Views from the Water-less Environs

By Sharon Dooley.

On a Monday morning one wakes up and saunters into the bathroom - it seems the toilet is making strange gurgles and the faucet dribbles, sputters and quits. Upon turning on the news one learns that a water main has broken and no one should drink the water – well as it happens there now is none, so that is no longer an issue. But one wonders – what about such ordinary things like tooth brushing and showers? What about that usual morning cup of coffee?

Have I suddenly traveled to a third world country - is this a travellogue? Nope, it is just the latest from good old Montgomery County – the place where we are now allowed to shower but not drink the water and must boil any county water we use in cooking. The place where over 1000 restaurants inside the magic circle of suspect water cannot serve the public any newly prepared foods.

We should, I guess, be happy that we are getting frequent updates from the county and that many minds are working to keep us safe; soon this too shall pass. But – the lingering doubt sticks in ones mind – just how bad is the infrastructure in this area anyway? Within the last week we have seen downtown DC turn chaotic as the power was lost for several hours in the center of the city. Metro has had several major mishaps with stranded passengers, fires and twisted tracks. Pepco took several days to return power to thousands after recent storms. Is this a sudden trend of breakdowns that will be come the usual state of affairs for the Metro area for the near future?

How long can we, as residents of an major urban area that is increasingly interdependent, look away from infrastructure improvements? WSSC says it cannot predict water main breaks – we were used to them in the winter – now they are occurring in the hot weather. According to the Washington Post we have had multiple breaks this year and the WSSC board has decided it cannot assess greater fees for improvements at this time.

Metro is said to be looking for many millions of dollars that will be required to upgrade its aging system of tracks and trains, yet those dollars have not been allocated. We daily travel under or over bridges that have not been inspected in recent times. Do we need to have a major water system failure with widespread illness or a crash from a defective Metro car before we as a collective group of counties, states and areas decide to look at common interests and long-term solutions? We do not need to have a major highway bridge collapse before we take action do we?

Just the view from the less crowded upcounty where we welcome you as visitors, but ask - please - that you bring your own beverages 'cause you cannot drink our water - yet!

Sharon Dooley lives in Olney where she has been celebrating the return of some water. She is the Legislative Director of Upcounty Action.