Residents in a certain area of Cassada Gardens Number Four have been complaining for years about soggy front lawns, backyards perpetually wet
Residents in a certain area of Cassada Gardens Number Four have been complaining for years about soggy front lawns, backyards perpetually wet, and in one case the complete collapse of a concrete fence.
?It has been very difficult over the years. We have complained to APUA but the water keeps coming,? one long time resident of 20 years told The Daily OBSERVER.
Totally frustrated with being unable to use his property, the resident said he decided to take matters into his own hands.
?One day, I said to myself, ?this is it.? I took a walk into the hills above me and lo and behold, I saw water coming out of the ground.?
The water authority was contacted and on further investigation, revealed that the source of water plaguing the residents all these years was a spring.
A measure of relief for the homeowners came a few weeks ago, since a trough was dug to draw the water away from the homes. However, this has created another problem as the water now runs across two roads ? one newly constructed ? and another in need of refurbishment.
Meantime, residents are expressing skepticism with APUA?s findings of a spring.
?I don?t believe it,? Fabian Walters said. ?Where would this spring have come from all of a sudden? I know people who have lived up here since this place was cane field and they never saw any spring.?
Walters said his belief is that APUA?s pipes long buried have rusted and the water is just coming out all over.
Just below the area in question is a water treatment facility run by APUA and buried underground are pipes one foot in diameter which take water to the Cedar Valley area.
Hydrologist Veronica Yearwood told this newspaper that APUA is on top of the situation. She indicated that tests have been carried out and the water is definitely ground water.
?It is useable enough; it is relatively good quality,? Yearwood said.
She added, however, that it is not conveniently located.
?The water is not coming out in an area we can develop for further use,? she said.
The problem, the hydrologist said, arises as the actual source of the water has not been found and where it manifests itself is not necessarily its source. This, she said, could be many miles away.
This is where technology comes into play, and according to the technician, APUA has already contacted an international body to have satellite imagery photos taken of the area in order to locate the source of the water. Hydro geological maps, Yearwood said, would also be used to help track the source of the water.
