Scott County lays out water district plan

BENTON, Mo. -- About 50 Scott County residents came to the courthouse Tuesday to learn what has to happen for the county to build a $19 million countywide water system.

The Scott County Commission and engineer John Chittenden of Waters Engineering Inc. in Sikeston, Mo., have spent much of the past year gathering information about forming a water district in response to problems about unsanitary well water. Tuesday night Chittenden and the county commissioners outlined for those who came the costs of such a system, how it would be funded and its benefits.

"Everybody in the county wants to have good, safe, reliable water," Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel said. "The No. 1 reason for a water district is health and safety in the county."

Many of the 4,000 potential customers of a Scott County water district are drinking from wells that may not be healthy, said Barry Cook, director of the Scott County Health Department.

In addition to providing healthier water, Priggel said, a ready supply of treated water is an economic boon to a community. More people will want to build homes in Scott County and more businesses will want to set up shop in the area, especially along Interstate 55, if a reliable water supply is available.

By the time a public vote on the district is taken, funding is secured, a water board is put into place, and construction of the system is done, it will most likely be 2008 before anyone in Scott County can turn on a faucet and get county-treated, sanitary water.

Process outline

Chittenden outlined for the audience how funding works and how the process starts.

The project would consist of water lines, a treatment plant and pump stations.

The main funding source for such a project is the U.S. Department of Agriculture. When federal money was more plentiful, the USDA was known to award large grants and finance smaller loans. With money being tighter, Chittenden said, the USDA would offer a grant of 20 percent of the cost of the project, with the rest of the funding to come as a 33-year loan with a 4-percent interest rate, to be paid for through revenue bonds.Other grant sources are available, Chittenden said, but it's too early to speculate how much the district can expect to receive.

Those who hook up to the water system would be the ones to pay off the revenue bonds. Chittenden assured the audience that no one would be forced to hook up and those not connected to the system would not have to pay for retiring the bonds. Property taxes would not be affected. The more customers there are, he said, the lower their monthly payments would be.

Stating that the average household uses approximately 5,000 gallons of water, Chittenden produced figures showing the costs per month based on the number of users. If 80 percent of the 4,000 potential customers sign up, the monthly water bill would be about $40.50 for 5,000 gallons of water. A small household that uses 2,000 gallons would pay $24 in the same scenario.

If only 60 percent hook on to the water district, then the 5,000-gallon a month household would pay $47; the smaller household using 2,000 gallons would pay $29. Commercial rates would be higher, Chittenden said, and there is no provision to install fire hydrants. The cost of those is too high, he said.

Small Scott County communities that already have a water system would be able to hook on as a backup supply, or they could buy water from the system, which Chittenden said would be more economical than maintaining the smaller systems or even rebuilding them.

The commissioners wanted to know from the people present if they were interested enough in the project to put together a volunteer group to help organize the district. No one in the audience voiced opposition to the project. Those who asked questions were interested in what value they would get for the costs.

If there is enough interest, the commissioners will have another public meeting in October to lay plans to file a petition with the circuit clerk, who would prepare for a public vote, most likely in April 2005.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160