No Running Water In 2023
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Billy’s Creek Water Association representative Larry Sprouse provided information on the logistics of providing water to an unserved area in the county.
COFFEEVILLE – Yalobusha County supervisors unanimously approved a request to apply for a matching grant to help fund construction for a 5.3 mile water line to serve a church and 19 residences on County Road 471. Located several miles east of Oakland, the area is not served by a rural water association and private wells are utilized with one exception.
“We have a family down there that does not have running water. This is 2023 and they don’t have running water in their house,” Billy’s Creek Water Association representative Larry Sprouse told supervisors. He also said that the private wells used by residences in the area often have high iron content.
Sprouse was among attendees at the Jan. 30 county meeting in the Coffeeville courthouse and reported Billy’s Creek Water Association would be willing to provide water to the area, contingent on grant funding or other funding sources to pay for the estimated $582,000 water-line construction.
“These folks are in no-man’s land,” Sprouse also explained, a reference to the area that is not part of any existing water association’s franchise area. He added that connecting the new line to an existing Billy’s Creek Water Association line would be the most feasible option.
“One (water association) is closer than we are, but they don’t have the adequate lines and their volume is not great,” Sprouse said.
Sprouse reported that Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley has been contacted and indicated that redistricting Billy’s Creek Water Association franchise to take in the area would not be a problem.
The lengthy discussion started with input from North Central Planning and Development Executive Director Steve Russell and planner John Wiggers, who help facilitate grants for the county. The men explained that the county could apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) on behalf of Billy’s Creek Water Association. If awarded, the CDBG grant would fund half of the project.
Other funding options discussed in the meeting including applying for grants from other sources, including the Delta Regional Authority and Appalachian Regional Commission, to match the CDBG grant.
The unserved area is in District 4 Supervisor Eddie Harris’ beat, and he motioned for the county to apply for the grant on behalf of Billy’s Creek Water Association. The vote by supervisors was continent on securing grant funding to match the CDBG grant.
“We are strictly a vehicle for this grant, we are not necessarily obligating any (county) taxpayer funds for this,” Board President Cayce Washington noted during the discussion.
