DENTON, Texas — Despite living in an area declared state of disaster in last fall, neighbors at the Green Tree Estates are still waiting for a permanent solution.
The owner of a well that supplied water to the homes shut it down in November.
The City of Denton began sending water in trucks, and is considering extending a nearby water main, so homes can connect to it. But on Tuesday, the City held off on making a permanent decision.
“Quit putting this off,” said Nicole Yard, who receives deliveries of non-drinkable water three times a week. “It’s just for showers, flushing your toilet doing your dishes.”
The city council shelved the topic at Tuesday’s work-session meeting, claiming it’s unclear how many residents can afford to pay the fees and contractors necessary to connect their homes, which houses are up to code, and how many homes are owned or rented.
“We have no indication whatsoever at this point that anybody is going to actually tie in to this 20-foot line that we do at taxpayer expense," said Jesse Davis, council member for District 3.
Instead, the council plans to revisit the issue April 21, to give residents and city officials time to see which owners would be able to connect if the water main.
“I do believe this is premature," said John Ryan, council member for District 4. "There are too many unanswered questions."
Habitat for Humanity of Denton County is stepping in to help residents look for ways to pay for the installation and help the city with the logistics.
“We’re assisting with pre-inspection walkthroughs with the homeowners to identify any major issues,” said John Montoya, executive director of Habitat Humanity of Denton County. “We’re also assisting with obtaining deed information regarding the private roads in the subdivision.”
That comes as welcome news for Yard, after a tough few months.
“It’s very frustrating,” Yard said.
While the next scheduled discussion among council members is in April, they agreed to adjust the timeline if new and relevant information comes sooner than that.
More on WFAA: