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Sewer Documents

General

Sewer costs : comparison of different providers

Leaky Sewer Pipes

Septic Systems

Summary of USGS studies 1961-2002

EPA Manual for Onsite Treatment (20 Mbytes)

EPA Manual for Pollution Permits (Technical Support Document for Water Quality-based Toxics Control, 27 Mbytes)

WV manual for mixing zones & pollution permits (41 Kbytes)

Water Documents

Listener Environment & Climate Page

Charles Town Sewer Plant

Developers' Sewer Plants

Criticism of injecting sewer effluent into groundwater by Burke & Faulkners (12/04)

Response by state (3/05)

Hearing by WV PSC on agreements among county PSD, Old Standard, Thorn Hill (12/14/04)

Hearing by WV PSC on Old Standard (two days: 8/9/05 and 8/10/05)

Comments to DEP on Old Standard Quarryproposed sewer plant (11/04)

 from Harpers Ferry Conservancy

 from Burke

 fromRisslers

 from severalco-signers

 fromFaulkners

 hearing 1/10/05 & comment period through 1/20/05 & addresses & inquiries

Draft standard agreement for developers to build small sewage plants(package plants)

State decision that such an agreement needs full hearing & certificate of convenience & necessity (3/24/04)

State endorsement of a complaint against two agreements (9/14/04)

County Sewer Plant

Applications to state for $40 million for Evitts & Flowing Springs plants, 5/06

Application to state for $20 million for Evitts Run plant 3/17/06

Application to state for $20 million for Flowing Springs Run plant 3/17/06

Water Advisory Committee comments on county proposal at Cattail 11/15/03

Matt Ward's Summary & comments on county sewer study 8/1/00
Jefferson County Water Advisory Committee critique of Cattail Sewer Plant (2003)
State's initial rejection of Cattail sewer plant
Burke's 12/03 comments on lack of need to expand Shepherdstown treatment plant

Address for state Dept. of Environmental Protection:You can sign up to get email notices about comment periods in your county at http://www.wvdep.org/MailingLists.cfm When a comment period starts, email comments to with case# and convincing statements of how the proposal hurts or helps water quality & violates or complies with environmental rules. You can also email request for application, fact sheet, draft permit, old permit, and other information in the file. You may or may not get that information before the comment deadline. After they receive all comments & decide what to do, they issue a "Responsiveness summary" saying why they were or were not convinced by the comments. If you don't like their final decision, and if you are affected (e.g. swim, boat, fish, or use the water downstream), you can appeal within 30 days of their decision to the WV Environmental Quality Board. Instructions are on their website. They will schedule a hearing in Charleston in a couple of months, where you and DEP present your case, and any witnesses you want, to convince the 5-member board that you are right & DEP was wrong. Either side can than appeal to Kanawha County Circuit Court if necessary.

A much fuller description of the DEP process is at http://listenv.homestead.com/files/permits.htm

Address for state Public Service Commission (PSC): To have rights when PSC reviews rate increases or other actions, you need to "protest & intervene" as soon as possible. Fax "protest & request to intervene" with case# and brief statement of how it affects you as soon as possible, then send signed original plus 12 copies to:

Sandra Squire, Executive Secretary
WV Public Service Commission
P.O. Box 812
Charleston, WV 25323
Tel: 800-344-5113 or 304-340-0300 Fax: 304-340-0325

Also deliver copies personally or by certified mail, return receipt requested to all "parties" in the case (150 CSR 1-12.6). The links for the "orders" below show names & addresses of the parties, or you can ask the PSC at 800-344-5113, 304-340-0300.

Your protest will be part of the record but barely considered. If they let you "intervene" they'll listen much more, you'll be kept informed, you can crossexamine witnesses and present detailed evidence at any hearing, and can respond to others' arguments. Your PSC letter needs two brief parts: To intervene, you have to show how this harms you personally. To change the project, you have to show how it hurts the general public good.

They don't invite positive statements, but you can probably send them anyway. You can go toenter case#, click on it when it's highlighted, then click "View Activities." Orders of PSC & judge can be read online . You can request copies of other documents (same fax#).

My understanding about the kind of issues you can "protest & intervene" are if:

1. Utility can't manage well.
2. Operators lack experience to run the proposed project.
3. Distraction from existing duties
4. Poor location
5. Issues of plant design

6. Costs to customers would be high

I believe:
(a) you also need to say how you are personally affected,
(b) how the public in general is affected,
(c) include the case# above,
(d) a "protest" is heard once, but you will not be heard again later,
(e) an "intervention" means they will keep you informed & you can say more later (after the fax, an intervenor needs to send a signed original & 12 copies by regular mail to the address above, and one to the utility and any other party who is mentioned in the orders of the case, these must be delivered personally or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested).

I am no lawyer nor specialist in sewers, so any corrections & other issues to raise would be helpful.

Websites To Track State Actions

Hear about future pollution permits in your county, or state-wide
Pollutants discharged by Sewer Systems (you can select Jefferson County WV)

Search for active pollution permit applications or here
Search for WV Public Service Commission rulings or here

Search for list of documents filed at Public Service Commission

Form for Complaints to the state about sewers & other utilities: html or pdf

Sewers+utilities, WV rules from PSC

Links To Other Information

Clearinghouse on sewage treatment & septic

Overview of water pollution permits

Engineer's view of small alternative treatment systems

USGS study of Jefferson County groundwater

County sewer/water board webpage (PSD-Public Service District)

Sewer & water, Jefferson County ordinance