For two rural neighborhoods near Eagle Mountain Lake that have been plagued with some of the most serious water shortages in the state, news that their troubled systems were being sold last month appeared to be a godsend.
After enduring periods of boil orders with undrinkable water and -- for some, periods of no water at all -- most customers in the Wise County neighborhood of the Hills of Briar Oaks and the nearby Tarrant County neighborhood of Cooley Point were ready for a change.The Hills of Briar Oaks, which has 330 customers, is No. 2 on the state priority list for water systems facing serious shortages; Cooley Point, which has 156 customers, is No. 12.But for now, the sale to Lass Water Co. is on hold.Customers received letters at the end of October saying the current owner, Bradberry Water Co., would keep the water systems for now because it had received a notice of violation from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for overcharging customers -- before receiving approval for passing the charges on to customers.Bradberry Water owner Tim Bradberry didn't return phone calls last week seeking comment, and Lonzo Gale, the owner of Lass Water Co. in Magnolia, said last week that he won't buy the company until Bradberry pays back the charges."Mr. Bradberry had indicated that he plans to maintain ownership of the system until he corrects the collection of an unauthorized pass-through rate," commission spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said.Chronic shortagesA.J. Norwood of the Hills of Briar Oaks views it as yet another sign that his neighborhood's water problems don't appear closer to getting resolved."We just want good, reliable water that we can drink," said Norwood, 51, who moved there from North Richland Hills in 1998. "Right now we don't have that and we really don't know what's going on with the water sale or with Bradberry reimbursing his customers."The water shortages have been so bad so long that Norwood hasn't used his above-ground swimming pool in about six years.He has found another use for the giant concrete pool behind his home."It's our large burn barrel," Norwood said. "How's that for a good use? You might be a redneck if you have a $3,000 burn barrel."Despite the jokes about his empty swimming pool, Norwood and his neighbors have found little to laugh about with their chronic water shortages.Norwood pays to have bottled water delivered and adds Pine-Sol to his laundry to mask the smell. Others have discolored water and sometimes little or no pressure.While both neighborhoods are fed up, they know any change in ownership may also bring a sizable rate hike."We have no problems at all paying more, if things are better," Pam Stallard of Cooley Point said. "We still can't drink the water. It is definitely not the same color as pure water."If the overcharging issues are resolved, Lass Water owner Gale said, he will need a rate hike approved before he will assume ownership."The system needs a rate increase as soon as possible to the repairs that are needed to keep the water flowing," Gale said. "There's not enough revenue coming in."Gale also said the subdivisions need deeper water wells, but there have also been concerns about whether the aquifer levels have dropped too low to drill new ones."I've been told by him [Bradberry] that the water level is not sufficient," Gale said. "I believe it is but if the aquifer level is not sufficient, I will not acquire it."Rate increasesWhen water systems are sold, rate increases are common, said Orville Bevel Jr., chairman of Texans Against Monopolies Excessive Rates, which has been pushing for legislation to shift control of water rate increases from the state environmental agency to the Public Utility Commission."It's not unusual at all," he said. "Their justification is that these systems are old and probably need a lot of work and just can't operate they way they're currently run."Bevel said rural subdivisions have little recourse to challenge rate increases. That's why his organization is pushing for legislation to give counties the same power as cities to negotiate for rural water systems.Two East Texas counties, Henderson and Van Zandt, have passed resolutions supporting the proposal, and Bevel said he has the support of a number of East Texas legislators.In the Hills of Briar Oaks and Cooley Point, residents just want the water shortages to end."We really don't care who owns it as long as we get good water," Norwood said. "The rate increases would be a problem for some people on a fixed income but right now the bigger problem for me personally is you just can't rely on it. It's definitely had an impact. It's caused some people to move away from here."Bill Hanna, 817-390-7698Twitter: @fwhannaHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
