Who will be to blame?

Regarding the proposed student housing on university-owned watershed close to State College wells, something that puzzles me is how Toll Brothers can be so determined to go ahead when there is so much bitter feeling against them.

It seems that what the residents of State College want — what they fear will be the result of the building — is simply of no interest to them. They have invested in plans, and they mean to have their profit. It is a matter of money. They will build their houses and then go away.

Penn State, on the other hand, will not go away. It will be left here as the villain. This is the last thing that I want. I would like to think of the university as the big brother, who nurtures his smaller sibling, the town.

Yet, if our water is not so clean, I’m afraid that Penn State will be blamed — perhaps even held liable for the provision of a water treatment plant, if that is found to be necessary. After all, it would not seem fair to expect State College residents to pay for a water treatment plant because the university sold its watershed land to a housing developer.

It is really difficult for me to believe that money matters more than anything else to Penn State. After all, “safe and abundant water” is mentioned in its 2016-20 strategic plan. So I very much hope that it will save us from this imminent disaster.

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 10:42 PM with the headline "Who will be to blame?."