TWSA board hears about Cashiers sewer treatment plant problems

By Rose Hooper

Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Executive Director Jerry King, center, gestures toward the spot for any expansion of the existing Cashiers sewer treatment plant. Before their Tuesday (Nov. 14) meeting at the Carlton Library, TWSA board members toured the 100,000-gallon a day facility. During the meeting, a number of residents on nearby Zeb Alley Road expressed concern about health issues related to the plant.

Soon after some 175 concerned citizens packed the small Albert Carlton Library meeting room, TWSA board members discovered the moratorium on sewer expansion was not the crowd's only concern. Instead, the board was surprised to hear about large wharf rats from Flo Smith and Kathy Kimsey, who live near the sewer treatment plant.

TWSA board member Ann Cabe urged the residents to contact the county health department - immediately.

After the rats, speakers complained about the racket and the smell caused by the sewer plant. Residents who live on Zeb Alley Road near the plant have to put up with all three, they told the TWSA board.

Smith said she knew the treatment plant needed to be expanded, "but don't expand it in our area,"she said. "Move it out of the residential area."

Prior to the meeting, TWSA board members toured the plant, many remarking on how quiet they thought it was. "To me, it's merely a hum,"said Marion Jones of the enclosed blowers.

The 100,000-gallon-a-day plant is operating at capacity, and future development is limited with the current moratorium. In TWSA's 20-year study, compiled by W.K. Dickson of Asheville, expansion of the Cashiers plant is not projected until 2004. But individually failing septic systems and rapid business growth can't wait until 2004 to be remedied, Cashiers residents contend.

After Mark Lassiter told the TWSA board that "not everybody in Cashiers feels like the town must grow,"Monica Lica said, "Growth in our area is getting out of control. But Cashiers doesn't need to be owned by a monopoly, and that's what it would be if developers controlled the sewer plant."

Lica was referring to a group of Cashiers developers and businessmen who had proposed purchasing a used sewer treatment plant to double Cashiers capacity, bringing it up to 200,000 gallons per day. In exchange for putting up the $1 million needed to purchase the plant, the developers wanted to reserve 80,000 gallons of the additional 100,000 for their own use. TWSA rejected that proposal.

Citing the ever-increasing sewage build-up, Ralph Nichols said he felt the issue was a health hazard that can't be handled by TWSA, or even Jackson County. Since the discharge flows into the Chattooga River, "it affects more people than just us here in Cashiers. This is a state problem, and we should go directly to our new governor, Mike Easley, with it."

Several small factions brought their own agendas to Tuesday's meeting. After hearing from several of them, including Bonnie Schley of the Cashiers Water Council, Chamber of Commerce member John Hale said he would like to see "all these little groups come together."

"Cashiers is going to have to pull together as a town before we can come up with solutions to our sewer problems,"agreed Arlene Carlton.

Attorney Ed Henson, representing several concerned citizens, said his group was "looking into the possibility of a sewer district. Now we don't have any proposals or answers yet, but we're working on alternatives and solutions."

"I would encourage you to form a sanitary district of your own - or incorporate,"TWSA attorney Raymond Large responded.

"I think if you formed your own district, we would give you the sewer plant,"said TWSA member Keith Ward.

Hamilton Arnall wanted to know if the authority could float tax-free bonds. When Large replied affirmatively, Arnall suggested TWSA take that route.

Buzz Williams of the Chattooga Conservancy said before TWSA takes any action, it should first "determine the will of the people."

Along those same lines, J.B. Hooper said to take the public interest at heart rather than the interest of developers.

"As a community, we need some planning,"Hooper said. "We don't want to wake up one morning and say, ŒWhat in the heck happened?'"

Both during the meeting and afterwards, citizen after citizen thanked the board members for not accepting the expansion proposal from the Cashiers businessmen. TWSA's next board meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12, at the authority's Sylva headquarters.

Back to Archive: 11/16/00.