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Updated: 8:28 PM Mar 9, 2010
City of Hurricane Prepares to Respond to Lawsuit
The battle in Hurricane continues after the city started a storm water program to clean and monitor water supplies flowing through their watershed.
Posted: 8:28 PM Mar 9, 2010Reporter: Brooks Jarosz Email Address: brooks.jarosz@wsaz.com |
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7 Comments 
HURRICANE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The battle in Hurricane continues after the city started a storm water program to clean and monitor water supplies flowing through their watershed.
Some neighbors are required to pay the fee, even though they live outside city limits. That led to Putnam County resident John Shannon filing a lawsuit.
In preparation to respond to the lawsuit, city officials say they see this fee as a positive thing that's going to help all of the residents in Putnam County.
"These areas influx water into our watershed, into our reservoir, into our tributaries, into this area," Hurricane City Manager Ben Newhouse said. "We don't want a lot of fecal or anything else coming down through the waterways and affecting kids playing in a creek looking for salamanders -- and it's pretty much that simple."
The lawsuit says it's taxation without representation.
"The bottom line is the City of Hurricane doesn't offer us anything for our money; they want to take from us," Teays Valley resident Robert Wyrick said. "They are off base."
The city's stand is the waterways affect everyone. They charge $18 a year to anyone in their watershed.
"And actually bill within a 20-mile radius if necessary and enter into contractual obligations with other providers to terminate water service if necessary,” Newhouse said. "Again, these are all powers not made up by the city but by the state legislature."
The city says numerous streams in Putnam County are contaminated which is why the Department of Environmental Protection wanted to make Hurricane a model to treat the drinking water and storm sewer water.
It sees storm water as a valuable resource just like water or sewer that should be treated.
Other cities like St. Albans, Milton and Nitro have similar programs to improve water quality, but many people outside the city limits think it's not fair for them to have to pay.
Latest Comments
@Jim Bob. Thank you for the better guesstimates. I agree completely. It is ridiculous. It is criminal. I do plan on writing my representitive. Whatever good that will do. They could care less. Its $19.80 per year for me. Chump change really. But that isn't the point. Its the principle behind it. Its going to rain in Hurricane whether I live here or not. Whether anyone lives here or not. They would still have the same amount of water to deal w/. It won't rain more, b/c I live here. BUNCH OF CRIMINALS!!!
@Resident HURRICANE has around 6,500. Teays Valley/Scott Depot has 12,000 . Those two alone are roughly around $363k per year. 20 mile radius? That would be 500k or more per year. Wouldn't that be running into other municipalities? So, would Hurricane be charging someone in Winfield a watershed tax?
The problem is some of these people, who live WAY outside of the city limits, were never told about the fee. They just received a bill saying they owe this and pay now or get your water shut off. Another way for Hurricane to get more money. Funny that the majority of the people who voted NO to rebuild the schools came from the city of Hurricane.
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