NEW SEWER SYSTEM OPENS

OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. -- Olive Branch area residents can hook into a new sewage-collection and wastewater-treatment facility this week.

Construction of a $2.7 million system will allow the 1,380 residents to dispose of sewage without posing a community health or safety risk.

"Work on the new system started about a year ago," said James R. Wanstreet, a rural development specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. "Today, we celebrate completion of the facility," he said.

Rural Development officials, including the group's Illinois State Director Jill Appell and Wanstreet, state and local officials will meet at the Olive Branch Community Building at 1:30 p.m. today for the official dedication of the new facility, sponsored by the Central Alexander County Sanitary District.

"People can start making hookups this week," Wanstreet said Monday from his office in Benton, Ill. "The project culminates about six years of work by many individuals."

Between 300 and 400 homes will use the new system.

The project, which includes the unincorporated community of Olive Branch and nearby areas, was approved by voters during the early 1990s.

Construction of the new system started April 21, 1999.

USDA Rural Development provided a $1 million loan and a $1.2 million grant to construct the new facility, which consists of an 8-inch sewer main and a two-cell treatment lagoon with rock filter sewage treatment. The lagoon is northeast of Olive Branch.

The district also received a $450,000 grant from the Community Development Assistance Program.

Olive Branch did not have a public sanitary sewer system, and many of the existing private systems were inadequate. Many of the septic systems within the community had problems with recurring high water.

"Proper disposal of wastewater is a vital health issue which affects not only the residents of Olive Branch, but the environment and wildlife," said Appell. "Through our programs USDA Rural Development is dedicated to protecting Illinois water resources. We're pleased to be a part of providing a safe sewage collecting and treatment system at Olive Branch."

Rural Development operates federal loan programs that serve much of rural Illinois residents. During a recent fiscal year, Rural Development water and wastewater programs obligated more than $24 million in loans and grants to towns and communities in Illinois. The loans and grants are designed to provide fresh, clean drinking water and sanitary and environmentally sound wastewater facilities.