From: Mike McGill mike@waterpio.

com
Subject: Belville response to Leland's Open Letter: Leland is asking everyone to forget they've tried to kill the plant since 2014
Date: May 20, 2019 at 3:49 PM
To: Mike McGill mike@waterpio.com

Response to Leland’s Open Letter: Leland is Asking Everyone

to Forget about Its Destructive Past
A quick history lesson on how many times Leland has tried to kill the
RO plant since 2014
Today, the Town of Leland sent an Open Letter to the media promoting its proposal to
build and own H2GO’s RO plant. Their apparent belief is this: If you repeat a lie enough
times, people will eventually believe it.

How can we say this so strongly? Because Leland has spent years of its time – and
millions of its citizens’ dollars – trying to make H2GO and the RO plant disappear.

In 2014, after H2GO purchased land in Leland and completed test wells, Leland
voted against rezoning for the plant, wasting $700,000. Belville stepped in to save
the plant by selling H2GO land. That’s right. After trying to kill the plant by denying
it a construction site, Leland now wants to build and own a plant that sits in
Belville. https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20140905/h2go-considers-options-
after-plan-for-new-water-treatment-plant-fails

In 2015, Leland passed a resolution calling for H2GO to be dissolved. Its

representatives in Raleigh then tried to legislate H2GO out of existence. Because
the bill was clearly written to only kill H2GO, the legislature shut down the effort.
https://www.wect.com/story/28417020/brunswick-h2go-responds-to-calls-for-
dissolve/

In 2015, while running for re-election, Mayor Brenda Bozeman told the StarNews
that “H2GO is an unnecessary form of government because the town could just as
well be the middleman as a water supplier in the area.”
https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20151013/h2go-issues-fuel-leland-elections

In 2017, even after the discovery of GenX, Leland sued to strip the plant of its
NPDES discharge permit. Their suit – supported by H2GO Chair Jeff Gerken and
Commissioner Trudy Trombley – alleged that H2GO had misrepresented and
provided inadequate information in its application. The charges were false and the
suit was dismissed. https://www.wwaytv3.com/2017/06/06/leland-town-council-
appeals-state-permit-to-h2go-for-reverse-osmosis-plant/

In 2017, Leland passed a resolution demanding H2GO wait until after the election
to continue constructing the plant. Even after the discovery of GenX, Leland called
the plant “a burdensome and unnecessary project for the citizens of the town and
 the plant “a burdensome and unnecessary project for the citizens of the town and
the sanitary district service area.”
https://www.starnewsonline.com/news/20170615/leland-follows-in-countys-
footsteps-urges-h2go-to-wait

Finally, in its current suit against Belville, Leland states the RO plant is
“unnecessary” and “expensive.” https://portcitydaily.com/local-
news/2019/05/16/excessive-unreasonable-unnecessary-and-expensive-leland-
now-wants-ro-plant-for-itself/

The only thing that changes under Leland’s proposal – no matter what the open letter
tries to say – is that it will build and own the plant. That’s it. Nothing else.

Because Leland wants to build and own the plant, it apparently isn’t unnecessary and
expensive anymore.

Given Leland’s long series of efforts to destroy the RO plant, they are the last people
who should be entrusted with its future. Especially since Leland is now asking to
disenfranchise more than 50% of H2GO’s voters.

There’s only one person who should be constructing and overseeing the RO plant: Bob
Walker, the award-winning Executive Director of H2GO.
https://www.wef.org/globalassets/assets-wef/3---resources/for-the-public/utility-of-the-
future/2017-compendium-of-uotf-today-honorees-rv-2018.pdf

Last week Leland proved Mr. Walker right – once and for all – about the need to
construct the plant. They also proved that Belville was right to save the plant with the
transfer; the plant would not exist today without it.

Because Leland admitted last week that it has been wrong for the last five years, it’s time
for them – and H2GO’s Gerken, Trombley, and Beer – to get out of the way.

It’s time to let Bob Walker and H2GO’s award-winning staff build the RO plant. Proven
water experts shouldn’t have to hand over the keys to Leland, whom H2GO’s 25,000
consumers can’t possibly trust.

Mike McGill
For the Town of Belville
(910) 622-8472