POUND, Va. (WJHL) – The Town of Pound, Virginia has relinquished its water and sewer services after the Virginia Attorney General’s Office presented the town with an ultimatum.
According to Town Manager Drew Mullins, the Virginia Attorney General’s Office informed the Pound Town Council they could either consolidate their water services with Wise County Public Service Authority or face litigations.
Mullins said the town council voted unanimously on Thursday morning to consolidate. An exact amount of fines the town faced in regards to its sewer issues was not released.
The decision comes after the Virginia Department of Health issued advisories related to the town’s continuous release of sewage into the Pound River. The Dickenson County Board of Supervisors threatened the town with legal action in May if the issue was not resolved.
The consolidation does not immediately take effect, Mullins told News Channel 11. Details like the jobs within the water treatment facility are still being worked out between the town and Wise County PSA.
Mullins said the offer to consolidate has actually been on the table for Pound since 2020 after the Virginia Resources Agency (VRA) conducted a study on Pound’s water services in 2019. The results of the study recommended that the town consolidate at the time.
VRA informed town officials they would not be eligible to receive state funding to fix the issues within the treatment plant since a town official, Tamari Hayes, was indicted on charges of embezzlement earlier this year.
Mullins believes the decision to consolidate satisfies all parties currently involved in the river debacle, including the Dickenson County Board of Supervisors, the Virginia Department of Health and the Attorney General’s Office.
