Wedgefield residents cutting water use

They’re also seeking Orange County’s help with steep costs

Water bills are so high in Wedgefield, an east Orange community built 60 years ago as housing for workers in the space industry, that some residents say they flush the toilet just once a day to save money.

“We selectively flush commodes, never water our lawns and almost never wash our cars,” said Philip Unser, 85, who moved to the census-designated neighborhood about 20 years ago.

“All of this because of cost.”

He was among a handful of residents who made a 35-minute trek Tuesday to Orlando to appeal to Orange County commissioners to buy out Pluris Wedgefield, the Dallas-based private utility that provides the community with some of the state’s most expensive water and wastewater services.

Orange County Utilities customers pay $67.49 a month for 5,000 gallons of water. The same amount of water costs Pluris customers $133.70 a month, said Tim Armstrong, deputy director of Orange County Utilities, who outlined options and challenges for commissioners.

A proposed rate increase sought by Pluris could boost the monthly cost to $228.34, he said.

But price isn’t the only problem with the water. Residents say it tastes and smells bad too.

Unser said his wife came out of a shower gagging once because of the water’s sulfur stink.

In April the utility agreed to pay $3.3 million to settle a lawsuit filed by Wedgefield customers, who alleged Pluris’ water-disinfection process created chemical byproducts that put their health at risk.

Armstrong said Pluris water meets regulatory requirements for water quality.

Until recently, Pluris executives had said they had no plans to sell the system that serves 1,800 Orlando-area customers, but now they could perhaps be talked into changing their position, Armstrong told commissioners during a two-hour discussion.

He estimated the price would be at least $21 million, with total costs at $30 million or more.

From a business perspective, acquiring the system is not recommended, Armstrong said.

It’s also unclear if Wedgefield residents would agree to tax themselves to pay for the takeover.

After two community meetings, county officials conducted a straw poll in May to gauge support for the idea and only a third of the 1,768 ballots sent to property owners were returned, just 344 marked “in favor.”

New Wedgefield resident Sheila Mayhew said she was encouraged by the board’s decision to move forward with a more in-depth appraisal of the private utility’s delivery and wastewater system.

“I know there’s a lot of hurdles,” she said. “But it’s a health issue for our neighborhood.”