Who can say how water company does business?

4:11 PM, Jun. 14, 2013  |  Comments
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Dear Editor,

My name is Sulu Kelley III, and I am running for Marion City Council at-large on the Libertarian Party ticket. Last night I, with many members of the community, attended the City Council committee meeting and special council meeting regarding chloramines.

Much of the discussion centered on the health risks of using chloramines. Some discussion was made of the pros and cons of using chloramines versus plain chlorine in our water system, with a brief mention of atrazine.

Since I know everyone is going to want to know what I think of chloramines, here it is:

We already add highly toxic chemicals to our water in the form of chlorine. Adding a measured amount of ammonia, which later forms chloramines, doesn't set off a mental alarm bell for me. A large part of that is because when I do try to search the Internet for information, what I find either lacks in measurements, which means it is bad science, is hysterical in tone, which means it is unreliable, or both. I'm not saying I think chloramines are good or bad. I am saying that the Internet does not seem to be a good source of information on this subject.

I would like to suggest taking this conversation in two completely different directions than what has been previously discussed.

The first direction I would like to go in is this: Going through the Codified City Ordinances, which are posted on the city's website, it appears that the exclusive franchise for the water company expired on Sept. 1, 1988. When asked, the city law director said that he was not immediately aware of any legal obstacles to citizens of the city of Marion forming their own water company. This means that there is no legal monopoly in place for any company to supply our water, and that there are no legal obstacles to us resolving this problem by forming a rival company.

The second direction I would like to go in is to seriously question whether the city government has the legal authority to legislate the disinfection method used. It is my understanding that Aqua also serves at least two villages in Marion County. What would happen if those villages passed resolutions requiring the use of chloramines for disinfection?

I have also been told that the waterworks are located outside the city limits. How do our elected officials reach outside of our geographic limits with a law?

Most importantly, since this is not a city-owned company, or even one with the legal right to be our only provider, what moral authority does City Council have to legislate how Aqua does business?

Sulu Kelley III


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