SCC representatives meet angry Ladysmith residents
By Ed Simmons, Jr.
cpreporter@lcs.net
Ladysmith Fire Station was packed Tuesday night, January 19, as residents angry at Aqua Virginia for raising water rates yet again met with State Corporation Commission representatives invited by Sen. Ryan McDougle.
Supervisors Wayne Acors, Floyd Thomas, Jeff Sili and Maxie Rozell attended, but there's little the county can do.
"The problem is it's a private water company dealing with the SCC and the county doesn't have much influence," said Supervisor Thomas. "We have however filed testimony that we feel the rate increase is out of line."
Some Ladysmith residents pay water bills as high as $200, even $300. Aqua Virginia monopolizes water service in small communities from Maine to Texas, and boasts success at convincing state corporation commissions to grant them hefty rate increases.
The SCC's Senior Utilities Analyst Marc Tufaro and Assistant Director Cody Walker told residents of Lake Land'or, Campbell's Creek and Bridlewood at Tuesday's meeting to file complaints by February 17 on the agency's website at www.scc.virginia.gov/case/PublicComments.aspx, by scrolling down to PUE-2009-00059.
Written complaints can also be mailed to the SCC.
Tufaro said he will present an analysis of the complaints to the three SCC judges at a hearing February 24 at the Tyler Building, 1300 E. Main St., in Richmond, starting at 9:45 a.m.
"People are at the end of their rope," said Lake Land'or resident Linda Fifield, who plans to attend. Residents are trying to save money by not flushing toilets and not washing cars, she added. One family she knows has cut telephone service so they can pay for water.
"Aqua Virginia has no concept of families living from week to week. They need to put humanity before greed and profit. They're too big. They have to be stopped."
She voiced appreciation for the efforts of Supervisor Acors and Sen. McDougle.
Acors said he intends to attend the February 24 hearing and wants to see the rate increases of December 1 "rolled back."
"The evidence is there that the rate increase is not appropriate," he said.
