From the
Hampton Union
Voters, board
discuss water meters
By Susan Morse
smorse@seacoastonline.com
SEABROOK - Water meters
topped discussion at a lightly attended deliberative session Tuesday night at
the Seabrook Community Center.
The March ballot calls for a
$3.6 million warrant article, to be paid in one year, for water meters, a stream
diversion program and a study for desalinization of ocean water.
If passed, the cost to
residents is an estimated $1.75 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. No firm figure
can be given because an agreement on the assessed value of the town’s largest
taxpayer, Seabrook Station, has yet to be worked out between the town and the
nuclear power plant.
Should the article fail,
selectmen, as water commissioners, have the authority to mandate that meters be
installed in every residence, they said. And meters must be installed before the
state will allow the town to pursue any new sources of water. The state is also
threatening to take away a new temporary well should meters not go in.
"Am I to understand
that if people vote against it, selectmen will do it anyway?" asked
resident Steve Gould.
"Selectmen are the
water commissioners," said Selectmen Chairman Karen Knight.
Residents will pay less if
they vote for the article, selectmen said.
The only part of the water
system not metered is residential, said Susan Foote, who serves on the water
committee. Should the article pass, residents and businesses will pay an
estimated $300 extra on their tax bill for the $3.6 million article. Should it
fail and selectmen mandate meters, the town’s 3,000 residents will pay an
estimated $400 for meters alone, selectmen said Wednesday.
"It only makes sense to
spread the cost across the tax base," Foote said.
Of the $3.6 million article,
$1.2 million is for meters; $2 million is for stream diversion; and $400,000 is
to begin a study on desalinization.
In stream diversion, water
will be skimmed from the Hampton Falls River and pumped to the Tri-Town Pond to
recharge the aquifer and the town wells. Wells are currently the only source of
water in town.
"Simply, this article
presents a solution to the town for long-term water deficit," said
EarthTech consultant Paul Cote.
Drought and growth has
greatly reduced water levels in town over the past two years, said Selectmen
Chairman Karen Knight.
Water levels are 40 feet
below normal, said Water and Sewer Superintendent Warner Knowles.
"We’re the largest
purveyor of water in the state that doesn’t meter," Knowles said.
Nay-sayers included Ivan
Eaton Sr., who said he doubted the state would allow water diversion, and
Selectman Asa Knowles, who said he read the letter from the state, and nowhere
did he read that water meters are being mandated.
The state is not mandating
meters, Knight said, but mandating that meters are necessary in finding new
sources of water.
"The state said if you
want to go after more water, we need to approve meters. That was clear in the
letter," Selectman Oliver Carter Jr. said.
"I’ve read that 100
times and I don’t see we’ve got to have water meters," Knowles said.
"I think if you don’t vote for meters this board of selectmen will drive
it down your throat. They (the state) recommended four to five ways to go, water
meters being one of them."
Knowles said he doubted the
state would shut down their temporary well. "I know the state says it, but
I don’t believe it," he said.
With meters, residents would
be billed twice a year. The current water bill is $60 a year. The new bill would
be $30 every six months, for usage of 50,000 gallons. Residents would be charged
more if usage goes over 50,000 gallons in six months.
An estimated 43 people
attended Tuesday’s meeting. Because of Seabrook’s charter, 125 people are
needed to amend articles. Moderator Paul Kelley read each article and opened
discussion.
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