Couple's patience running dry

[The Straight Story]

Couple's patience running dry

By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff writer

Published on Sunday, Aug 19, 2007

COPLEY TWP.: Eugene Smith is frustrated. He wants the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to pay for hooking his house up to city of Akron drinking water.

Nearly 13 years ago, the federal agency installed devices in Smith's home and seven neighboring houses in Copley Township with polluted wells to remove toxic chemicals from the drinking water.

That was to be a temporary fix. But Smith and five of his neighbors are still relying on the cleansing devices.

Smith, 79, drinks the well water from his tap. On doctor's orders, his wife, Rita, drinks only bottled water.

..
And Smith points out that connecting to Akron water something that would cost about $8,000 per house, depending on the width of the property would save the government money.

According to Mike Bolas and Rod Beals, spokesmen for the Ohio EPA, the agency spends $5,000 to $10,000 a year to ensure that the water in the Copley homes is safe, although the figure had been as high as $30,000 in previous years.

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/9242951.html