Officials trying to survey three potential sites for a Jackson County reservoir are finding folks reluctant to let them on their property.
“We’re still working on getting permission to get on the property,” reported Rob MacPherson of Prime Engineering, the company conducting the water resources study for Jackson County. The goal of the study is to identify one or more sites for drinking water reservoirs.
MacPherson made his comments at the Nov. 13 meeting of the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority and called access to property “the biggest problem” his company encounters.
According to the authority’s chief in-house engineer Fred Alke, only 42 percent of 134 property owners on or adjacent to the sites have granted access.
Surveyors must get on the property to get accurate readings on the terrain so the engineers can calculate volume, yield and cost factors as they determine the feasibility of each site.
All of the sites are in the general vicinity of Nicholson. One is near Hardman Creek, and second is on Little Curry Creek and the third is between the first two.
The authority sent letters to all property owners whose land would be likely to be affected. The mailing included a return envelope and a
If the property is found to be good as a resevoir, the water authority would try to take that property away from the owners.
Why would ANYONE allow access to their land when they know that doing so is the first step to having that land taken from them?
How incredibly stupid does the county water authority think people are in the Nicholson area?