17736_Authority_August

ATER , N OT L ARGE P RIVATIZED Spring Meadows Spring is privately owned by Orley, a long- Ɵ me resident who values her community and neighbors. However, due to her background in civic engagement, Orley cau Ɵ ons communi Ɵ es to keep abreast of who owns their municipal systems. She points to the damaging impacts of Act 12 on some Pennsylvania communi Ɵ es. Act 12 of 2016 created a bargaining chip for large water corpora Ɵ ons to inflate the value of the water or sewer system they are acquiring, and then recover that amount along with investor returns by raising customer water and sewer rates. Households impacted by buyouts from these investor-owned water corpora Ɵ ons saw promised rate-freezes removed and have experienced skyrocke Ɵ ng rates and loss of control over their public water and water management sources. Orley urges communi Ɵ es to keep their water with municipal authori Ɵ es, which are not-for-profit and are managed locally by community members whose task is to provide safe and secure water. With expense and challenges faced when sourcing water for a community, it can seem like an easy fix for municipali Ɵ es to sell locally run municipal water authori Ɵ es to investor-owned corpora Ɵ ons whose primary focus is not on providing safe and a ff ordable water to the community, but are focused on investor profit. Orley urges residents to scru Ɵ nize and respond to corporate priva Ɵ za Ɵ on of essen Ɵ al services. And support the repeal of Act 12 which created a predatory pricing mechanism for water and sewer system priva Ɵ za Ɵ ons. Moving forward, it is crucial for policymaking to navigate the preserva Ɵ on of safe and a ff ordable water as a public resource, ensuring equitable access for all Pennsylvanians.  A spring is a natural exit point where groundwater emerges out of the aquifer and flows onto the top of the Earth's crust to become surface water. Springs are driven out onto the surface by various natural forces, such as gravity and hydrostaƟc pressure. Spring discharge is determined by the spring's recharge basin. Factors that affect the recharge include the size of the area in which groundwater is captured, the amount of precipitaƟon, the size of capture points, and the size of the spring outlet. Water may leak into the underground system from many sources including permeable earth, sinkholes, and losing streams. Human acƟvity may also affect a spring's discharge—withdrawal of groundwater reduces the water pressure in an aquifer, decreasing the volume of flow. Springs fall into three general classificaƟons: perennial (springs that flow constantly during the year); intermiƩent (temporary springs that are acƟve aŌer rainfall, or during certain seasonal changes); and periodic (as in geysers that vent and erupt at regular or irregular intervals). Springs have been used for a variety of human needs - including drinking and domesƟc water, irrigaƟon, mills, navigaƟon, heat, and electricity generaƟon. Modern uses include recreaƟonal acƟviƟes; therapy; water for livestock; fish hatcheries; and supply for boƩled mineral or spring water. Because of the folklore surrounding hot springs and their claimed medical value, hot springs have been used for balneotherapy, bathing and relaxaƟon for thousands of years. Orley urges communiƟes to keep their water with municipal authoriƟes, which are not-for-profit and are managed locally by community members whose task is to provide safe and secure water.