OPINION: Glad to be on city water

Most of Jackson County gets its water from wells, and those wells are starting to run dry.

Residents of two neighborhoods, one in South Jackson and the other in Arcade, recently approached the county water authority because their wells are going dry.

Here are their options: spend thousands of dollars drilling another well with no guarantee, hook up to a public water system or move.

Those of us on municipal water can count on water when we turn the faucet. If we don’t like the taste, at least it’s there to wash clothes and take showers.

That’s not the case for some folks on Roquemore Road or Ramblers Inn Road. One resident just spent $8,000 on a new well, but came up dry.

In the municipalities and in newer subdivisions, the water lines go to every house. Out in the county, the nearest public water line may be across the street, but it may also be a mile away. Who should pay the $188,000 to run water to Ramblers Inn Road or the $300,000 to get water to Roquemore Road?

The county water authority could amend its budget and serve both neighborhoods, but picking up 20 customers for a half million dollars it really can’t afford doesn’t seem like good business. And, if you serve these folks, what do you tell the next neighborhood? Will those folks buy the excuse that you’re out of money?

This will be a recurring issue. The powers that be decided when the last SPLOST was initiated to cut out funds for the county water and sewerage authority, which is how it funded most of its infrastructure. It doesn’t generate enough money to take on multiple capital projects.

In town, we take our public water for granted. Folks on wells can’t. We’ll hear a lot more about that over the next couple of years as the water table continues to fall.

Next time you decide your city water bill is too high or the water doesn’t taste just right, consider being unable to bathe or wash clothes for lack of sufficient water.

When the well runs dry, the reliability of public water, looks good, really good. I’m guessing more and more Jackson County folks will reach that conclusion in the upcoming years.

Mark Beardsley is the editor of The Commerce News. He lives in Commerce.

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