Diffle County is rich with water. This life force bubbles out of the ground in our rare and beautiful sand springs which in turn fills our wetlands, streams, rivers, and lakes. The clear nectar pours out of our artesian wells. With a pick and a shovel a homesteader could dig a shallow well in a couple of days and be filling cow troughs within a day after that. Diffle County folks know the water comes from rich aquifers deep under the Pennsylvania mountains. Our streams are clear of silt and full of native fish. We have four trout hatcheries in full operation. The State Fish Commission doesn't stock our lakes. They don't need to. We have plenty. Water has never been a commodity here. Water is a privileged and time-honored right of existence as it should be everywhere. And we take it for granted.
Our elected Diffle County Commissioners never even gave water regulations a second thought. Then Baker Springs Mineral Water Company, Inc. bought Jesse Baker's 120-acre farm, drilled 3 commercial wells, and paved the driveway. Within a few months of their new ownership, Rocky Springs was rolling 30 tanker trucks a day in and out of the old Baker farm, down Diffle County roads, and across Diffle County bridges.
At their next monthly meeting, the commissioners placed "Water Thieving Scoundrel" on their Agenda list for discussion and sent a formal letter to the CEO of Baker Springs Mineral Water Company, Inc. requesting his attendance. The letter, crafted by Doris Black, the commissioners secretary for over 40 years, read like this:
DIFFLE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OFFICE
1 COURTHOUSE SQUARE P.O. BOX 21
NORTH GREENVALE, PA
"Fish, Hunt, and Play and When You're Done- Go Away"
August 10, 2015
Jean Hunter, CEO
Baker Springs Water Co
15 Watercress Dr.
Watertown, NY
Re: Misappropriation of Diffle County Groundwater Water
Dear Mr. Hunt:
You are required to attend the County Commissioners public meeting on August 15, 2015 at 730 p.m. to discuss your removal of county water from our aquifer without a permit or permission.
Seriously Yours,
Donald Tanglelic
Chairman,
Diffle County Commissioners
On August 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the ornately designed County Meeting Room No. 1, in front of a packed house of mostly curious (the usual crowd of meeting groupies) and a few angry citizens (adjoining property owners to the Baker farm), the County Commissioners called the meeting to order. Present and seated at the was Donald Tanglelic, Chairman, Robert Darling, Vice -Chair, and Lawrence Busch, Secretary-Treasurer, County Engineer Douglas Windmere, PE, and David J. Sears, Esq., County Solicitor. Doris Black sat at a side table, her white hair most recently in curls but now coiffed and sprayed in its Sunday church best. Sitting next to Doris was a stenographer hired by Baker Springs to record a transcript of the meeting.
The front row of the audience was reserved and empty, as per the request of Baker Springs. Chairman Tanglelic called the meeting to order, all rose and everyone recited the pledge of allegiance. After the audience was seated, the the representatives of Baker Springs Mineral Water Company, Inc. filed into the room. The first three were attorneys, followed by a hydro-geologist, two engineers, a soil scientist, a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the manager of the facility, and then Jean Hunter, CEO.
Ms. Jean Hunter stood 6'1" tall in heels, had long, dark brown hair that glistened like black velvet and ended in a straight, professional cut in the small of back, just above her derriere. Her movie star figure carried just enough curves and was elegantly displayed in a tight, form fitting black cocktail dress, wholly inappropriate for a county meeting. The room fell into silence as she sat down in the seat directly across from the commissioners. She tightly crossed her legs and looked Chairman Tanglelic, tilting her head slightly to one side, her large brown eyes accentuating the beauty of her lightly freckled face. She wrinkled her upturned nose ever so slightly, and her ruby-red lips parted slightly to reveal her white, television-ready teeth.
"Good evening Commissioners" said Ms. Jean Hunter as she adjusted herself in her seat. "Thank you for reserving the front row. We are a large, loving family and I sometimes forget that we take up a lot of space, I hope we haven't inconvenienced you this evening." She smiled brightly and the room lights appeared to brighten alongside her. All three commissioners melted into their chairs.
" I will forgive you for assuming I was man in your letter to me. I have to admit I was surprised to read your letter and I was concerned from its tone, that you were planning something that would have the potential to harm my business."
"As you can see I brought my lawyers and hydrologists and I could allow them to speak- but they talk with less diplomacy than I do." She smiled at the community leaders. "I want to give something back to your community. And so my firm has been in contact with our financiers and the owners of the largest aquarium in the world. Next month we will submit plans to Diffle County for a state of the art environmental center and aquarium, focusing on the native fish from this area. We estimate the project will cost $265 million dollars and will include a hotel. Are there any questions?"
Deafening silence.
Ms. Hunter stood up and smiled brightly at the commissioners. Then she snapped her fingers and her subordinates leaped to their feet and the entire group marched out of the room, with Ms. Hunter the last to leave, turning back one last time to wave to the room of stunned citizens and their elected officials.
And that is how Difffle County ended up with the Diffle County Aquarium/Hunter Environmental Center and the rest of the country drinks from Baker Springs.
"As you can see I brought my lawyers and hydrologists and I could allow them to speak- but they talk with less diplomacy than I do." She smiled at the community leaders. "I want to give something back to your community. And so my firm has been in contact with our financiers and the owners of the largest aquarium in the world. Next month we will submit plans to Diffle County for a state of the art environmental center and aquarium, focusing on the native fish from this area. We estimate the project will cost $265 million dollars and will include a hotel. Are there any questions?"
Deafening silence.
Ms. Hunter stood up and smiled brightly at the commissioners. Then she snapped her fingers and her subordinates leaped to their feet and the entire group marched out of the room, with Ms. Hunter the last to leave, turning back one last time to wave to the room of stunned citizens and their elected officials.
And that is how Difffle County ended up with the Diffle County Aquarium/Hunter Environmental Center and the rest of the country drinks from Baker Springs.
