A Citizen's Group Doubts Lehigh Acres' Utility can Cope With Growth
November 30, 2005
By Mike Walcher
Lehigh Acres, Fl. -
The utitity in Lehigh Acres will obtain 25-million dollars in bonds in the next couple of weeks to expand its water and waste-water treatment facilities.
Despite that, a citizen's 'watchdog' group claims the utility won't have the capacity to serve future customers in the fast-growing community. And the group charges that Florida Governmental Utility Authority dumped treated waste-water, effluent, into a canal on more than 40 days last summer.
"I dislike what they are doing to Lehigh Acres," said Robert Anderson, who operates a web-page devoted to tracking the actions of the FGUA, mostly with a very critical eye. "I was shocked by the effluent overflows last summer, and horrified that they didn't tell anyone about it."
In fact, the FGUA has admitted to the state Dept. of Environmental Protection that effluent over-flowed from a pond on 44 days last summer. The water ran into a canal, or into the low grounds surrounding the pond. Many of the overflows occured on days of record rains, and the DEP says much of that overfow probably was rain-water, rather than just effluent.
"There is no impact on public health," said Jon Iglehart, district director of the DEP. "The releases were negligle, but still it should not have happened. In the big picture, neglible, but still we may levy some minor fines against them --perhaps one-thousand dollars a day, for the 44 days." The DEP has the authority to levy fines up to 10-thousand dollars a day.
The utility is rapidly trying to expand its facilities to cope with more customers. But Lehigh resident Jim Fleming, whko's also the head of the East Cty. Water Control District, doubts that the FGUA can keep up with growth. "This is too little, too late. I can see a case where developers sue them becuase the new houses cannot get hooked up to water and sewer. And I suspect that existing customers may run into low water pressure, because the FGUA does not have the capacity to serve everyone."
The FGUA denies that, and says it is aggressively expanding its plants and finding other ways to dispose of waste-water. The FGUA took over an antiquated system a little more than 2 years ago, and is trying to expand with bond issues and new construction.
"I give them high marks for moving ahead quickly," Igehart told WINK News. "I think they are good stewards, and are making the best of the existing system that they acquired."
Lee County officials have talked at times about taking over the Lehigh utility, but no decisions have been made on that.
By Mike Walcher
Lehigh Acres, Fl. -
The utitity in Lehigh Acres will obtain 25-million dollars in bonds in the next couple of weeks to expand its water and waste-water treatment facilities.
Despite that, a citizen's 'watchdog' group claims the utility won't have the capacity to serve future customers in the fast-growing community. And the group charges that Florida Governmental Utility Authority dumped treated waste-water, effluent, into a canal on more than 40 days last summer.
"I dislike what they are doing to Lehigh Acres," said Robert Anderson, who operates a web-page devoted to tracking the actions of the FGUA, mostly with a very critical eye. "I was shocked by the effluent overflows last summer, and horrified that they didn't tell anyone about it."
In fact, the FGUA has admitted to the state Dept. of Environmental Protection that effluent over-flowed from a pond on 44 days last summer. The water ran into a canal, or into the low grounds surrounding the pond. Many of the overflows occured on days of record rains, and the DEP says much of that overfow probably was rain-water, rather than just effluent.
"There is no impact on public health," said Jon Iglehart, district director of the DEP. "The releases were negligle, but still it should not have happened. In the big picture, neglible, but still we may levy some minor fines against them --perhaps one-thousand dollars a day, for the 44 days." The DEP has the authority to levy fines up to 10-thousand dollars a day.
The utility is rapidly trying to expand its facilities to cope with more customers. But Lehigh resident Jim Fleming, whko's also the head of the East Cty. Water Control District, doubts that the FGUA can keep up with growth. "This is too little, too late. I can see a case where developers sue them becuase the new houses cannot get hooked up to water and sewer. And I suspect that existing customers may run into low water pressure, because the FGUA does not have the capacity to serve everyone."
The FGUA denies that, and says it is aggressively expanding its plants and finding other ways to dispose of waste-water. The FGUA took over an antiquated system a little more than 2 years ago, and is trying to expand with bond issues and new construction.
"I give them high marks for moving ahead quickly," Igehart told WINK News. "I think they are good stewards, and are making the best of the existing system that they acquired."
Lee County officials have talked at times about taking over the Lehigh utility, but no decisions have been made on that.
posted by Editor Facts & Myths @ 8:03 PM
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