HOW I SEE IT: Say no to Angler’s water and sewer plan

Geraldine Schneider
Published: May 20, 2008

Culpeper County residents delegate authority to the Board of Supervisors, confident that their tax money will be distributed with wisdom and discretion — a tremendous responsibility.

Relying on their capable representation, the residents feel tranquil to devote their efforts to personal professional occupations, raising and educating children, running a farm, etc.

This does not mean the citizenry loses sight or interest in the work of the board. Lately, there have been ample indications of a growing feeling of unease, expressed in this newspaper and on the street.

A large percentage of Culpeper residents are ignorant of the projected relationship being considered with a company of questionable business reputation. Angler Development serves as project manager for Culpeper Utility Partners. Their unsolicited proposal to build a $100 million water and sewer system for the county ignores the side effects on environment and community life.
Angler’s team of lawyers and experts has presented a volume of arguments to convince our Board of Supervisors of the advantages they will offer. Their grandiose presentation is impressive — but is it not out of proportion in the location they have chosen, involving extensive lines of piping to serve proposed residential and industrial projects?
They do not consider the unnecessary destruction of property and endangering the supply and purity of the underground water and Mountain Run in the Brandy Station and Stevensburg area, where the sewer plant is not needed.
At the insistence of Angler, the plans and conditions have been in closed sessions, behind closed doors labeled “confidential.” Before the decisions become too advanced, would it not be proper to inform the affected public of the proposals and hear the overwhelming number of constituents who, equipped with unrefutable facts and figures, oppose this proposal? Angler says, “No”!
Angler has handicapped our Board of Supervisors by demanding that no information be released until they are ready. This company has been in financial difficulties, including an involvement with bankruptcy and some strong negative feelings from other localities.
A group of neighbors and friends with the same concerns have been meeting and invited the members of the board individually to join us, informally, to discuss and clarify our preoccupations. Each very kindly did his or her best within the limitations for secrecy set by Angler. Our objections are backed by research and personal investigation, and the group is growing. Hundreds have come forward to sign a petition for saying “No” to Angler.
The Angler project foresees in the distant future megahousing developments to provide taps for financing their MegaWater and Sewer Treatment Plant.
We have in Culpeper what other towns are seeking — by trying with restoration to recover what they destroyed in the name of progress as interpreted by megacompanies such as Angler.

Geraldine Schneider is a 58-year resident of Brandy Station.