 August is hot and so are the savings at Appalachian Wireless, where all smartphones are 50% off. Even the 64, 128, and 256-gauge models, two-year agreement required. Better service, bigger savings, that's today's Appalachian Wireless and East Kentucky Network Company. The Kentucky Public Service Commission held a public meeting in INAS Tuesday for the purpose of taking public comment on the Martin County Water District. The PSC have been dealing with the Martin County water issues for at least 15 years. The biggest concerns now are issues with excessive water loss and the inability of many county residents to use or drink the water. The scent of the Clorox and the chlorine hit me right in the face and it like choked me to death. The places that we have got, they itch, they scabs come on them, they break out. My daughter, she had to go back to the doctor, her face done the same thing as mine did. And she told her doctor about it, Steve Goss, and he told her that it was the water that was causing it. The PSC says that all Martin County Water District problems are fixable, but it's going to take time and money. They've got more than half the water that they either process themselves or produce themselves or purchase from other entities. More than half that water goes unaccounted for, never gets through a meter, so they never receive any revenue for it. And it becomes kind of this chicken and egg problem because it takes money to fix the problems that are leading to the water loss. So you've got to look for other sources of funding, whether those are loans or grants or whatever they may be. The Kentucky Division of Water spoke of action that had been taken at the water plant to improve water quality, which raised the question of why has so much time and effort been spent at the plant and not on the brakes in the lines. You've got to deal with the water quality issues, which stem partially from the operations at the plant. Then you move on to what are the problems out in the distribution system, how many of those are related to water quality. Some of them clearly are. And you've got to prioritize because you've got limited resources. The Martin County Water District has been instructed to respond to all public comments in writing and be prepared to answer questions about those comments at an October 17th evidentiary hearing to be held in Frankfurt. Reporting from INEZ, I'm Shawn Allen for EKB News.