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LEAD-IN BY HOST: Thirty wells that supply water to residents farmers and businesses in Cy-Fair were contaminated with a potentially carcinogenic dry-cleaning agent the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality traced to Bell Cleaners. Edgewood Estates and Evergreen Woods residents launched the Jones Road Clean Water Coalition to represent the community before state and federal agencies. The Coalition held its first meeting Wednesday night. Erika McDonald has the story.
STORY: About 35 Cy-Fair residents attended the first meeting of the Jones Road Water Coalition Wednesday night in Cy-Fair. Many said they joined the Coalition because they wanted control over how and when they get clean water. Haus: "I have contaminent in my well. We drink it, our animals drink it, they take a bath in. I have to let my visitors know that they shouldn't be drinking out of the bathroom water, they're going to the kitchen and get water out of the kitchen faucet." Ramirez: "I'm in the middle of the mix of all this contamination. My well isn't affected, but I'm interested in getting safe water for my neighbors." Tamasier: "I think everybody that could be impacted eventually by pollution problems certainly should be here at this meeting. Because it's going to affect property values in the future, and if we don't protect ourselves, somebody's going to come in and take over, and tell us what to do. This way we have the choice of making the decisions on our own." DonnaHoff: "We're serious that we're not just going to sit by and let them do whatever they think they want to do, or what they decide they want to do." Coalition members complained the EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (both tasked with ensuring safe water) did not represent their interests. Lorelle Haus was one resident whose well was contaminated with the dry-cleaning agent tetrachloroethylene . "They never consider who we are. They say it is drinkable water, they don't say that a resident has to drink marginal water. They're not the person. We need to put a person and a name to what is going on here. And they have rules that they have made, and they follow their procedure, and that is the law. And they follow their rules, and nowhere did they consult us. We're told when we're going to have our well tested, who's going to test us, and they're going to tell us what they're going to do, if anything, which is usually nothing. And this is the only way we have to tell them what we want." The Coalition's goal is to evaluate and advocate for solutions that benefit the majority of effected residents. Chairman Joe Hoffbrau, said one option on the table was formation of a water supply corporation. "Well, what we don't have is the politics taken care of first. Before we can get a water supply in, we have to have a political subdivision. And this group has to be able to represent the group that is impacted by a water supply corporation. And this coalition is the start of that." Hofbrau said State Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale sponsored legislation on the coalition's behalf to amend a state law prohibiting formation of water-supply corporations. The bill is currently in committee and may be voted on later this spring. Meanwhile, the Jones Road Water Coalition continues their work, hoping to expedite a clean-up process EPA estimates will take 15 years. Erika McDonald, KPFT News, Houston.
E-mail Erika McDonald at erika@cechouston.org .
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