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Resident reports months-long wastewater-plant overflows and DEQ notices; calls for county transparency
Summary
A resident told the board that the Wintergreen wastewater-treatment plant has been overflowing since before Christmas 2024, cited DEQ notices and large estimated discharge volumes, and said he filed a complaint with the Virginia Department of Health; he urged the county to engage the service authority and notify affected residents.
Steven Bane, a Nelson County resident, told the board that the Wintergreen wastewater treatment plant has been overflowing since before Christmas 2024 and cited Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) notices of violation referenced in his remarks. According to Banes account, DEQ issued a notice dated Feb. 13, 2025 and another on Feb. 6, 2026; he said DEQs inspections observed evidence of overflows and estimated daily overflow volumes of 75,000 to 100,000 gallons, with a cumulative reported discharge of 1.5 to 2 million gallons over the period in question. Bane said he submitted a formal complaint to the Virginia Department of Health and expressed concerns that residents with wells adjacent to the creek and river could be exposed to contaminants including E. coli, ammonia, nitrates and phosphates.
Bane also said that, based on meeting minutes from the county service authority, the equalization basin has been overflowing since before Christmas and that some DEQ complaints were anonymous. He criticized the county for not proactively informing residents and asked the board to press the service authority to expedite remediation and increase transparency.
Why it matters: If overflows occurred at the volumes cited, nearby private wells and surface waters could face public-health risks. The speaker asked for county engagement and clearer public notice to affected residents; in the transcript the board did not provide a response during public comment.
What the board did next: No board response to the allegations is recorded in this excerpt; the meeting moved on to the consent agenda and later staff presentations in the provided transcript.
