Despite meter error, FdL woman?s water shut off
By Laurie Ritger
the reporter
[email protected]
It was no April Fool?s joke when the tap went dry Thursday for a Fond du Lac woman who was left to pay a $1,200 water bill for her deceased mother.
Sonja A. Terry, said neither she nor her late mother, Maria Wittig, had an idea the utility bills were drastically less than they should have been. The problem with an outside meter was discovered only after Terry?s mother died in June 2003 and water utility officials cross-checked what they call the ?actual? meter in the basement at 120 E. Second St.
Wittig had requested and purchased the outdoor meter so the reading could be taken outside her home. The outdoor meter had slowed drastically and may not have been working at all.
Terry agreed in December to pay $50 a month toward the $1,200 bill. When she failed to make the two initial payments, her water was shut off.
?I turned the faucet on and nothing came out,? Terry recalled.
Early last week, she was given another shut-off notice due to two more consecutive months of non-payment. The water was shut off Thursday. She agreed to pay $100 and the water was turned on a short time later.
?I can?t make those (extra payments),? Terry said. ?They?re putting it on my regular (utility) bill.?
Terry said her most recent regular utility bill was $242. Another $150 was added to the bill ($50 repayment schedule for each of three months), bringing the total to nearly $400 for the quarter.
Before the error at the meter was discovered, Terry said her mother?s bill was $53. The amount is the monthly charge for vacant residences, according to water utility staff. The amount suggests that the outdoor meter wasn?t functioning at all.
?I hate doing this,? Fond du Lac Water Superintendent Dale Paczkowski said. ?I don?t like it. (And) it?s time consuming for us to be putting (shut-off) notices on the door and sending letters.?
Paczkowski said the water was used ? it ran through the actual meter.
?I agreed (in December) to $50, which I cannot do,? Terry said. ?I thought I could (pay $50 per month toward the debt), and I had my back surgery, and I
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Lavender is a ?must-have? in the home, Vores said.
n Lemon increases optimism and sense of humor, helps calm fear and increase memory, according to Vores? list of essential oil uses. In very dilute solution (1 or 2 percent) it is good for acne, he said.
n Peppermint is a mental stimulant, relieves headache and anxiety. It is good for congested sinuses and digestion as well as emotions.
n Tea tree oil builds strength before surgery, says a list of oils Vores? has compiled. It?s a strong antiseptic that stimulates immunity.
Vores describes essential oils as the ?lifeblood? of a plant, the part that is fragrant. ?Pure? oil comes from a single source.
Pure essential oil is always superior to synthetic oils, Vores said. Synthetics are likely to be mass-produced, lower in cost and have weaker scents.
The real thing, he said, is likely to give the nose a bigger ?zing? when it?s uncorked than a synthetic.
Oils sold in plastic containers are always synthetic, he said, because pure essential oils quickly degrade plastic. Essential oils are stored in glass containers in cool, dark places.
Steam distillation is the method most commonly used to produce essential oils. Tiny amount of oil is obtained from large quantities of raw material. That accounts for the high cost of rose oil, for example: $150 or $200 for a tiny vial.
Rose oil, like many other florals, are used in the perfume industry. Rose is said to ?open the heart,? is an aphrodisiac and boosts confidence.
Persons interested in learning more are advised to enroll in a program and to study a good manual. He recommended ?Bartram?s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine? published by Marlowe & Co., New York.
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