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South Valley Riverton Journal

Riverton Residents Urged To Return Water Ballots

Dec 05, 2014 09:40AM ● By Rachel Hall
If you live in Riverton, there’s something different in the water flowing out of your kitchen sink. It’s a difference you can taste. But whether or not the taste is better or worse than the water that once pumped through the pipes is a matter of personal opinion.

For months, Riverton City officials are in the process of deciding between changing the source of residents’ water to Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District or maintaining the current well system, with the help of an independent consulting firm and feedback from the community. Every household received a fact sheet about the water choices and ballot for voting for a preference through the mail in November.

To allow households to try out the JVWCD water before deciding whether to switch over, the city began a trial run of using the new source in November. While some individuals have noticed a change in the hardness or taste of the water at the sink, there are also some who feel like the difference isn’t drastic enough to require a switch which would result in a higher water bill.

“There are some people who don’t mind the water,” City Councilmember Tricia Tingey said.

Tingey hopes that residents will be proactive with the water issue by not only staying informed with the information that has been disseminated to the community, but will also  speak with their neighbors about the pros and cons of each water source.

“Everyone needs to have a say in this. This is truly their decision,” she said.

The decision on which water source to select for the future of Riverton will be determined by the vote of city council if enough ballots are not received back by Dec. 8. JVWCD water will continue pumping into homes until Dec. 12 so that feedback can be based on actual comparison of hardness and taste of the two sources.

If JVWCD is selected to supply water either by ballot or city council action, Riverton residents will see an increase in their water bills starting in July 2015. The exact amount of the cost increase for each household depends on usage. Under the current system, 10,000 gallons costs customers east of 4800 West $21.32 while JVWCD charges $41.60 for the same amount of gallons used.