Payson Roundup

Editor:

My wife and I moved her father to Strawberry in 1986, and we have been here off and on ever since, with the last 11 years as permanent year-round residents.

We have watched as the water situation developed. I agree with those from Strawberry who have written to emphasize that over the years the problem has been mainly in Pine. The fact that Strawberry now has water restriction signs is proof enough that our water is not being managed as it should be.

During the years we have been here, the majority of new construction has been in Pine. Fortunately for us in Strawberry, the expansion here has little where to go.

Now as for hooking Pine hoses up to Strawberry spigots. Why would anyone want to dig a well up here? Aren’t we about 500 feet higher? Don’t well diggers charge by the foot? Pine should leave our water alone, and dig their own well.

One trouble our two towns have is that they are spoken as a single community. We all have friends in both towns, however, Minneapolis does not take St. Paul’s water, Tampa does not take St. Pete’s water, and Kansas City, Mo. does not take Kansas City, Kansas’ water! Why then should Pine be allowed to take Strawberry’s water? So two towns can be on water restrictions instead of one? That makes no sense!

Therein lies the problem. None of us in either town have much of a say in this matter because neither of our communities is an official town.

We need to incorporate both. Not as the town of Pinestrawberry, but as the town of Strawberry and the town of Pine. Only then will we be able to control where the water that is beneath our properties is used, so that if it is decided to ship some to another town, the local residents won’t suffer for it, and their town funds will benefit.

Hoop Bramoff