Let them drink ditch water

Three Ashe County communities are now in dire need of assistance with water and sewer services, but they'll have to look somewhere other than Jefferson for help.

Residents in the Peak Creek community have been suffering for decades from water contamination issues around the old Ore Knob mine. The feds came to town recently to discuss the issues. Heavy metals continue to contaminate household well water and some families rely on bottled water just to get by.

Possible solutions involve a community water/sewer service district. But that ain't going to happen. And Commissioners aren't even concerned enough about these folks to pick up the phone. County Manager Dan McMillan says the county is not in the water and sewer business. Period. End of story.

Peak Creek residents can get in line with folks in Warrensville and Todd. Both of those communities have real needs for a local water and sewer service, but they're not getting any help from the county either. Both are old railroad towns where small lot sizes and geographic impediments make complying with state health laws a challenge to say the least. The Todd Post Office has had to bring in bottled water for years because of bad well water. Both have opportunities for economic growth, but that can't happen without community water and sewer services.

County Commissioners screwed county residents several years ago when Watauga County officials came knocking with an offer to collaborate on creation of a regional water and sewer system. The county got a second dose of stupidity last year when Commissioners refused to fight for the resources of the New River. The Town of Boone now owns all the allowable drinking water from the South Fork of the New River. Any future plans for West Jefferson or Jefferson to draw water from the New will mean paying Boone -- or shipping it in from the moon. Ashe County residents are left in the desert without any leadership.

What exactly is it that Ashe government does again? No water and sewer. No planning. No parks and recreation. No economic development. No Mount Jefferson. But the toilets at the pretty courthouse on the hill are still flushing just fine!

It must be time to fire up the moonshine still and clean the cobwebs out of the outhouse. Welcome to the 19th century, Ashe County!