Freedom Township Water Project Underway

Construction on the Freedom Township water project, which will provide public water hookup to homes along Everett Road, is progressing and is slated for a September completion.

The nearly $3 million project will provide 86 new public water hookups and all residences within 150 feet of the water main line will be required to hook into the system. Township officials said the tap fee is $2,250 and homeowners are responsible for having the lines from their home to the tap installed.

Freedom Township Water and Sewer Authority Engineer L.J. Seidel said the water lines will replace private wells along the route, which will guarantee safe, clean drinking water. He said while he understands the reluctance of private well users to tap into public water, it is the safest, most efficient source.

“The ability to provide a clean water source is a focal point,” Seidel said. “The thing about ground water is, unless you are checking quality all the time, you can’t always be sure how safe the water is.”

Seidel said the homes along Everett Road are vulnerable to contamination because of the river.

“Those homes are near a river that floods from time to time,” he said. “Being close to that makes them susceptible to some nasty things getting in their water.”

Seidel said the only way to guarantee safe drinking water is by testing it regularly, and private homeowners can’t do the kind of testing an authority can.

“The average homeowner isn’t going to be able to do the same amount of testing and due diligence that a public utility does,” Seidel said. “You have an operator that is solely responsible for the testing and disinfecting of your water to your house. Water that has been monitored and delivered to you for potable use. It is a guarantee of clean water.”

Earlier this month, some Freedom Township residents attended the authority meeting to express frustration at what they called a “lack of communication” between the authority and those who will be affected by the project.

Seidel said that public notices were printed in the newspaper and that the authority sent letter to each home, all of which detailed the project and homeowner responsibility.

Three notices, dated Feb. 22, March 21, and April 21, were mailed to residents along the water project line.

The first letter informed homeowners about when the project was slated to begin, who will be required to tap in, and what the fees will be.

“The intent of this letter is to provide you with advance notice so that arrangements can be made for the costs and work associated with the imminent connection,” the letter stated.

The second letter, sent in March, updated residents on the project’s progress, the requirements for running a line from their homes to the tap, and how to begin making payments toward the tap fee.

The letter also stated that the authority is actively seeking funding assistance for low-income families and directed residents to apply for funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 504 home repair program.

The third letter, sent in April, notified homeowners that the project had begun and again outlined the fees and requirements for tapping in.

Seidel said a public notice is all that is required of municipalities when announcing projects, and that the authority took the extra step of sending out letters so everyone who will be affected by the water line stayed informed.

Along with the guarantee of clean, potable water, Seidel said another benefit to running a public water line along Everett Road is fire protection. Seidel said hydrants are being installed, which will increase efficiency if there is a fire.

“Now there will be a water source right there instead of having to rely on pumper trucks,” he said.

Seidel said he is not unsympathetic to the homeowners who will lose their wells but disagrees with those who said the authority sprung this project on them without notice.

“I don’t want to downplay their situation,” he said. “They have to pay a tap fee, and they are looking at timelines and I understand that. But to say the authority did anything behind closed doors is not correct.”

Seidel said Freedom Township is doing everything it can to help homeowners with the transition to public water. He said he has worked with other authorities who have done similar projects and that Freedom Township has taken the extra steps that most municipalities don’t.

“I don’t know of any other authority that has sent out multiple letters to people as well as providing them with options to help with the tap fees,” he said. “They are doing everything possible to help guide everyone through this.”