More than 100 people attended a meeting Monday night at the Westmoore Agri-Civic Center to hear a presentation by Tony Patnode, the county’s community development director. Patnode and several county commissioners answered questions about the plan.
Patnode said there were about 1,900 potential customers in the proposed area, which includes Bensalem, Sheffield, Ritter and Deep River townships.
“Over 133 miles of different sized water mains would be built,” Patnode said. “The primary source will be water from Montgomery County.”
Robbins is already building a 10-inch line to provide another source of water. The town has contracted with Montgomery County to purchase at least 100,000 gallons a day once the line is completed. The town, which nearly ran out of water during the drought last summer, obtained an emergency $1 million grant and loan package from the state for the project.
If that new line becomes part of a new water district, the town may not have to repay all the $400,000 loan portion of the package.
Robbins Mayor Mickey Brown and Town Commissioners John Maness, Robert Tew, Theron Bell and Anna Derr attended the meeting Monday.
Responding to a question as to who their water supplier would be if a customer were to connect to the Robbins line, Brown said negotiations between the town and Moore County are under way, which should resolve any issues.
County Commissioner Vir-ginia Saunders, who lives near Robbins, read an explanation of the nature of the proposal. The first step would be for the Board of Commissioners to appoint a committee that would assess the need and desire for a water district. That committee would then recommend that the county commissioners form a district, as was the case with the East Moore Water District.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture — Rural Develop-ment has funds available for entities such as a water district that cannot get funding through conventional methods.
The Board of Commissioners would have to pass a resolution and a public hearing would have to be held before the commissioners could vote to form the water district.
“Forming the district requires that a series of public notices be posted and published in newspapers with local circulation, followed by a public hearing,” Saunders told the audience.
A water district must be self-supporting, Patnode said. Revenues generated from rates have to cover construction, maintenance, operating costs and debt service.
To receive Rural Development funding, a monthly water bill for 5,000 gallons would have to be in the $30 range. This can be done, Patnode said, with an average 12 to 14 customers per mile of water line.
There would be an early sign-up period, during which potential customers would get a reduced fee for connecting to the new system.
“They could do it for $250 if they take advantage of the early sign-up,” Patnode told The Pilot. “If they wait, and have to pay the full fee, they would have to wait over six years just to break even. The minimum bill would only be about $15 a month.”
Patnode said connection would add to property value even if a resident preferred to continue using a well.
Once the sign-up drive ended, a bond referendum would take place. If it passed, a complete application would then go to Rural Development. That could happen as early as next year.
In August 2001, voters in the East Moore Water District approved a $16 million bond issue to fund construction of a water system.
Patnode told the group his projections show an average expected usage of 320,000 gallons per day, with a peak demand of 765,000 gallons a day.
“Total project cost would be something over $13,200,000 to complete the project,” he said. “If projected monthly bills are still above the affordable level, other outside funds and grants would be pursued in addition to USDA-RD funding to ensure an affordable monthly bill.”
Applications to the commission for inclusion on an initial committee were taken at the meeting and are still coming in to his office, Patnode told The Pilot.
“I doubt the commissioners will take any action at next Monday’s meeting,” he said. “But I would expect they could form a committee at the February meeting.”
Patnode said water could flow from faucets within two years, if all goes well.
