Dear Editor,

This letter is intended to inform residents of Camp Conley and Point Pleasant about issues concerning their sewer systems.

The Mason County Public Service District (PSD) has a problem with the Lakin Sewer System, and the state is mandating that it be corrected. In response to the demands of the state, the PSD used a $70,000 grant from the governor’s office for a study to define the sewer problem and suggest methods for correction.

The study was completed and returned different solutions. One was to pump all the sewage from Lakin, Camp Conley and the areas in between to Point Pleasant. In that scenario, the plan also includes shutting down the Lakin and Camp Conley plants.

One of the big questions that should concern Camp Conley people is that the PSD still owes money on the treatment plant. It looks as if they will have to continue to pay for that plant and the added cost of bringing their sewage to Point Pleasant.

The PSD, in its application to the West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council, indicates that if the sewage comes to Point Pleasant, rates could increase to more than $10 per 1,000 gallons. I would like to add here that in March 2007, representatives of the PSD attended a council meeting in Point Pleasant, which was the last time they were before the city council. Since then, all communication from the PSD has been second-hand information, yet they submitted their application to WVIJDC to bring the sewage to Point Pleasant and this committee approved it at a cost of around $6 million. Needless to say, all of this comes down to increased costs for the consumer.

Camp Conley residents must start asking questions of the PSD board and county commission to find out why they might be helping pay the sewage bills for the Lakin Correctional Center, Lakin Hospital, state police detachment and businesses that are built in that area in the future.

Sincerely,

Sam Juniper,

Point Pleasant