Coolfont re-applies for sewer system permits
The Carl M. Freeman Companies are once again seeking a permit to build and operate a sewer system for an estimated 5,500 people at the planned Coolfont Village in Cold Run Valley.
Freeman bought the 800-acre former Coolfont Resort for $7.8 million in November 2005. The company has been discussing plans for a community of retirement and vacation homes since then.
West Virginia's Department of Environmental Protection is considering the recent Coolfont permit application and has asked the public to comment on the project by August 7.
The application is for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Water Pollution Control Permit.
Interested parties can also request a public hearing about the sewer system, which will be able to treat 440,000 gallons of wastewater per day.
Discharge into Sir Johns Run
Water left over from processing wastewater at the Coolfont sewer plant would discharge into Sir Johns Run roughly 4.5 miles from where it meets the Potomac River. The old sewer treatment plant at Coolfont also discharged into Sir Johns Run.
All sewer plant discharge is required to be heavily tested to prevent pollutants from getting into streams or rivers.
Freeman's previous application described a phased construction of the sewer system, but this application calls for the full build-out of the sewer system all at once.
That change to construction plans is the reason for the state's most recent call for public comment, said John Morgan, Permit Officer with the Department of Environmental Protection.
Morgan County's main sewer department, the Warm Springs Public Service District, has agreed to operate the sewer plant once it is built, Morgan confirmed.
He also said the permit is transferable, and could be shifted to a new owner if the Coolfont property changed hands.
Comments or requests for a hearing can be addressed by August 7 to: Director, Division of Water and Waste Management, DEP; ATTN: Lori Derrick, Permitting Section; 601 57th Street SE; Charleston, W.Va. 25304-2345.
Copies of the full application can also be requested for review from the same address, or by calling 304-926-0499, extension 1057.
