~Officials are waiting on decisions from those who are providing funds
SIKESTON -- Those within Scott County's newest rural water district may be off their wells by this fall.
Phil Lyon, president of the Board of Directors for the Public Water Supply District No. 4 of Scott County, said district officials are waiting on a couple of decisions from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development which is providing funding for the project. "Once we get those decisions, we're ready to bid it out," Lyon said.
Since this summer, water district officials have been busy obtaining easements to run water lines.
Tracking down absentee land owners to get easements is time consuming, Lyon said, "so it has been taking a long time."
Lyon said the district has nearly all its easements along state highways for the first phase and is now negotiating with Rural Development on a way to speed up the process for easements next to county roads.
"We have a request in to Rural Development to use the county easement lines rather than private property easements," Lyon said. "We have not heard back on that request."
He explained Rural Development prefers easements to be on private property because if the road or intersection is widened and the lines must be moved, the cost is incurred by the water district if the lines are in a public easement. "Then our users end up paying for it and that affects our water rates," Lyon said.
These types of road improvements usually only take place alongside state roads, however, he said, "the county rarely does major roadwork."
The second decision by Rural Development officials the rural water district is waiting on is related to plans for the district to purchase water from the Sikeston Board of Municipal Utilities for Phase 1.
Lyon explained the tentative agreement with BMU is for a shorter term than Rural Development prefers, so the district is hoping RD officials will approve this shorter-term agreement.
If Rural Development approves the requests in time to start the bidding process for the Phase 1 construction in early March, construction of the first phase could be finished by fall of this year, Lyon said.
"Hopefully we can start construction within 60 to 90 days, late spring," he said. "We would like to have been going by now. Unfortunately, sometimes government moves slowly."
The first phase of the water district will include about two-thirds of Scott County's unincorporated flatland areas, according to Lyon.
Phase 1 will include the area between Crowder and Interstate 55 south to Sikeston's city limits; areas alongside and south of Highway 77; and areas alongside I-55.
"It's a pretty good sized project," Lyon said. "Phase 1 is about 650 users. We reduced initial size to try and get this thing moving quicker."
"I think its a great deal," said Brock Milam of Benton who owns 25 properties registered to participate in the rural water district. "It will be real helpful for individual land owners and owners who have multiple properties."
Milam said putting in a well in flatland areas can cost $600-$1,000, "You get in the hills and you can spend $10,000 on a well," he said.
In addition to good water, being part of a water district also has the benefit of more reliable water, he noted: "When your electric goes off, you still have water -- that's a plus."
"I'm looking forward to it," Milam said. "It will be really helpful to people. It will be a good deal for everyone I think."