WolfgangCommiss
1Airwolf
I am very proud to have worked with 11 of the candidates for COunty Commissioner in Charles County, bith Democrats and Republicans, to light a fire under the sitting Commissioners to correct the shocking and dangerous problem of fecal bacteria in Charles County waterways. As you probably know, a man who was swimming in contaminated water this summer died from resulting infections.
The latest tests show fecal bacteria levels (most likely from human waste from sewage treatment plant discharges and leaking septic systems) in some place to be 28 time the acceptible limits for human contact. Large areas of the Port Tobacco River, Nanjemoy Creek, Neale Sound, Cuckold Creek, and Wicomico River have been ordered closed to human contact by the Charles County Health Department.
In an historic event, Commissioner candidates from both parties, even those who were running against each other, sat down in my office and crafted a letter to the sitting commissioners. Our sole purpose was to take this emergency issue, which the sitting Commissioners have treated as, perhaps issue 97 out of their top one hundred issues to deal with, and rocket it up to the top five. We believe we did so.
There has been some belly aching, and ruffled feathers on the part of sitting Commissioners, who claim that they have been working hard on the issue. Some have done some work on this. They have worked to get the Health Department to agree to test the waters, and post warning signs. They have also worked with the Port Tobacco River Conservancy to allow volunteers to take samples, and to track data, and to find grant money for future actions.
But in the three years since the problems of the Port Tobacco River have been discovered and tested, no government action has resulted in one leaking septic system being repaired, nor have any of the problems with the La Plata wastewater treatment plant (or any other treatment plant) been improved by County Government action.
Their lack of response has been evident. Our COunty budget provides 2/10ths of 1% of the budget for environmental issues. NONE of the money is allocated for waterway problems. It is spent for soil erosion control, gypsy moth spraying, weed spraying, and mosquito spraying. So, if they have done so much, as Commissoner Cooper alleges, WHERE'S THE MONEY?
A local group just had to recruit citizens to take water sample for testing, because the government will not do it.
They asked the County Comissioners for some money to pay for the lab testing and defray other expenses, and were given a whopping $500! What next? Will the Commissioners announce that they have increased money allocated for testing by 100% (I am speaking of the $500, since they had no money allocated ever before) ?
Here is a link to the Md. Independent article:
http://somdnews.com/stories/081806/indytop193309_32125.shtml
Below is the text of the letter that we sent. I am very proud of how we worked in a bipartisan fashion to make a difference. We were even working with our own opponents in the upcoming races! I predict that now the sitting commissioners will fall all over themselves to be seen as doing the most to remedy this critical issue, and our goal of lighting a fire under them will be accomplished.
I'll have to attach the test of the letter to a reply. My computer is acting up.
Kurt Wolfgang,
Candidate for County Commissioner, Charles County
wolfgangcommissioner.com
The latest tests show fecal bacteria levels (most likely from human waste from sewage treatment plant discharges and leaking septic systems) in some place to be 28 time the acceptible limits for human contact. Large areas of the Port Tobacco River, Nanjemoy Creek, Neale Sound, Cuckold Creek, and Wicomico River have been ordered closed to human contact by the Charles County Health Department.
In an historic event, Commissioner candidates from both parties, even those who were running against each other, sat down in my office and crafted a letter to the sitting commissioners. Our sole purpose was to take this emergency issue, which the sitting Commissioners have treated as, perhaps issue 97 out of their top one hundred issues to deal with, and rocket it up to the top five. We believe we did so.
There has been some belly aching, and ruffled feathers on the part of sitting Commissioners, who claim that they have been working hard on the issue. Some have done some work on this. They have worked to get the Health Department to agree to test the waters, and post warning signs. They have also worked with the Port Tobacco River Conservancy to allow volunteers to take samples, and to track data, and to find grant money for future actions.
But in the three years since the problems of the Port Tobacco River have been discovered and tested, no government action has resulted in one leaking septic system being repaired, nor have any of the problems with the La Plata wastewater treatment plant (or any other treatment plant) been improved by County Government action.
Their lack of response has been evident. Our COunty budget provides 2/10ths of 1% of the budget for environmental issues. NONE of the money is allocated for waterway problems. It is spent for soil erosion control, gypsy moth spraying, weed spraying, and mosquito spraying. So, if they have done so much, as Commissoner Cooper alleges, WHERE'S THE MONEY?
A local group just had to recruit citizens to take water sample for testing, because the government will not do it.
They asked the County Comissioners for some money to pay for the lab testing and defray other expenses, and were given a whopping $500! What next? Will the Commissioners announce that they have increased money allocated for testing by 100% (I am speaking of the $500, since they had no money allocated ever before) ?
Here is a link to the Md. Independent article:
http://somdnews.com/stories/081806/indytop193309_32125.shtml
Below is the text of the letter that we sent. I am very proud of how we worked in a bipartisan fashion to make a difference. We were even working with our own opponents in the upcoming races! I predict that now the sitting commissioners will fall all over themselves to be seen as doing the most to remedy this critical issue, and our goal of lighting a fire under them will be accomplished.
I'll have to attach the test of the letter to a reply. My computer is acting up.
Kurt Wolfgang,
Candidate for County Commissioner, Charles County
wolfgangcommissioner.com
In my opinion those water ways must be closed to human contact forever. Still there needs to be efforts to improve treatment and discharge but human beings must give that area up as unusable. 
The CCC candidate said that a man has already died from the infection and fecal material has been detected, so the water is contaminated and I say for safty sake to at least post big warning signs (forever) that say something like, "Enter this water at the risk of severe contamination poisoning."
Oh man... hang on a sec, not done yet...
*breath* 
: Oh gawd, this hurts...
that you should write a letter of concern to the Charles County Commisioners and the news papers with your concerns, ideas and plans to cleanup and further protect the citizens of St. Mary's county. Oh yea, don't forget to post it here.