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| Residents sound off on water, signs |
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| Source: Waller County News Citizen, 08.04.2010 |
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Residents got to sound off Monday night at city hall, letting the city council know how they feel about high arsenic levels in the water and a controversial sign ordinance in the downtown historic district.
The council invited Steve Dorman of KSA Engineers to give an overview of the drinking water situation in Hempstead and to explain why residents have been receiving quarterly notices about high arsenic levels in the water supply.
Dorman said arsenic is a naturally occurring compound that is found in “rocks, soil, water, air, plants, and animals.”
“It’s the 20th most common compound on earth,” he said.
He said parts of Texas, particularly the Gulf Coast aquifer and the Panhandle, have high levels of arsenic naturally and it is creating problems in water systems. The problem was compounded in 2006 when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality changed its arsenic level allowance in water from 50 micrograms per liter to 10.
Hempstead’s arsenic problem has been traced to well No. 4, the city’s newest well. It was built in 2002 and upgraded in 2005 to eliminate most of the arsenic contamination. With the TCEQ rule change in 2006, however, it went back out of compliance and has routinely hovered around the .010 mg limit. Each time it fails to come under the limit, a notice must be sent out.
“This situation is not an emergency,” Dorman said.
He said the TCEQ recognizes that the city isn’t to blame for the arsenic problem.
“It’s not the city’s fault. It’s not anything the city did,” he said. “As the TCEQ says, it’s an accident of geography and geology.”
He said the well is drilled into a shallow aquifer that has arsenic problems throughout the region. Mayor Michael Wolfe said the city is planning to drill a new, deeper well in the same location.
Preliminary tests show acceptable levels in the deeper aquifer. Currently, the plan calls for the new well water to be blended with the water from well No. 4 to bring down the arsenic levels and to keep capacity up.
Several people asked questions about why the well isn’t shut down, why the water had to be blended and why the health of the citizenry wasn’t in higher regard.
“The city of Hempstead and no member of this council has ever disregarded the safety of the public at any time,” Wolfe said.
He said the purpose of the meeting was to address concerns of the public, calling it “a courtesy.” Sign ordinance
In a second public hearing, the council got an earful from angry business owners who do not like proposed changes to the sign ordinance proposed by the city’s downtown historic commission.
“Do you want the downtown to be quiet and go away? … We’re all trying to make this a town that’s open and alive, or are you trying to shut us down,” asked Linda Scarbrough of Dot’s Bakery.
The proposed ordinance is based largely on the one used by Bastrop in its historic district. It limits the size and height of signs, limits time banners and sandwich boards can be up and doesn’t allow back-lit signs. The ordinance would also prohibit any new roof signs, limit how low a sign can hang above the sidewalk and limit the size of the lettering.
City Attorney Art Pertile said current signs would be grandfathered in, with the exception of banners, which would be phased out.
Doug Holloman, who owns the oldest building downtown and is currently renovating the exterior, was very unhappy with the proposed ordinance. He recently installed an awning that is 10 feet high, the proposed distance for signs. He said that would prohibit him from putting a sign under the awning. He also recently installed two back-lit signs.
“Just the fact that if we want to hang a sign under our canopy, we ought to have a right to do it as long as it’s not exaggerated or huge,” he said.
Amy Williams, owner of Williams Business Solutions, is currently renovating a building downtown for her business and was very upset about the limits on the size of the signs.
“I don’t want to have to minimize my name or change my name to fit the sign,” she said.
The council did not take any action. Pertile said he was going to take a lot of the concerns and suggestions back and redo the ordinance to accommodate the various issues.
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