By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
INVERNESS, Fla., Oct. 11, 2000 (St. Petersburg Times) — County officials voiced concerns Tuesday about Chassahowitzka's water quality, and they vowed to supply clean drinking water to residents there.
A recent University of South Florida study showed that canals along the Chassahowitzka River are being polluted by bacteria from faulty septic systems, although the water from several wells met federal drinking water standards.
Just to be safe, the county is encouraging residents along the river to fill up jugs of drinking water from the Chassahowitzka River Campground, which has clean drinking water, Interim County Administrator Richard Wesch said.
The long-term solution will be to extend central water lines into Chassahowitzka, and Wesch said the county is exploring several ways of doing that. But officials couldn't say for sure how long that would take. One possibility would be for the county to build a 5-mile water line connecting Chassahowitzka to the Homosassa Water Association's water supply. The county has sent a letter to the association asking for its help, Wesch said.
Another possibility would be for Florida Water Services to extend its lines from Sugarmill Woods to Chassahowitzka. Wesch said county officials would meet with Florida Water next Monday to discuss that possibility.
Either one would be expensive, Wesch said, and the county does not have any money set aside for such a project.
The $1-million that the state Legislature gave the county last session for Chassahowitzka can go only toward a sewer system, not a water line, Wesch said. Several commissioners suggested asking Gov. Jeb Bush whether the money could be used for a water line instead.
"This (water quality study) gives us an opportunity to make our situation known loud and clear in the governor's office," Commissioner Jim Fowler said.
"It doesn't make any sense to build a sewer system when we haven't solved the potable water issue," Commissioner Gary Bartell added.
So far the county has not found any state grant programs or emergency funds to pay for water lines, Wesch said, but the county is still searching.
Fowler also suggested the county contact U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman to see whether any federal funding is available.
If the county cannot find enough outside funding, it might have to consider a special assessment district that would tax the Chassahowitzka residents in order to pay for a water line, Wesch said.
"It would be nice to have a couple million dollars in the bank from that 1-cent sales tax," Commissioner Brad Thorpe said, referring to the proposed water quality tax that voters defeated in 1992 and 1997 referendums. "We weren't making it up."
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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 11, 2000
