County considers public water system for Ellendale
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Ellendale-area residents will vote next month whether to hook up to a county-backed public drinking water system or remain on private wells.
More than 30 people gathered at the Ellendale Fire Company Oct. 7 for a presentation outlining district boundaries and the costs for an average resident.
“The county has been working on this for months,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson. The county has been in the sewer business for more than 30 years, and also operates a drinking water system in Dewey Beach.
Lawson said nothing substantial has changed since a similar presentation on plans for Ellendale was delivered in August. The county would partner with Artesian Water Co. on the water system, which would be based on the private company's approved water rate of $6.58 per 1,000 gallons. Artesian would supply the water and maintain the system while the county would handle billing through a contract agreement.
The system will be consumption-based, Lawson said, and will cost the average household about $400 annually.
“If we cannot deliver that rate, we will not go forward with the project,” said County Engineer Hans Medlarz. Funding for the project will rely on federal and state grants and loans. Medlarz said the total cost would be about $5 million, provided the county can establish a cost-share approach with Artesian for water storage.
Residents will not pay to hook up to the system – marking the first time the county has ever offered to pay for the connection, Lawson said.
“The county hasn't done that before. That's the county's assistance,” Lawson said. That assistance would be subject to council approval, Medlarz said.
Specifics – including funding and construction design – will be hashed out after the Saturday, Nov. 4 referendum. If approved, it would likely take at least two years before construction could begin, Medlarz said.
The county already provides sewer to Ellendale residents, but drinking water comes from private wells. A previous request to hook up to a public system was defeated during a 2009 referendum.
Nearly 60 Ellendale residents requested establishing the district, Lawson said.
A referendum on the proposed Ellendale Water District will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Ellendale Fire Company hall at 302 Main St., and Philadelphia Pentecostal Church at 13724 S. Old State Road.
For more information about the project, contact John Ashman at 302-855-1299 or jashman@sussexcountyde.gov. For more information about billing and financial assistance options, contact Katrina Mears at 302-855-7871 or kmears@sussexcountyde.gov.
“Water is life,” said Loretta Benson, who supports a public water system. “A lot of people have had their water tested and found nitrates. A lot of things have been brought forward.”
While many in attendance supported a public drinking water system, some adamantly opposed the notion of paying for water.
“Hell no,” said Ellendale resident Alice Fox.
“That's how I do feel,” Fox said in a phone interview after the meeting. “I'm on a fixed income, and I cannot afford one more bill. I really can't.”
Fox, who grew up in Ellendale and moved back as a full-time resident in 1996, said she is lucky that she has good well water.
“I don't want cloudy water when I have clear water right now,” she said. “I feel bad for the people that have bad water down there, but I can't afford another bill.”
Kendal Tyre said some residents aren't so lucky.
“The point is that the water is bad,” he said. “We have water at [New Hope Recreation and Development Center] that we don't drink. We don't let our kids drink it. And it's a real problem. It may not be a problem for all of you, but it's a problem for us.”
