www.roanoke.com

Around 70 concerned citizens from numerous Blue Ridge and Read Mountain/Cloverdale subdivisions served by Aqua Virginia came out Monday night October 26 to hear the battle plan to fight the proposed 69% water increase the company has pending in the Virginia State Corporation Commission. The group assembled in Rainbow Forest Baptist Church. The proposed increase is 3.2 million dollars. Delegate Lacey Putney came to speak to the matter as well.

Blue Ridge Supervisor Billy Martin has spearheaded a campaign in the past month to oppose the rate increase which he has called "outrageous" and "ridiculous." In 2005 the rates were raised about 60% when Aqua Virginia acquired the water company serving the area. Martin has been joined in the effort by Board Chairman and Valley Supervisor Don Assaid who also has constituents served by Aqua Virginia in Apple Tree Village, Steeple Chase, Highland Manor and Cypress Court.Others affected in the increase are Cobblestone, Mountain View, Rainbow Forest, Blue Ridge Heights, Oakwood /Parkview, Stratford Place and White Oak.

"In Blue Ridge, Aqua made about 1.3 million in improvements said Martin. They have made 44 million in improvements state wide. The company serves over 13,000 water customers in Virginia and 2,400 of those are in Blue Ridge alone. They also have about 7,000 waste water customers he noted making Virginia's customers around 20,000. The bulk of the customer base is in upper central and Northern Virginia according to the company website. He also noted the 2008 parent company Aqua America profit of 98 million dollars. Martin noted with the rate increase of $218 per year per customer in Botetourt County, that the 3.2 million would be collected in about two years. "It just seems ridiculous that one area where approximately 3% of the 44 million dollars was spent would end up paying most of it. Doesn't Aqua Virginia have a Capital Improvement fund?" A resident pointed out in May the ocmpany went from billg every three months to every two months at the same rate.

Many in the audience voiced similar views. Resident Dave Price had been to the SCC and studied the case and came with an interesting graph of projections the company has proposed to the SCC. "You must get your Board of Supervisors on fillings like Caroline and other counties have done to fight the rate increase," he said. "Other wise showing isn't going to do any good; you need your county attorney involved."

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the monthly supervisor's meeting, Assaid and Martin brought the matter to the board. Last month the board tabled the matter to await more information. Unfortunately by doing so, the date to file as a respondent as Price  suggested, ended on Oct. 16, according to the county attorney. The best effort left is just to go on record with comments and to offer an amicable support to Caroline and Frederick counties, which did file as respondents.

Petitions were passed out for each of the affected subdivisions. Cobblestone has already passed a petition and 100% of the residents there signed it, said Martin. Members in the crowd passed a hat to raise cash to produce some signs and flyers for voting precincts and area business to get the word out. They plan to have a media frenzy at the next meeting, too. Martin planned to call Greg Odell the Aqua Virginia CEO today to confirm that he will come to a second town hall meeting planned in two weeks.

Putney addressed the assembly particularly about the SCC. "I know taxpayers are weary of increases in anything. Water companies should have reasonable rates for their customers. The General Assembly appoints the three judges on the commission. If you do not like the rate increases the SCC keeps granting, it seems to me that the place to start is in the legislature. this is the most way citizens meet and conduct self government, get your friends and neighbors out to the next meeting. You can count on me to fight unreasonable rate increases." Putney received a round of applause from the crowd.

After the meeting Tamara Gray who lives on Woodlawn brought up several of her water bills. One for $100 for last month and another an August bill for $1,097 due to a leak in her system. She has gotten some of that back. "When I came here in 2007, my water bill was $20 or $30, now look at it. I couldn't get customer service when I had the leak which I had to pay to have fixed. It just seems to me they just keep asking for more and we get less."