Share: 

Who is protecting our water in Angola?

October 11, 2019

Who is protecting our water?  On Aug. 8, all five members of the Sussex Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve a 24 hour 7-Eleven quick market/ fueling station with 16 pumps adjacent to a 117-acre source water wellhead on Route 24 and Angola Road. 

Although Angola area homeowners raised concerns about the fueling station being located adjacent to this area which includes the Sarah Run stream and wetlands, not a single commissioner asked a question regarding potential harmful impacts to our source of water and the environment, despite the fact that the 2019 Sussex County Comprehensive Plan states that businesses with hazardous chemicals should not be built adjacent to source water wellheads.

Prevention is the best way to keep water clean. Gas stations and dry cleaners are always listed as companies that should not be located near source water wellheads.

Gov. John Carney recently appointed J. Michael Riemann, PE, engineer and senior associate with Becker Morgan, for a position on the Water Infrastructure Advisory Committee, that provides policy advice and initiates, develops, and recommends projects to the governor and the Delaware General Assembly concerning drinking water and wastewater facilities.

This same J. Michael Riemann, P.E. represented CU2176 KH Sussex, LLC, that is seeking approval for the 7-Eleven fueling station, at the P&Z and county council hearings. Mr. Riemann stated that this is the perfect location.  

Who is protecting our water?  The Sussex County Council? The governor?  The General Assembly? Will someone please step forward.

Bonnie Crawford RN, BSN
Lewes

  • A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.

    To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.