H2GO reimburses Belville for some legal costs in litigation with Leland over ownership of H2GO’s assets

BELVILLE, N.C. (WECT) - Earlier in the month of August, the Town of Belville was ordered to pay a total of $239,499 in legal fees and costs to the Town of Leland after lengthy litigation over the ownership of Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2GO. Now, August 30, H2GO has reimbursed Belville for $119,749 to offset some of those costs.

Leland first filed a lawsuit in 2017 due to an attempt by Belville and H2GO to transfer H2GO’s assets to Belville, at least in part to allow for the building of a reverse osmosis water treatment plant. In 2020, a judge ruled in favor of Leland, returning H2GO’s assets from Belville back to H2GO.

But it wasn’t all for naught, says Mayor of Belville Mike Allen. Though the assets were transferred back, the reverse osmosis water plant is still being built.

“As more information comes out almost every day about the dangers of PFAS contamination, it’s become crystal clear that our legal battle to save H2GO’s reverse osmosis plant was an investment in the future and worth every penny,” said Allen in a press release. “We’re proud of our years-long fight for cleaner water on behalf of the people of northeastern Brunswick County.”

Leland also transferred its own water utility assets to H2GO last year, leaving H2GO to manage the water and sewer for both Leland and Belville.

“H2GO’s reimbursement of half of the legal fees and costs awarded to Leland acknowledges the efforts to save both the reverse osmosis plant and the utility itself,” Allen said. “By saving the RO plant, our citizens and H2GO’s customers will drink clean, safe drinking water for generations to come, and at the most affordable rates in the region.”

Copyright 2022 WECT. All rights reserved.