Strong citizen opposition to a proposed waste pit in Augusta County, has killed the project. The Houff Corporation had proposed in November to construct a 3-million-gallon open pit to store industrial food waste imported from outside the county, to be located near Churchville, VA. A January public hearing before the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) elicited strong opposition from citizens who lived near the proposed facility. Citizen concerns centered upon the impact the project would have on water quality and the unwelcome odors that would be associated with it.
On January 25, a letter from the general manager for Houff was published in the Staunton News Leader announced that the permit application submitted to the BZA for the project was being withdrawn. The company stated:
“It has become clear that though we are confident of the environmental soundness of the proposal, and of our alignment with regulations, the project has fallen short of our desire to work with the community instead of against it. To proceed further with the application would only result in strained relations between our company and the community.”
Citizen action does make a difference!