Four Monroe County Commissioners publicly addressed about 200 Juliette citizens concerned about contaminated well water at a town-hall meeting at Maynard Baptist Church on Thursday night. Commissioners John Ambrose, George Emami, Larry Evans and Eddie Rowland each stated their support for providing a solution for possible toxic pollutants in private wells in Juliette.
District 4 Commissioner Emami told the audience that the first step is for the county to test 55 wells throughout the county to determine whether Juliette’s drinking water is hazardous and whether its quality is worse than that of the rest of the county. Emami said the second step is for the county to run an independent, third-party test on a dozen wells in close proximity of Juliette’s Plant Scherer to determine whether Plant Scherer’s coal ash storage methods could be the cause of the contaminated water. Emami said county government starts with transparency and these studies are designed to provide clear data about the existence and origin of the alleged contamination that Commissioners can then bring forward to citizens. Emami said, “In order to convince anybody about anything, we have to be convinced ourselves.” Emami said Commissioners intend to act swiftly should the studies reveal any issues with the quality of Juliette’s well water. “We will take immediate action,” he said.
Emami added that if well water in other parts of the county also shows evidence of high levels of Hexavalent Chromium, then Commissioners have an even more serious problem with which to deal.
Emami then delighted many onlookers by publicly stating support for the passage of Georgia House Bill 756 and Georgia Senate Bill 297, which would require Plant Scherer to excavate their present coal ash pond and build a new one with a surrounding liner that would prevent coal ash from seeping into the water table. Emami said Commissioners intend to draft a resolution of support to be sent to the state legislature. Emami said, “We feel that that coal ash needs to go.” Emami told the audience that ensuring the safety of Juliette residents’ drinking water is the most important issue he’s tackled in more than two years as a county commissioner. “This has become the No. 1 priority,” he said.
District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland said the issue makes him think about his children and grandchildren, saying the young people of Juliette shouldn’t grow up without safe water. Rowland then told the audience about meeting with two area residents, Karl Cass and Paul Lindner, on Tuesday and specifically detailing the county’s options for bringing county water to Juliette. Cass later thanked Commissioners publicly for the time they’ve spent trying to find a solution and told attendees that the Commissioners’ board room was the equivalent of a military “war room” with all of the detailed charts and posters on the wall. Rowland added that he had a “frank” conversation on Thursday morning with State House Representative Dale Washburn, who represents Juliette. Rowland, who dined with Washburn at a legislative breakfast at the Georgia state capitol, said he told the District 141 Representative a story about how he used to dump oil on the ground as a child, not knowing the harmful effects it had on the environment. He said once he knew better, he stopped doing it, drawing a comparison to new research indicating the potential harmful effects of coal ash and suggesting it’s time for better methods of coal ash storage.
District 1 Commissioner Larry Evans told audience members that he served in the military during the Vietnam War, and said soldiers knew even then that they were potentially drinking “poison water” in Vietnam. Evans said that experience helped him realize that providing safe drinking water is among the most essential general welfare items a government can provide. However, Evans cautioned citizens to be patient and not to jump to conclusions on the cause of the issue until testing is complete. A citizen later asked Evans if he too supports drafting a resolution championing the current legislative bills putting restrictions on coal ash handling, and he responded that he does.
District 3 Commissioner John Ambrose, who represents Juliette, said Commissioners will use all of the influence they can to get State Legislators to support the coal ash storage bills. Ambrose also thanked his fellow Commissioners and other county leaders for their hard work on a difficult issue.
“We’ve got one of the best Commissions, and our county government is in the best shape it’s been in in years.”
