A public service

Dear Editor:

I refer to a recent letter to the editor from Bert Lustig regarding a state permit being issued to allow treated sewage to be discharged into the Sir Johns Run waterway and its consequences, both now and in the future.

I am not an expert in the treatment of sewage, but I do know that tripling the amount of nutrient nitrogen discharged into a stream that ultimately flows into the Potomac River and hence into the Chesapeake Bay cannot be a desirable process.

Be that as it may, my reason for writing is to bring attention to Bert Lustig himself, a man with professional credentials in the area of pollution and the negative long term outcomes that arise from it. Importantly, the civic dedication that he has displayed time and time again to alert us to situations where the health and well being of Morgan County residents might be at risk. He and others provide an important service to our community by being vigilant in these important matters that we might not be aware of or even understand because of their complexity.

I believe Morgan County owes him gratitude for the issues he has addressed on our behalf over the years. Dealing with the avarice of corporations, together with the apathy of government, is not a pastime most of us would choose to pursue.

I sincerely hope that Lustig keeps his sword of knowledge sharpened and his armor of civic duty shiny for, alas, we can count on future battles in the environmental arena as our county struggles to grow in a state that is “open for business.”

Robert W. Raynor
Berkeley Springs