Thank you in advance for listening.

We all know about the dangerous unlined, unfenced, and under monitored open sewage lagoons in the county. I am here to ask the Board to act with all deliberate speed to stop these illegal practices. Even as we speak, they could be seeping pollutants into our drinking water aquifer. At any time a storm could overwhelm the un-maintained berms and seriously damage wetlands.

What if a terrorist was threatening the County with a “pollution time bomb”? Would you act immediately to defuse the bomb? Why not in this case?

The Virginia Department of Health has completely dropped the ball in its responsibilities to protect the public in this case. Ammonia and nitrate levels are at unacceptable levels and have been for years yet VDH has not enforced groundwater testing requirements.

Let us appreciate that the County is NOT in the business of providing septage disposal, guaranteeing prices, or guaranteeing the profits of the commercial enterprises that do. There ARE alternative sites for disposing of septage from this County and there ARE alternative companies. Septage disposal is a business that needs to operate within laws set to protect the public and the environment. Let us NOT be blackmailed. Let us no longer accept excuses from operators that have known for years, possibly decades, that they are not complying with the law.

In the LONG term, the County should have its own modern sewage disposal facility. In the MEDIUM term, septage service operators should build safe, monitored lagoons, For RIGHT NOW, closing these leaking lagoons and requiring their remediation is the quickest and most cost-effective way to get safe septage disposal.

See www.saveournecks.com for details.