A Marietta resident who owns a five-unit apartment complex on Beach Drive in Belpre and provides water to about 10 households on the street is being scrutinized for attempting to charge fees for water line replacement, water meters, and pits to hold the meters.

Larry Palmer, who has owned the complex since 1994, said the water lines came with the complex when he purchased it and they are in his name. This is the only property he owns on the street.

"I have lost thousands of dollars repairing and maintaining the line, so I was going to put new lines in and split the cost among the people who are using it," said Palmer. "I've tried to be extremely nice about it but there are two or three people that are stirring up a stink."

Palmer said he intends to charge each household that uses the water lines $975 for the water line replacement and $375 for meters and pits, for a total of $1,350 per household.

"Construction was supposed to start this week," he said.

Belpre Safety-Service Director Dave Ferguson said the lines are outside of Belpre city limits and the individuals using the water are not being billed by the city.

"It has gone to the county commissioners level because it's outside the limits of Belpre," he said. "It's to the point where people are asking if anything is wrong with the situation, and they're asking if he has to report to the EPA and if he falls under the Public Utilities Commission."

Ferguson said two residents on the street have presented complaints to him, and he advised them to go to the commissioners. One of those residents is Jennifer Koon, who lives in a mobile home on the street with her husband and four children.

"Its not like it's pocket change, and we have bills of our own to take care of," she said. "We can't pay into his water line so he can lay claims to it for his apartment complex."

Washington County commissioner Steve Weber said the situation is still being investigated.

"We're looking to see if it will fall under the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio. They would regulate all of that stuff as far I know. You have to go to them to get decisions and rulings," he said. "Whether we have any way to take care of it as commissioners or not, I'm not sure."

Palmer said he has held two or three meetings for the residents in an effort to form an association, but they were unsuccessful.

"This past year sometime, I tried to form an association that way everyone has ownership of it and that was the way we were gonna go. But you get these people together and they can't agree on anything," he said.