What Are We Doing?

Sassafras (March 3, 2016)

Richard Turnbull seems to have his own private source of information when it comes to the attacks on Liberty Apple Valley by the Town of Apple Valley: Unverified and unverifiable (Sassy speculators, Daily Press, August 2, 2015).

For instance, he writes that Liberty Apple Valley has a responsibility to provide water for the Town’s use until the Town can use recycled water. Wrong. Liberty Apple Valley offered the Town a special deal on water, and then the Town turned around and started attacking Liberty Apple Valley, in part using the money it was saving on water to pay for attorneys and attack ads! Liberty Apple Valley wisely took that weapon away from them.

Turnbull also says the Town had the foresight to plan and construct a water recycling facility. Wrong. VVWRA is the force behind that. The only reason the Town is involved is because there is money available from outside sources, and the Town of Apple Valley desperately needs money. If the Town cared so much about water, it wouldn’t use so much of it.

Turnbull then wonders aloud if parent company Liberty Utilities knows about the Town’s recycling plans. You can bet it does. The Town signed an agreement long ago that makes Liberty Apple Valley the sole water retailer in our service area, and that includes the sale and delivery of recycled water. The only way the Town can get out of that arrangement is by seizing Liberty Apple Valley. The moment the Town puts so much as one drop of recycled water from that expensive facility into that expensive pipeline it has already installed, it is in violation of its agreement. Not much foresight there, huh?

Finally, Turnbull asks what the benefit is of having Apple Valley taxpayers pick up the tab for watering James Woody Park instead of Liberty Apple Valley ratepayers? The answer is self-evident: Local control, of course!

— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.