"Gringo" Buys Talamanca Aqueduct
An unidentified "gringo" has purchased the Bribri aqueduct located in the first distict of Talamanca for a reported us& million dollars. The purchase was made from Fernando Chávez Altamarino who has owned the land that holds the aqueduct.

The news of the purchase was made public by Jesús Porras Ovares, treasurer of the administrative board of the local aqueduct.

"Effectively the 'gringo' purchased from Fernando Chávez the land where the aqueduct is located and is now offering to sell us 80 hectares for ¢50 million colones (us$97.000), so that we can continue to have wate rin the community:, said Porras.

The aqueduct supplies potable water to some 430 families in the area at a cost of ¢1.120 per month, a rate authorized by te Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep).

Porras added that it is true that there has been no water in the last few weeks and not related to the purchase, but, rather to a drout that has hit that part of the country and that the adminstrative board had recently purchased a larger capacity pump to better the water service.

Chávez said that he had tried to sell his land to the Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) and the local municipality but got tired of waiting for them to give him a response and decided to sell to the "gringo".

A neighbour who asked to remain anonymous said that the "gringo" is planning on installing a plant for bottled water. The area resident added that it is a shame that such an important natural resource are in the hands of one person, moreso, a foreigner.