Commentary by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The latest throw down at Wellington City Hall comes courtesy of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Water quality has become the hot topic since the unfortunate situation in Flint, Mich. The feds have mandated to KDHE that stiffer water regulations must apply.

As a result, KDHE has issued a warning to the city of Wellington that it will face stiff fines if it doesn’t stop supplying untreated water to those in the Mayfield area who have tapped in the water lines in turn allowing them to pump for much needed water on their private properties.

According to James Jordan story (see here), there has been a gentleman’s agreement since the 1950s in which the city can drill on the personal property of those living in rural Sumner County, east of Mayfield. In turn, these property owners could have access to city water near these wells – albeit it be untreated water.

Originally, there were 25 property owners who agreed to the deal. Earlier this year, the council attempted to contact these 25 owners, and 13 of them responded that they don’t want or need water; or could not be reached. That left 12 who responded and needed water. The city formed an agreement with seven property owners to be given $6,000 to help dig a well. The other five property owners have not taken the deal, including one who has refused saying $6,000 wasn’t enough.

What it has caused is a sticky situation that may potentially pit the city government against the five Mayfield property owners, who could possibly be out of water source, unless the city builds a water line for an estimated $200,000 so these residence could have treated water. KDHE has giving the council until May 1 to rectify the situation.

The mandate seems illogical. If untreated water is such an issue, then why are there hundreds of residents across Sumner County, who have dug themselves a well for their water supply and are using untreated water? Think about this. The city is giving rural residence $6,000 to dig a well for untreated water on the property, so they won’t have to drink untreated city water that came off their property.

Bureaucrats. SMH.

To the council’s credit, it voted to send a letter to KDHE saying the city won’t shut off the Mayfield residents water supply until a plan could be studied and enacted.

This issue is a tough one. Not only is there an ethical issue of cutting water off to people, who have been using the system for over 50 to 60 years, but the city of Wellington also risks losing access to valuable water reserves. As we have learned from the past two dry summers, water is a commodity that the city can ill afford to lose.

But then there is this lingering issue, does the city foot $200,000 to pay for a water line going to residents who are not city taxpaying citizens?

The issue of water has been a source of contention between the city of Wellington and those who live outside the city limits since, maybe forever. In years past, some rural water districts have struck deals with the city – to gain access to municipal water for an elevated user fee.

But in the 1990s, former city manager Carl Myers determined that such agreements were money losing propositions for the city. He contended, not only were rural customers depleting city water reserves but it was extra costly to the city taxpayers, who pay for treatment and infrastructure.

His contention is the city of Wellington must take care of its tax base first and is in no obligation to address the needs of others living outside the city limits. At one time a proposed housing addition was to be developed east of town, but because the city and the housing developer could not come to terms over water, that development never materialized. I am unaware that the city of Wellington has not extended use of water to any rural housing addition or other communities since.

Not to sound callous, but there is wisdom in Myers’ position, and it would behoove the current council to hold firm and make a sound business decision.

Is supplying a water line to five property owners, who do not pay city property tax, a wise investment?

People have raised holy hell over this sprinkler system at the Wellington golf course, and people have questioned why Sumner Regional Medical Center is not paying for utilities. But here is the big difference between those expenditures and a proposed water line to rural Mayfield customers. The golf and hospital expenses go toward the greater good of the whole community of Wellington. Supplying water to a few Mayfield residence, who are again not paying city taxpayers, does nothing for those living inside Wellington.

Of course, there is the risk of not having access to those wells. There is some justification, that if the city told property owners they could no longer use their water, then they most certainly could come back and say, “Well you can’t use my water either.” Does the city risk losing access to the water supply these wells generate?

A reasonable question would be how much of the water is obtained from the private property wells and would losing them put the council in a bind?

Another option may be to tell KDHE to go to hell and continue onward. The KDHE has not given the city a specific amount on the fine to be accessed. If the fine is a few hundred dollars or even a few thousand bucks, it could be worth the city’s time to just to ignore the mandate. My feeling is this though that won’t be an option. The government, especially at the state and federal level, always gets its way.

A third option is for the city to attempt to annex the property for which the wells sit. That way then the property owners become city taxpayers and building a water line would be completely justified.

Also, this doesn’t appear to be something that the city should tackle alone. If this involves rural customers, this should also involve the Sumner County Commissioners.

And for something like this to be resolved by May 1 is ludicrous. There are way too many issues involved in play here.

My number one complaint with the current Wellington City Council is it tends to overact and get itself in a panic over issues that may need to take more time to investigate.

This is a mess. It is also a mess that doesn’t need to be cleaned up this very instant.

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