Enjoy watching the workers - you're paying for them

By -
Construction workers were on the job at the Columbia Water Company today, Sunday.  I felt like it was costing me money just to watch them. And of course it was, since I and other water company customers are paying for the construction through the Pennvest surcharge recently added to our water bills to pay off the loan for the project.

The PUC held a hearing on the water company's proposed rate increase about a year and a half ago and ultimately denied the request, but the company sneaked through this de facto increase anyway.

Our only recourse right now is to file complaints with the PUC:  800-692-7380. The more customers who complain, the better the chance of the PUC acting on this.

More information on filing a complaint can obtained by clicking HERE.



Construction workers at the Columbia Water Company today . . .







Is this Donald's private skating pond?

Comments

Anonymous said…
this Pennvest fee is ONLY for Columbias residents. Let's NOT forget that the Columbia Water Co STOLE the land via EMINENT DOMAIN to build the plant AND then they have the audacity to add an almost $9.00 Pennvest fee PER MONTH to cover his loan for the next 20 years. Unbelieveable. Something is extremely wrong here. Call the PA PUC to file your complaint...today!
February 9, 2015 at 8:09 AM
Joe Lintner said…
They are well on their way to becoming the most despised business in town.
February 9, 2015 at 10:45 AM
Anonymous said…
thanks for keeping us informed Cole! appreciate it! Let's hope that hundreds of residents call the PUC to file a complaint.
February 9, 2015 at 11:51 AM
ss71monte said…
If you want to file a complaint with the p u c, you must first call the water company and complain about the surcharge and try to resolve the issue with them. The p u c will not except your complaint unless you call the water co. First p u c rule.
February 9, 2015 at 11:02 PM
Anonymous said…
is that all? first call water co and complain? it would be nice for you to share the entire scenerio if you already know! thanks. appreciate it !
February 10, 2015 at 6:36 AM
Anonymous said…
I said long ago Columbia should have bought the water company out! AT ALL MEANS!!!
February 10, 2015 at 7:30 AM
Anonymous said…
Just wondering if the businesses' in town like restaurants, Bars, schools, and factories etc. are paying this ridiculous fee too?
February 10, 2015 at 12:16 PM
Anonymous said…
can NOT understand how this is even legal. steal the land. take out a loan. charge $8.50 to each and every Columbian for 20 yrs to pay off YOUR loan. nice profit.
something is very wrong. i encourage you ALL to call water co and complain & then call the PA PUC and file a complaint. after all the PA PUC said NO to the 23% raise the water co wanted to charge JUST COLUMBIANS last year. maybe they know the deal!!!!
February 10, 2015 at 12:37 PM
Anonymous said…
Agreed.....just as we should have kept the sewer plant.
February 10, 2015 at 2:30 PM
ss71monte said…
If you want to check out the legal part of this issue, Google "pennvest surcharge for Columbia water company. Go to "Exceptions-oca-penna. public utility commission" dated oct. 6,2013. There you will find the document for the puc decision for the surcharge. specifically section II, page 3-7 and page 12. The loan for this was paid off in 2011 from rate increases the previous years after the loan was granted. puc denied this request because it would be a double payment for it's customers. I'm not a lawyer by any stretch, but this is wrong. Some of my friends contacted the water co. and they say it's legal and they have the paperwork to prove it. Decide yourself. But remember, you have to contact the water co. first before you file a complaint with the puc.
February 10, 2015 at 4:05 PM
ss71monte said…
Oh, yea, forgot, any users who have a Columbia address are the only customers being charged. Marietta has their own company using Columbia water, different entity.Louisville customers are not being charged at this time.
February 10, 2015 at 6:54 PM
Anonymous said…
The state is requiring the update for all water and wastewater the dont meet to state regulation. Question to all people that have complaints, with them being privately owned how else would they pay for the upgrade demanded by the state to better all costumers? Now do your homework because privately owned means no tax money no grants no hand out by gov like a municipality would get. The sewer needs upgraded to to meet state regs , why do u think they are selling because the borough cant afford it and cant tax any more the people that are being already taxed to much. If u think when lass takes over and has to upgrade that columbia wont pay for it think again , its coming. Also take a look at the borough and all there brand new equipment , you thinks yous dont pay for all that and there shop they built that they dont use. They have better equipment then columbia water , west hemp borough, and donegal township combined lol. Thinkabout it. So again how do small privite ccompany's survive? How do they pay for upgrade? Costumers thats how.
February 10, 2015 at 6:57 PM
ss71monte said…
Should have been mountville. Don'know.where that came from.
February 10, 2015 at 8:25 PM
ss71monte said…
That's not the issue. The issue is they want to put a surcharge only on the Columbia customers for a loan granted in1993 and payed off in 2011by increasing water rates since that time. Kinda like paying twice for something. If they want to conform to new rules, let them apply for a new loan through the PUC. See how that goes.
February 10, 2015 at 8:38 PM
Anonymous said…
I am thinking that maybe instead of putting up more stop signs and things that the town does not need, Maybe it should consider using that money for the things it does need... They keep wasting money on the things not needed but forget about the things needed.. Columbia is not as poor as everyone seems to think they are...
February 10, 2015 at 9:35 PM
Anonymous said…
Mountville.....fat fingers.
February 10, 2015 at 9:47 PM
Anonymous said…
glad I don't live in that town anymore, moved because the taxes were out of hand and it seems it is just getting worse...
February 11, 2015 at 5:17 AM
Anonymous said…
first of all...continue to complain to the water co FIRST then file a complaint with the PA PUC !!! water co will lie. what do you think they'd tell you...that oh yeah, since we were denied the ability to raise COLUMBIAS ONLY rates by 23% by the PUC last year...we found a loophole...a way around it. c'mon people get real. THIS is why we are in this position. no one wants to take an hour of their time to attend a council mtg once a month!
February 11, 2015 at 6:49 AM
Anonymous said…
Youre an idiot if youre on here complaining. Water is the cheapest and most necessary of utilities. Now yes, it sucks to pay an extra 8 dollars a month; I completely agree! But I assume everyone on here pays for either internet, or a cell phone bill, or for cable. . . these are the real criminal companies! Until you have all the FACTS and not just hearsay, you have no right to complain. Every Columbia Water Company customer is paying the surcharge, even people in Mountville, west hempfield, and penn manor. Marietta customers arent because they dont use the same water! If youre So curious, maybe go visit and take a tour of the company and see where your money is being used; maybe then youll understand the benifits!
February 11, 2015 at 7:06 AM
Anonymous said…
We are paying dearly for COLA PRIDE!
Smaller is not always better.
Too few paying for too much.
February 11, 2015 at 7:26 AM
Anonymous said…
I think you're missing the point. This is not owned by the borough, it is private. WE should not be on the hook to pay for the loan. This is a for profit business and they should be paying back the loan out of their profit, not adding a fee to the end user instead. Let's not forget as Cole pointed out, they stole the land from the taxpayers, adding insult to injury. Get a clue!!
February 11, 2015 at 10:31 AM
Joe Lintner said…
Actually, I didn't say that, but in some cases eminent domain does amount to legalized thievery.
February 11, 2015 at 11:16 AM
Anonymous said…
i agree...eminent domain does amount to legalized thievery!
NOW here's the deal with the PRIVATELY owner Columbia Water Co....they service THOUSANDS of other customers in other towns, cities, boroughs, etc....WHY ONLY CHARGE COLUMBIA BORO RESIDENTS THE PENNVEST FEE OF $8.50 A MONTH.
now thats thievery.......EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER OF COLUMBIA WATER CO DOES, WILL, IS BENEFITTING FROM THE UPGRADE. its bs. loud and clear.
February 11, 2015 at 12:27 PM
Anonymous said…
Ok, but really you think it can be resolved with them??!!!!!
After doing this, perhaps the PUC will accept my complaint.
February 11, 2015 at 7:02 PM
Anonymous said…
I said along time ago to buy them the water company out at ALL COAST!! They are CROOKS and we know who they are!! They are rich and want more and more!!!!!!!
February 11, 2015 at 7:39 PM
Anonymous said…
uh probably you! the benefit is having water...although not the CLEAR sparkling kind.
February 12, 2015 at 6:44 AM
Anonymous said…
Bankruptcy is here soon!!
February 12, 2015 at 10:10 AM
Anonymous said…
I am a private owner of a company. If i take out a 1 million dollar loan will the towns people pay it back for me?? If so i will be doing this forever. Thank you for your support and may god bless you.
February 12, 2015 at 10:28 AM
Anonymous said…
Mountville residents (like me) are seeing the Pennvest Surcharge too. $8.18 on my bill. Calling the PUC.
March 20, 2015 at 7:57 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Columbia's decision to ban former employee from its property may be 'unconstitutional' [Lancaster Watchdog]

By Columbia Spy -
Image
Chris Vera [Columbia Spy file photo] The following information is excerpted from a December 6, 2025 LNP Watchdog article by LNP | LancasterOnline reporter Jade Campos. Still reeling from an abrupt firing from his role as head of the Columbia Market House in March, Chris Vera was surprised to get a letter in the mail from a Columbia Borough attorney two weeks later telling him he was banned indefinitely from borough property. The letter gave no reason for the ban. Nine months later, Vera, who has served as president of the Columbia Historic Preservation Society for more than a decade and has helped with the borough’s comprehensive plan, is still banned from borough property. He believes the ban includes borough parks, which is part of the reason he moved his annual Albatwitch Day festival, which celebrates the myth of a local cryptid, to Wrightsville. Vera said he’s not sure why the borough went to such lengths to keep him away from public spaces given his termination from the borough s...
Read more

East Donegal man charged in Columbia hit & run

By Columbia Spy -
Image
NATHAN WILLISON | LNP Staff Writer An East Donegal Township man is facing criminal charges after police say he struck a 13-year-old with his truck and fled the scene last month.  Derek Scott Mohr, 28, is charged with causing an accident involving death or injury without a license, failing to stop to render aid, driving at an unsafe speed and related charges.  Mohr had been driving a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado through Chestnut Street in Columbia around 8 p.m. March 20 when he struck a 13-year-old boy riding a motorized scooter and continued driving, according to charging documents filed by police.  When police arrived, they found the boy with a broken leg and a cut to his forehead. His scooter was lying nearby, its handlebars completely snapped off.  Another teenager who witnessed what happened described the truck to police and said that the driver made no attempt to stop after striking the boy. Surveillance footage collected from the area shows the truck striking the b...
Read more

Mayor Lutz must accept responsibility

By Columbia Spy -
Image
  GUEST COMMENTARY [Name withheld by request out of fear of retaliation] For two decades, Leo Lutz has occupied the mayor's office in Columbia, and his supporters are quick to credit him with every positive development in our borough, but leadership is a two-way street. If Mayor Lutz is going to accept praise for Columbia's successes, many of which, frankly, he had little direct involvement in, then he must also be held accountable for our failures. The facts paint a troubling picture. Despite the mayor's repeated assurances that our streets are safe, we've witnessed a disturbing rise in assaults, shootings, and vandalism. His promises have fallen by the wayside: the foot patrol we were promised never materialized, nor did the bike patrol that was supposed to increase our sense of security. Fiscally, the situation is equally dire. Taxes have increased at least twice during Mayor Lutz's tenure, yet the borough now finds itself millions of dollars in debt. This isn...
Read more