Mayor’s sewer plan is like a runaway train

To the Citizens of Pageland:
Whether you like it or not, you are about to be taken on a bumpy and expensive ride by your mayor. Like the engineer on a runaway train, Mayor Carroll Faile has put Pageland on a collision course that is likely to derail any chance for future job growth. The citizens of Pageland, who are the unsuspecting passengers, will be forced to pay the fare for this costly trip.
What I am referring to is Town Council’s decision last Thursday to stick with our present sewer treatment methods. The Town currently relies on two sewer plants, both of which are old and operating at near their permitted capacity. Upgrading these two plants to meet state regulatory standards and provide additional capacity for growth will add an estimated $4 to $6 per thousand gallons to the cost of treatment. For the average household using 3,000 gallons of water per month, that increase will mean an additional $12 to $18 will be added to their bill every month. In other words, your sewer bill is going to double.
Following this track will also lead to increased pollution of Black Creek and the Lynches River, the two streams where Pageland discharges its treated wastewater. The S.C. Dept. of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) probably will not allow the town to do this because it threatens the habitat of the Carolina Heel Splitter Mussel, an endangered species, which lives in the river.
The mussels in the river are not the only creatures in danger. Two of our biggest employers, Conbraco and Pageland Screen Printers, will be forced to spend thousands of dollars on wastewater treatment systems by 2009 in order to meet new DHEC regulations if the town sticks with its present treatment plants. This will almost certainly stifle job growth at these plants.
New industry is also threatened by the current sewer situation. The town won’t be able to accept any new industries until something is done to create more sewer capacity. The town also won’t be able to serve a proposed housing development to be built on 775 acres west of town. The developer is willing to be annexed, which would mean a substantial boost to the town’s tax base.
Fortunately for Pageland, there is an alternate track that will allow for future growth and won’t cost the citizens an additional dime. That option is to partner with the Alligator and Chesterfield County Rural Water Companies. This plan, which is endorsed by the Town Sewer Committee and the town administrator, calls for running a pipeline from Pageland to McBee to a spray field treatment facility to be operated by the Alligator system.
Because regional partnership projects are much more likely to receive state and federal grants, the citizens of Pageland wouldn’t have to pay the entire cost. In fact, it is estimated that the entire project can be completed at no additional cost to citizens. The chances of Pageland getting any grant money on its own are slim at best.
The Alligator plan also benefits local industries and the environment. DHEC regulations are less strict for wastewater which is discharged in a spray field operation over land, which means the industries won’t have to make costly modifications. Since the wastewater won’t be going into the river, stream quality will be improved.
The Alligator plan calls for running a pipeline along Hwy. 151 all the way to the state line. This would provide sewer service along the entire length of the Pageland bypass, opening up new possibilities for retail and industrial growth. The plan even includes funds for repairing most of the town’s old sewer lines and would refinance existing debt at a lower interest rate.
Compare that with the mayor’s plan, which offers no opportunities for growth, costs more and probably won’t be approved by DHEC anyway. So, why do the mayor and a majority of council favor sticking with our old plants? Only they can answer that question, which is something they failed to do at last Thursday’s council meeting.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time this engineer has sent a train screeching down the tracks with no idea where it would end up. Mayor Faile fought against shutting down the town’s water plant before the decision was finally made to buy our drinking water from Chesterfield County Rural Water and Alligator. The result was Pagelanders had to endure disgusting drinking water for many years and thousands of dollars were wasted on upgrading our water plant before it was ultimately closed. The only way that runaway train was flagged down was by the town’s citizens telling the mayor to stop the madness in a referendum vote.
Hopefully, history won’t repeat itself this time with the town’s sewer plans. But, once again, it appears the only way this train can be stopped is for the passengers to scream loudly enough in protest to wake up the engineer and his crew.
Please contact Mayor Faile and Council members Martha Hamilton, Jimmie Baker and Cathy Smith and ask them to reconsider their decision. Concerned citizens and local business owners should also make plans to attend the next meeting of the Town Council at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4 when I intend to make a motion to reverse the previous motion and contract with Rural Water instead.

Sincerely,
Councilman Brian Hough