Farmers still must plant crops
4/17/2013Your April 8 editorial “Save Lake Erie” states that farmers in the Maumee watershed “will need to curb runoff by leaving land fallow near ditches and streams that feed into the lake.”
If you get into farm country, you will see huge rolls of black flexible plastic pipe and a machine that buries it. This pipe is used to drain standing water from crop fields and is not near ditches and streams. But this water drains into ditches, streams, Maumee Bay, and Lake Erie.
So do you want farmers not to plant at all? We’ve got to get rid of the phosphorus in fertilizer.
RONALD FISHER
Northwood
Papal coverage in Blade was tops
During the time that the new Pope was selected, my wife and I were in India and England to visit two of our sons and their families. We read the papal stories in Indian and English newspapers and in the international edition of the New York Times.
When we arrived home, I read The Blade editions that we missed so I would be current on local events. I was astonished by The Blade’s vast amount of coverage of the papal events. Your coverage was thorough and different from what we had seen.
It is great that the Block News Alliance endured the expense of sending a reporter to Vatican City. Electing a Pope occurs only a few times in our adult lifetimes. I suspect many of your readers are thankful.
As we read about many papers in cities our size going out of business and some, such as the Cleveland Plain Dealer, announcing that they will limit their home delivery to three days a week, I am delighted that The Blade is in an economic position to do a few extra things.
BOB SAVAGE
Kenwood Boulevard
Toledo water rate costly outside city
A letter writer asked whether other municipalities that buy Toledo water will pay more (“Other customers to pay water hike?”, Readers’ Forum, April 6). The answer is yes.
Municipalities that purchase water from Toledo are charged an exorbitant add-on fee. This fee is levied on top of the price that Toledo residents pay for their water.
The arrangement has been in use for many years. Municipalities that buy Toledo’s water are in effect subsidizing water rates for residents of the city of Toledo.
TOM PAPADEMOS
Sylvania
Suburban water bills high enough
I hope that the City of Toledo doesn’t pass on the increased cost of water to the suburbs, because our water and sewer bill is high enough already.
In 2012, I paid $438.05 for gas to heat my home, but paid $894.84 for water and sewer service, even though water for lawn sprinklers is included in our quarterly homeowner association fee.
ROMAINE STAWOWY
Perrysburg