County, Dept. of Health struggle about wastewater

By Rupert Howell
A cease and desist order from the Mississippi State Department of Health has supervisors and their attorney scratching their heads wondering how to deal with new waste water systems and caused a split vote of 4-1 to ask Representative Lataisha Jackson to introduce legislation to allow the county to continue current policy.
The desist order was signed by Mary Currier, MD, MPH, who serves as the state health officer stated she had been notified Panola County had been accepting notices of intent and issued approvals and installation of wastewater treatment and disposal systems without prior notification to the department and cites six different code sources while citing fines and imprisonment.
During a special meeting Monday board attorney William McKenzie asked, “What are we trying to accomplish,” stating that he didn’t understand all the issues at hand were.
The longtime board attorney suggested, “Does it not make sense that we have some communication with these folks?”
When asked for direction by the board, the attorney stated, “I need more information than what I have. If we can’t sit down and talk with another state agency about water, it’s pretty bad.”
Board members would later agree for the attorney to invite health officials to a meeting to discuss the matter, but twice health department officials have been on the county board’s agenda and no one attended the meeting.
Two of four supervisor board members are directly connected to the issue with District One James Birge operating a plumbing  business and District Four Supervisor Donald Phelps operating a company that manages community water systems.
Birge reiterated a point made earlier that the new system of approval through the Health Department requires applying for a new wastewater system by going on line and using a debit or credit card.
“Half of the people in the county don’t have a computer or credit card,” Birge stated Monday.
Phelps said it’s the convenience of having the county’s Land Use Department having approval over waste water systems
“It’s the convenience,”  Phelps stated noting the Panola County waste water standards are stricter than Department of Health standards.
Board President Cole Flint was the dissenting vote and asked, “What do we do between now and when legislation is approved (assuming it would pass)?”
Flint stated that the cease and desist order was what go his attention and was the reason he wouldn’t vote with the majority. Flint was also questioned why Code Enforcement Officer Chad Meek wasn’t at the meeting to recommend the legislative course of action.
Field Dew, who is contracting with Panola County on certifying waste water systems, gave supervisors background and explained that the county has not issued notices of intent as the cease and desist letter claimed and stated he wasn’t sure if the Health Department was unaware of Panola County’s Land Use regulations relating to waste water.
Dew has worked for the Mississippi Department of Health for 30 years and recently retired. \Soon after Panola supervisors changed their ordinance to allow a waste water specialist, such as Dew, to approve waste water systems, citing convenience to citizens needing the service.