? That is their law.
2. Why should we believe their testing results? Done by their Corporation? We can't believe their mail and circular!!
3. Why should we believe the water model developed by their employees? We know the problems that WILL occur.
4 Why should it cost the people of Atkinson more than $100 a year for every foot these large commercial pumpings lower our water level?
5. What happens to the people of Atkinson if the pumping brings pollution or toxic elements into our water and our aquifer?
6. Are we on water restrictions? No lawn watering etc.? What about the golf course? How much of our water does that place suck up and lower our water table?
7. How about divestiture? Will the golf course be allowed to dry-up during dry times? Why is water being pumped across town to the Country Club?
8. Why didn’t the town at least make a minimal effort to protect the people?
CONCERNED BY THE ISSUES EXPRESSED HERE??? VOTE YES Wed. 9/12
How dare the Hampstead Water Company threaten the Atkinson voters to cut off their water for 60 days if we don't vote their way!
ReplyDeleteHow dare they endanger our school
children by threatening to cut off the water to Atkinson Academy so that our kids have no drinking water and the school kitchen has no water to prepare our kids' lunches!
Why are our school board reps silent?
How dare the Hampstead Water Company threaten to cut off for 60 days the water that keeps our kids safe by operating the school fire sprinkler system! Why are our school reps silent?
How dare the Hampstead Water Company threaten to cut off water so the toliets can't be flushed at the Academy, causing a serious sanitation problem!
How dare the Hampstead Water Company threaten to cut off for 60 days the water to the elderly in homes on their water system!
How dare the Hampstead Company threaten to cut off water to flush the toliets at the library and town hall and the community system.
How dare the Hampstead Company threaten to cut off water used by the Fire Department!
Why are our selectmen when such threats are made against the townspeople, our school kids and our seniors, our families, and our town in general. We as a town are being blackmailed and intimidated by Hampstead Water to try to influence the vote.
Speak up, town leaders, against such tactics!!!! Show some backbone!
Because our selectmen and our school board reps are all but useless! They do not have a great track record of doing the right thing in any situation.
ReplyDeleteThey did not intervene when it would have been prudent for them to do so, why would they get involved now?
When the Academy go to the water system? The last I heard, they were still running off a very bad well. Lewis was supposed to put a hydrant nearby (in lieu of the roadway the Police Dept wanted) to make it less expensive for the school to hook in. Did that happen and we didn't hear about it?
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hampstead Water was saying they will shut the water off but rather trying to point out that this ordinance is flawed. I took the time to read the proposed ordinance and it does say the water company would require 60 days for the selectmen to approve the water being pumped.
ReplyDeleteRather than a scare tactic it is a look at how flawed this ordinance really is.
No what it says is they have to notify the selectmen 60 days in advance of a large withdrawal that is being shipped out of town
ReplyDeleteThe Hampstead Water Company line stops at the AFD on Academy Ave. Water from the AFD is then piped over to the Historical Society/Library. The Academy and the Town Hall are on wells.
ReplyDeleteSo you are saying that the letter from Hampstead water co. lied when they said they provide water for kids at the school, and the sprinklers in the school and other town buildings?
ReplyDeleteAnd these are the people we should trust?
To Anon, 9:27 AM. I re-read the letter and didn't see the school or town hall mentioned. The town hall has a new well, drilled down about 1500 feet. Shouldn't need Hawac water for a while. I would believe that eventually the line will come down Academy Ave. maybe with the construction of the new library and at that time will service the Academy which is probably a good idea if they are going to have a complete sprinkler system in that building. I don't know how they can do it now on a well or wells.
ReplyDeleteThe SCARE TACTIC mailing sent out by Peter Lewis was totally ridiculous, innacurate and a thinly veiled tantrum "if I don't get my way, I am going to get really mad!"
ReplyDeleteWhat will we do when our water runs dry??
Water resources are PRICELESS and we should NOT allow several individuals to pump it out of our town and make money from a community resource. Half the town has wells and we need to protect our water table. It's unfortunate Peter Lewis cares far more about making more money than the well-being of Atkinson.
Vote YES on keeping Atkinson water IN ATKINSON!
The flaw in the warrant article is that although HAWC fits one of the exemptions in Section 5. Section 6 requires them file to file at least 60 days before water withdrawals for the exemption or face $1000 a day fines. So on Day 1 after this warrant article is passed HAWC will be subject a $1000 if it continues to withdraw water from its Atkinson wells.
ReplyDeleteAnd considering that at the end of section 6 it states any citizen can take them to court you would be hard pressed to find many businesses willing to risk $1000 a day in fines to keep operating.
In the end the vote on the water control ordinance wasn't even close! But make no mistake this is just the beginning of the battle, not the end. Litigations are likely on the part of Peter Lewis et al, and the Atkinson Selectmen have shown themselves in the past far too willing to roll over in deference to the Lewis' significant interests within the town. We need to hold the selectman accountable for their deafening silence regarding the water ordinance issue and their failure to provide any information to the voters prior to the vote. And let's not be so naive as to believe that the Selectmen who have stonewalled so long over the placement of the Vietnam Vets banner will willingly comply with this new ordinance. Vigilance is the word of the day.
ReplyDeleteWe need to get some local press coverage of the water ordinance issues. I have emailed the editor of the Eagle Tribune regarding the fight over the control of water in the town, and would encourage others to do likewise.
ReplyDeleteVery concerned. In that same letter it stated that if something were to happen to any surrounding wells, they would be taken care of.
ReplyDeleteWell I cannot believe this especially from a man that is full of lies. There is a law in Atkinson that states that one cannot spread sewerage onto the ground. However the Lewis field off of Salem road has recently had a dumping from Peter's condo estates. How can we trust a man that continues to break the law?
Does this mean I can dump my septic sludge onto my front lawn?