Eminent Domain May Swallow Historic WV Family Farm
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Fighting to save the family farm in West Virginia has new meaning for the Sharp family. The land they've farmed for 300 years is slated to be taken away through eminent domain. The land would then be used to build a sewage treatment plant to benefit the privately-owned Snowshoe Mountain Resort. Tom Shipley is a descendant of the family. He runs a thriving bed and breakfast on the property and says a sewage facility would be the end of his livelihood and local history.
“Maybe your grandparents are buried in the cemetery that's right next to the sewer vat. And they're going to put the vat on top of the unmarked graves.”
There's a meeting about the controversy today. Supporters of the plant say it will help keep water supplies clean. There are alternatives, however. Gov. Manchin has offered a piece of nearby public land for the project, and some say the current plant could be updated without using more land.
Locals, fishing groups, and some environmental groups are against the plant because the farm is in the floodplain, and the underlying geologic structure is not stable enough to support a large sewer plant, which could lead to contamination of nearby prized fishing streams.
“Limestone is eaten away gradually through time, and it creates giant caves, sinkholes, and underground water conduits.”
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