By Molly Moorhead, Times Staff Writer
Friday, January 7, 2011
NEW PORT RICHEY — Aqua Utilities, which has been under fire from its customers over a proposed rate hike, won a court victory Friday when a jury decided that the private utility was not responsible for flooding and other problems at a home on Fox Hollow Drive.
George and Donna Demint sued Aqua in 2006 over standing water in their yard that they alleged was raw sewage from Aqua's nearby plant that serves Jasmine Lake Estates. The Demints and their neighbors, who are not Aqua customers, testified about foul-smelling water flooding their yards and seeping into their homes. The Demints had to move out in 2005 because of mold growing in the house.
But attorneys for Aqua presented expert testimony that the problems were caused by stormwater runoff and a shallow water table that overflowed during heavy rainy seasons beginning ...