March 2025 began much the same way as March 2024, with The Town of Marlinton trying to explain why certain decisions have been made, plus the effects those decisions will have on residents of our Town.
First of all, please remember that all council members are residents, too. We have to pay fees and comply with ordinances to the best of our ability like everyone else.
Last year, the Town was in the process of submitting an application to become a Municipal Home Rule City. That process was approved at a meeting of the Home-Rule Board on July 17, 2024 in Charleston. That program will be implemented this July 1, 2025.
This year, the Town is closing in on the beginning of a combined water, sewer and stormwater project that has been in the planning for more than five years – to address a problem that goes back decades.
To make a long story short, there is no way the Town can avoid future fines and comply with current DEP regulations without the completion of this project. Is it going to be expensive? YES. Can the project be put off longer? Only if the Town wants to continue to pay fines for not being in compliance, and that can be expensive, too!
At the time of the 1972 Clean Water Act, “dilution was still considered a solution to pollution.” Having said that, everyone should understand this and defend the process, if you can. The Town’s two greatest violations are a result of one issue. Simply put, we have “too much clean water” in a 50- to 100-year-old collection and treatment system.
The collection system contains terra-cotta tile that allows rain and ground water into the collection system. The second part of this same issue is too much abundant clean water. This fact makes the “85% removal rate of certain containments” literally impossible for our current mode of treatment.
The other part of too much clean water makes the other “violation” equally impossible to deal with. The Town discharge limits, on rainy days or during wet weather, exceeds our water sales by two to three times. (By the way – if a one-inch rain event fell only on the surface of the lagoons themselves, that is enough rainwater to cause exceedances of the Towns National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Based on population and water sales, the Town is allowed 200,000 gallons of discharge per day. Also, for public information, this permit costs the Town about $2,500 per year.
Also, with regard to the water distribution lines, the planned improvements to the water distribution system will help reduce the amount of lost water and will speed up leak detection repairs by way of new pipe, valves and leak detection meters.
Who wants to raise utility rates? Nobody! But, realize we are presently at about 50% of grant dollars for the cost of the project. There would be no guarantees to maintain any funding by waiting five or 10 more years, or until the perfect time. This may be as good as it gets. The Infrastructure Council or Public Service Commission will not allow the Town to borrow more than we can afford to pay back. Waiting will result in increased costs.
Sam