‘SHAME ON THEM!’ SAYS CHAIRMAN

Nottoway Supervisors have marked their calendars for a DEQ public hearing next Wednesday, April 24th, in Farmville for Prince Edward County’s proposed water withdrawal from the Sandy River Reservoir.

Prince Edward’s proposal includes building a water treatment plant at that 740-acre reservoir and serving three state facilities in the Town of Crewe — a move strongly opposed by Nottoway officials.

“I will fight this until the day I die!” Board Chair John Roark declared during a worksession last Tuesday night, April 9th. NO COMMENTS

Next Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. hearing on what DEQ describes as a “controversial permit,” will be held in the Prince Edward High School gym, but no new comments will be accepted — only discussion on comments already submitted.

About the best officials can do next week is be seen.

Supervisors last week said they wouldn’t have known about next week’s hearing if not for citizen Sonny Abbott, who’s on a DEQ mailing list.

Abbott addressed officials last week and said he didn’t receive a mailing about a previous hearing held March 5th. “I would hope that someone of some influence other than Sonny Abbott shows up at that meeting, and suggests that this permit — although it might be fine for Prince Edward — is not something that needs to cross the border from Prince Edward into Nottoway County.” ‘ON TOP OF A LANDFILL’

Chairman Roark and other officials said the cheaper solution for the state is to let the Town of Blackstone serve the state facilities and the Town of Crewe. Roark said there’s “plenty of water” available in Nottoway County.

Supervisor Daphne Norton said Prince Edward is seeking “to bring us water from a reservoir they built on top of a contaminated landfill. I know that for a fact. That reservoir sits on an old landfill.” STATE VS. COUNTY

County Administrator Steve Bowen, a retired long-time Piedmont Geratric Hospital employee, warned, “If the state wants to take a water line to a state facility, I don’t think the County can do anything about it.”

Abbott said Prince Edward’s move shouldn’t come without Nottoway’s blessing and certainly not over Nottoway’s objection. “I thought we still had some degree of sovereignty in our county.”

Roark agreed and said efforts are being made in Richmond to circumvent state law but he will fight.

And Roark said he guarantees that nowhere in Prince Edward’s proposal to the state “is a sentence or one word uttered that they are CRIPPLING a poverty-stricken county, which would cause taxes to be raised exorbitantly to provide basic services….Shame on any State Delegate or anyone else who would support it.” DATA CENTER MOTIVE

“What’s their agenda?” asked Supervisor Bo Toth.

Toth was told Prince Edward is trying to attract data centers.

But first, noted Supervisor Bill Collins, Prince Edward needs funding to build an estimated $70 million water plant, “and they can’t get that $70 million if they don’t have existing customers.”

The three state facilities — VCBR, Nottoway Correctional Center, and Piedmont Geriatric Hospital — account for 60% of Crewe’s annual water revenue.

Roark predicted that securing those three institutions as customers would qualify Prince Edward for large grants. ‘DESECRATE’ CREWE

“I’m livid that our legislative officials would be willing to DESECRATE a town,” declared District Three rep Norton, whose district split Crewe with Roark’s District Two.

Roark said the end result will hurt all three towns — Blackstone, Crewe, and Burkeville and all other county taxpayers.

Supervisor Norton said her late mother lived in Crewe and had an average water and sewer bill of about $105 per month and that it will likely increase if Prince Edward is the provider. “People on fixed incomes cannot absorb this.”

Supervisor Dicky Ingram said that from what he’s read, data centers can consume up to 3 million gallons of water per day. “They want to have enough capacity to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got enough capacity to have a data center here.’”

Abbott said Prince Edward proposes to withdraw 9 million gallons of water per day and up to 1.7 Billion gallons a year. PIPE DREAM

Supervisor Norton asked if an economic impact study has been conducted or if other studies have been completed “to prove that much water volume actually exists?”

She also pointed out that easements haven’t been obtained for any proposed water line. “I’m gonna be dead before they do this.”

Roark said he will continue to fight. “They ain’t comin’ in here just because they want a data center.” MORE BANG FOR BUCK

For its three facilities in Crewe, the state has received water proposals from both Prince Edward County and the Town of Blackstone and also is planning to make available some $24 million available to the prevailing party to run water lines.

Roark said state money will go farther with Blackstone. “They can run new lines, bigger lines up here for less money…if the state’s got that much money to throw at Prince Edward, they can throw a third of it this way and we can get it taken care of.”

Supervisor Ingram agreed.

Roark said Blackstone’s current plant can be upgraded with state funds for far less money than what building a new water treatment plant would cost. DANGEROUS PRECEDENT

Roark said that what happens in Nottoway bears watching for the rest of the Commonwealth. “Taxpayers across Virginia need to pay attention.”

Supervisor Collins predicted that if Crewe customers become dependent on Prince Edward, they’ll be subject to higher rates and the Town will make less margin on water sales. “Why would you want somebody else setting your rate?”

Collins also said a proposed pipeline meets obtaining easements from Nottoway landowners. “Then you’re looking at eminent domain cases and then you’re gonna start paying attorneys. Let Nottoway handle this.”

Collins said letting Blackstone serve Crewe and the state facilities would save the state an estimated $30 million.

Chairman Roark warned, “You also gotta figure this — anytime they want to avoid a tax increase in Prince Edward, they’re gonna put it on the water coming this way.” DONE DEAL?

Bowen predicted that if DEQ is going through the process of holding a hearing, “and it’s about building a water plant, somebody has already made-up their mind.”

Toth asked if water from Blackstone or from Prince Edward would improve water quality inside the Town of Crewe. Supervisor Norton said, “They’ve got to replace the lines to improve quality.”

Chairman Roark said, “Nottoway can handle this water problem without any intervention from Prince Edward…We can do it. We have the capacity. If the state wants to spend three times the amount of money, then shame on them, shame on them.”

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