Public vs. private water supply

Many people who live in and even just outside of what qualifies for a town here were offered public water for cheap. So they hooked up. All of them had productive wells but part of the deal was that they had to cap them. A few years went by and the crooks in office decided since the water system was so overloaded now they had to dig it all up and replace it with larger pipe. So they sent everyone on the public supply a bill for $10-$25k depending on house size, due and payable immediately. That's the good news.

Now that they were able to run that scam on the "towners" they came up with a new one. Believe it or not, they are going to tax towners based on the their lot sizes for the rain that falls on it! That money will be used to build a storm drain system to treat the rain water before it goes into the lake (a separate sanitary sewer system exists; that water already goes to a treatment plant).

I live far from town and have my own well and septic. And it's going to stay that way.

The reason that I ask, is that if that is so, perhaps they can't do (legally) such a thing. Perhaps the little farmer doesn't have the $$$ to fight cityhall, and that's how this stuff keeps happening.

Three points at hand.

One: I used to have a home in Romeoville, IL. Was all farm when moved and bought there. Urban sprawled out everywhere, farmers sold off to developers, took the money and ran. One farmer had the new water main go out past his property in the newly annexed easement to get out to the sprawl that went past him. The city told him "need to hook up", he told them that he's ag, "Go blow...". He didn't hookup.

Two: City of Naperville, IL. boardered Rt 59 on it's east side, unincorporated Aurora boardered west. A farmer on the west had been approached by a mall developer several times to sell out, but he refused. Naperville's side of 59 were malls as far as the eyes could see. Naperville jumped (annexed) the west side of 59, "CONDEMNED" the farm, then sold it to the developer to build his malls (tax revenue).

Three: City of Lisle, IL. did the same thing to a farm that had been held in a family for generations along Rt 34. The developer wanted it, the farm was a working farm, so the owners wouldn't sell, so Lisle "CONDEMNED" (annexed) it, then sold to the developer.

My brother and I were talking about this yesterday. Thought was a law (farm protection act under Carter) to prevent this. Maybe farmers just can't afford to litigate against cityhall in a courtroom.

I moved back to rural Bristol, IN. now. In Illinois, cityhall "CONDEMNS" property at the drop of a hat, for tax revenue.

Is there a Federal Farm Protection Act signed into law under President Carter, or am I goofy? Or was it repealed?

Years ago, I heard that private wells in California actually had meters put on them. City water nothing, that private water belongs to the people of California, so pay up. Is maddening.

My mother lived on the edge of Elkhart, IN. (city sprawled out to her), but she was still in un-incorporated Elkhart County. Some younger couple moved in across the road and began talking "city water and sewage". I went over and had a few words with them - if they want city street lights and all that goes with it, move to Chicago, otherwise "shutup".

I love 'city water' but we have local water districts which run the water systems outside of city limits. They do have to dig up and enlarge lines on occassion but do it through a government bond issue. Have had some controversy here as the District that I live in laid a 20" supply main to a neighboring county for increased supply as our local city's plant was a little on the small side. There goal is to have municipal water to every household in the county by 2006. But, wells arent an option here in most places. If you dont have 'city water' it means a cistern and a truck to haul water.