THIS IS NOT TRANSPARENCY

Perspective for your consideration … What does it look like when it’s fixed…?

One small example of deception the result of lack of TRANSPARENCY … excerpted from AzOWRA newsletter… Onsite Wastewater Demonstration Project … Several years ago an onsite wastewater demonstration site was created on a portion of land at Northern Arizona University (NAU). This site was designed to test different onsite wastewater treatment technologies using real effluent from real homes-most test sites use sewage diverted from a municipal sewage stream which has different characteristics than household sewage. The demonstration site did not have a funding source and was subsequently mothballed. AzOWRA has made reactivating the site a top goal of the organization. A steering committee made up of AzOWRA members and NAU personnel has been formed. They have worked out the details of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organizations. The site is being set up to accomplish two tasks: 1) to be a training facility for onsite wastewater treatment systems. The training curriculum has not been determined. It is hoped to include soil characterization training and system maintenance. 2) to be a for-fee, third-party test facility.

What is NOT revealed to you, especially those readers in Arizona, is it is YOUR tax money which built and which has supported this NAU testing facility under a EPA grant administered by ADEQ. In as much as this test facility is owned by and on property owned by the citizens of Arizona WHY are they (public) not invited nor provided their rightful place at the head of any negotiation to this MOU achieved solely behind closed doors…? This is NOT transparency.

Review the AzOWRA website to ascertain their members as well as their affiliation. From the outset AzOWRA has been essentially the playground for selected regulators and selected proprietary interests. As I was one of those instrumental in the initial formation and establishing of AzOWRA this was not the intention nor in keeping with its original mission statement.

That the NAU site should be utilized most assuredly has merit, but, denying the public whose $$ built and support$ via taxe$ this facility their rightful place at the head of all decisions respecting the use of this facility is patently wrong.

I fully understand the feeling on the part of the selected AzOWRA and NAU personnel that this is such a small and seemingly insignificant topic it will fly beneath the radar of most all Arizona citizens as well as the Governor and all of our State Legislators and Senators. And, you know, you are probably right…?

To the extent I am able I can expose these forms of NO transparency what action are to be taken are in the hands of others – the people – the public – the voters.


… People should never be afraid of their government, government should always be afraid of the people …