BENTON – Lannie Fisk, a Marshall County citizen, came before the court with concerns over the quality of his water and compared a clear jar of water with water that comes out of his kitchen sink, which was very dingy in color.
Fisk has had the water tested by the county health department and said it always comes back with bacteria in it, sometimes too much to count.
“I’m not the only one in this situation”, Fisk said. “There are literally hundreds of families in our county that don’t have access to good healthy water. I have been packing water for 34 years, and can continue to do that until I die, but I really do hate for my children who live on the farm, and my grandchildren to have to do that.”
“I’ve got all the water you could possibly want, but you can’t drink it”, Fisk said. “We treat our own water. We filter our own water. I’m asking this board to move clean drinking, safe water to the top of the priority list for our county citizens. In my opinion, we don’t have a more desperate or greater need than to give our citizens access to good, clean drinking water.”
David Hendrickson, who lives near Fisk, off Houser Road, knocked on 30-35 doors in the area of Cole Lane, Cole Cemetery Lane on to Wadesboro Road.
“When you narrow it all down to this section of Marshall County, you’re looking at five to eight percent”, Hendrickson said of the population in that area.
Hendrickson said his frustration, in loving this county like he does, he doesn’t under stand why this population does not have potable water.
“If we had the money, and I understand that we don’t, where are we going to go first with this water?”, Hendrickson asked.
Commissioner Gold explained that through grants, the two towers at Oak Level and Brewers were put in. Gold said about 700 households are without water and that there is no financial gain into moving pipes into those areas with little population saying, “but it’s just the right thing to do”.
Gold explained, in his understanding, the issue is with water pressure and the current lines that run near their area, would not sustain the required pressure from Benton Water and explained options coming from Jonathan Water.
As dollars become available, Gold explained that it is about a $10 million dollar project to provide all citizens with water that do not currently have it.
Gold said he understands how bad their water is, and encourages everyone with bad wells to get their water tested which would help with potential grant dollars applications.
“People are hesitant to have their well water tested because they are afraid it will be condemned water and they will have no other source”, Gold said. “That is not the case. They will tell them to not use it for cooking or drinking but can use it otherwise.”
Hendrickson’s question to the court was, “if money becomes available, where will it go first.”
Gold said they exhaustively look for grant dollars and it was discussed that grant money traditionally has guidelines and rules that go along with it and sometimes it is out of the control of the county where the grant dollars are spent.
Hendrickson cited examples of what homeowners are going through without clean water and understands that money is the issue, but concluded that when or if it does become available, he would like to see it come their way.
Gold feels the county was very fortunate to receive $800,000 in grant dollars that went to build the Oak Level and Brewers tanks which was a $1 million dollar project saying, “we lobbied and lobbied for those dollars”.
Currently the Brewers tower has not been charged which would take care of any pressure issues in the area of concern to Fisk and Hendrickson if or when funds become available to run the lines necessary.
The court was very sympathetic to their situation and said, as always, they do whatever they can to secure grant money, when it becomes available.