By ALISA ULFERTS
NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla., Oct. 3, 2000 (St. Petersburg Times) — Every month for the past five years, Charles Rifkin has written a note to Aloha Utilities president Steve Watford on the back of his water bill.
"Dear Mr. Watford," Rifkin said, reading his note aloud Monday to representatives of the Public Service Commission.
"I am still paying for dirty, black, stinking water and now my pipes are leaking," Rifkin continued.
Rifkin was one of about 150 Aloha Utilities customers who showed up Monday morning at Spartan Manor in New Port Richey to oppose Aloha Utilities' request to raise wastewater rates in the Seven Springs area by 57 percent. About 100 people attended the evening hearing.
The PSC is scheduled to vote on the rate increase Jan. 16, 2001. The utility serves 12,397 water customers and 11,688 wastewater customers in the Aloha Gardens and Seven Springs areas.
Monday's hearing is the latest in a series at which the PSC has sought customers' input on a variety of proposed rate changes and fixes for what customers have called dirty, smelly water.
Aloha officials have said the problem is caused, at least in part, by the copper piping in its customers' homes. They will file their response to Monday's customer testimony by November. Aloha officials also said that their water meets all federal and state standards. Both the PSC and the state Department of Environmental Protection have agreed.
"We've made progress in dealing with the issue of the black water," said PSC Commissioner E. Leon Jacobs Jr. Given that, he urged Aloha customers to focus their comments on the proposed wastewater rate increase.
But that didn't stop state Rep. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, from urging the PSC commissioners to help Aloha's customers resolve the problem.
"Today is just a continuation of a drama that has been played out over the past several years," Fasano told the assembled PSC officials Monday.
"While the wastewater rate increase request is the heart of this hearing, the foundation upon which it is built is the poor quality of water and service," Fasano said.
The PSC has scheduled another hearing in Tallahassee in November to discuss whether Aloha can pass on its relocation costs to customers. The company's lease is up at the end of the year and it plans to buy a building.
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