Hernando: Low water pressure is suspicious

Letters to the Editors

Low water pressure is suspicious

Editor: I have spoken to several people with enough knowledge about Florida Water Services, the Southwest Florida Water Management District and local politics to have come to the conclusion that the low water pressure could be the result of Florida Water manually lowering the pressure to force Hernando County commissioners to allow extra wells.

I live in the affected area and know that we still had good water pressure when we switched to two watering days a week. The low pressure began rather suddenly, after the County Commission denied the drilling of new wells. This low-pressure timing is too coincidental to be a natural crisis.

They said they needed the wells to accommodate all the proposed buildings and apartments in the area. However, most of these have not even broken ground yet, so there has really been no change that preceded the low pressure -- that is until the commission gave a resounding "no" to Florida Water's request to drill new wells.

I believe there needs to be an investigation of Florida Water at the state and local levels, and urge everyone affected to contact the county commissioners, Gov. Jeb Bush's office, state Sen. Ginny Brown-Waite, state Rep. David Russell Jr., and any other governing agencies that would be able to investigate this so-called water pressure crisis.

I have every intention of writing to anyone and everyone until someone starts an investigation into this possible sham.
-- Lynette Ball, Spring Hill

Too many people are wasting too much water

Editor: Has anyone stopped to consider that one of the reasons the water pressure is so low is because half of Spring Hill waters on one day and the other half on another? Four times a week, morning and night, we have to put up with this inconvenience.

Here we are in another dry spell. No relief in sight. We went from once a week, which seemed to be working fine, to twice a week. This was reinstated at the start of the dry season in December. It makes no sense at all.

Some people have decided that it is just too confusing and water their lawns whenever they see fit. (A good many always have.) We have a county judge, Peyton Hyslop, who lets all the violators who are turned in off the hook. Construction is out of control and the endangered gopher tortoises are being buried alive by the hundreds, but that's another letter.

When are the powers that be going to do something about our water situation? I am tired of all the unconcerned citizens wasting this precious resource. Nobody should be exempt.

By the way, I was born 42 years ago in this state and raised here.
-- M.R. Chase, Spring Hill

Hospitals can create a win-win situation

Editor: Many residents of Hernando County, including me, are astounded, chagrined and amazed at the so-called "hospital deadlock, as reported in the newspapers last week.

With regard to the smart, forward-looking and community-interest decision by Hernando HealthCare to build a state-of-the-art hospital on State Road 50 just outside Brooksville's city limits, one just has to see the number of new model homes (17 by my last count) on Spring Hill Drive just west of Barclay Avenue, not far from the site of the new hospital.

Just look at the growth of developments west of U.S. 41 along Powell Road. Try buying a cheap lot. Forget about it. In fact, it was pointed out at a recent School Board meeting that U.S. 41 west of Powell Road is the county's real estate "hot spot," referring to a zoning/population situation and Chocochatti School.

The growth in Hernando County is in the center of Hernando, and Hernando HealthCare's move to this preferred site makes all the sense in the world.

Simply, it would help serve, along with Oak Hill Hospital, the residents in this county's "hot spot" for real estate. Let's have a new hospital on SR 50 and a new open-heart surgery center at Oak Hill Hospital. The residents of the county end up with a win-win situation.

Gamesmanship time is over. Only the residents of Hernando County suffer if this charade continues. Settle, please, and let's have these two new medical facilities opened and functioning as soon as possible.
-- Dom Cabriele, Brooksville