Published: February 26, 2009 08:59 am      

Opdyke residents criticize lack of water service

By TESA CULLI

tesa.culli@register-news.com

BELLE RIVE — Three of the seven Opdyke residents who are within yards of water lines belonging to Belle Rive Water and Northeast Water Co., who are still without water criticized Belle Rive Tuesday for refusing to run water lines to their homes.

“I don’t know nothing about water lines to Marion and I don’t know nothing about water prices,” Tony Burnett told those gathered at a meeting of mayors of villages and cities in the county. “What I know is that we have no water.”

Burnett was joined by his son, T.J. Burnett and neighbor Mike Avery, who wanted to talk about water — and the lack thereof — for their homes.

“There’s a water line two-and-three-quarter-mile from us,” T.J. Burnett said. “If you can spend all this money running lines and trying to get hooked onto other lines, run the lines to us. I’ll pay — at my farm, I’ll use 100,000 to 200,000 gallons of water.”

Belle Rive Mayor Donnie Wilkey said the village would have to run a 4-inch line to the residents, and “that line will cost us more than you will ever pay for it.”

Tony Burnett said he believes he and his neighbors have paid.

“We’ve paid taxes and I know I’ve paid enough taxes over the years to pay for the two-and-a-half miles,” Burn-ett said. “We’re close enough to the lines that we can almost see it.”

Wilkey said costs to run water lines to those without service would cost about $1 million.

“When you look at running lines in Moores Prairie and some other residents in the area who don’t have water, you’re looking at $1 million to run water to you,” Wilkey said.

Burnett said the situation is about what’s right.

“You should have run us water a long time ago,” Burnett said. “It ain’t right. ... We gave you easements to run lines on our property, but we still don’t have water.”

Wilkey invited the Opdyke residents who aren’t receiving water service to attend a Belle Rive Village Board meeting, “and I’ll explain it to you.”

According to Jefferson County Board Chairman Ted Buck, getting water to Moores Prairie may have hit a snag. In order to get grant funding for the engineering portion of the contract, a lead agency was needed, and Northeast Water Co., agreed to step into that position. The grant for engineering and design work was awarded on June 23, 2008, in the amount of $73,400 and funds are being administered by Greater Egypt Planning Commission. The grant breakdown was $54,400 in design engineering which was awarded to Heneghan & Associates of Centralia; $15,000 to obtain easements; and $4,000 for general administration costs.

“Northeast Water has withdrawn as the sponsor for the grant,” Buck announced. We will have to get another grant for Moores Prairie for the construction phase, which is to start in February next year.”