The folks who run the Delaware County Regional Water Quality Control Authority - everyone simply calls it DELCORA - have stated their case.
And it's a pretty compelling one.
They are staring at a massive price tag for mandated upgrades under federal Environmental Protection Agency guidelines.
That's one of the reasons they have entered into negotiations with the utility giant Aqua for a possible sale or merger of the firm that has handled Delaware County's wastewater for decades.
What has rubbed some people the wrong way - including many of their workers - is that this does not exactly look like it's been an open process.
Workers said they found out about the deal only when they read it in this newspaper. Some candidates also are wondering why they are dealing solely with Aqua and not seeking requests for proposals from other sources.
Yes, politics is involved in this. You're stunned, I know.
DELCORA has long been seen as a GOP-controlled agency. Its boss, Bob Willert, is head of the Ridley Republican Party. So it's not necessarily surprisng that Democratic candidates for county council are questioning the deal. On the flip side, DELCORA points out the Dems have been silent on the deal that would see Chester Water Authority bail out the city to the tune of $60 million by raising rates 10 percent.
We talk about all of this on today's editorial page.
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