Issue Updates, Winter-Spring 2006
Trash Trucks on Rt. 211: Currently, it is rare to see a trash truck on Rt. 211 heading for Page County's Battle Creek Landfill, which reopened last September under Page County control. This might change, possibly by July, if the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) approves amendments the Page County Board of Supervisors has requested to its permit. According to the Page News and Courier, the amendments will sanction design changes to the landfill and could raise the limit of trash taken in from 250 tons per day to a limit of 750 tons per day. While the board is looking toward a goal of 500 tons per day, the landfill was built to handle 750 tons per day, which was not in compliance with the original permit, and the board would like the permit to match the capacity. Currently, about 100 tons per day are being processed.
Junk Cars: Removal of junk vehicles in the county is progressing. Paraphrasing Rappahannock County Code, Section 170-31, a property owner can keep as many inoperable or junk vehicles as wanted as long as they are within a fully enclosed structure. In addition, on a lot of one-half acre up to one acre, one such vehicle may be exposed to public view. On less than a half-acre, no such vehicle may be exposed; and on one acre or more, two may be exposed. In all cases, the exposed vehicles must be upright and not in any required yard, for example, the setback area (the land between a building and a road). Exceptions from these regulations are vehicles that have been in place since 1973 or before and farm equipment, which are grandfathered in and may be left where they are. The county has a contractor who will haul away inoperable or junk vehicles that were on a property when it was purchased, provided the new property owner signs a release. There is no charge to the property owner. The County Administrator's Office has a form for such action. The county will not haul away inoperable or junk vehicles belonging to the current owner of a property. Rural counties once had no public landfill or any other easy way of disposing of unwanted vehicles, hazardous materials, or other waste, and most farms had an informal dump on them to handle the problem. Today, environmental sensibilities and regulations are changing. Potential property owners often include removal of abandoned vehicles in the property purchase agreement.
Town of Washington's Comprehensive Plan, and Water and Sewer Issues: The Town's comprehensive plan was scheduled to gain final approval at the Town Council's February meeting. The Crom Corporation is to build the town's new water storage tank (reservoir) with a capacity of 250,000 gallons for $467,500. Concerns are being expressed by those who own property along the Rush River and by other county citizens over the town's plan for a wastewater treatment facility with a design capacity of 60,000 gallons per day. Effluent is to be discharged into the Rush River, which is the main area of concern. Citizens have formed Friends of the Rush River to investigate the full impact of the waste on the river and to determine whether additional citizen input would be beneficial. A public hearing will be held in Rappahannock County, tentatively at 6:30 p.m. on March 28, to take public comments on the draft DEQ permit for the sewage treatment plant and its discharge.
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