The county will help Hecla Water develop wells to meet rural water needs because of drought conditions and line expansions, commissioners said.

Wednesday, February 02, 2000

The county will help Hecla Water develop wells to meet rural water needs because of drought conditions and line expansions, commissioners said.

"There are several water lines that are going to be put in this summer and we’re concerned about the use of water right now," commissioner Paul Herrell said.

"The water table’s going down a little everyday," said Herrell, who’s already seen his farm creeks go dry.

Hecla Water asked customers to voluntarily conserve water this week because drought conditions have lowered the water table that feeds the company’s wells.

Hecla handed out an extra 700,000 gallons of water to help residents cope with last summer’s drought, so supply concern is not an emergency, director Ray Howard said at the company’s annual appreciation banquet last month.

But extra wells drilled in 1997 have not produced as much water as expected, Howard said.

"We challenge the county commission to work on the problem and help us get the land we need to drill wells on," he said.

Herrell and commissioner George Patterson said the county will accept that challenge.

"We’re working close with them and we will get it worked out," Herrell said.

There is a meeting planned in about a week, he said.

"We want to get this worked out before spring ends," Herrell said, adding that the drought will cause more problems after the rainy season.

"It’s not that serious yet, but it can be," he said.

The county has been trying to decide how to proceed with Hecla’s request for some time, searching for appropriate property on which to develop wells, commission president Bruce Trent said.

"We understand there are monies available for land acquisition to ensure rural water companies can continue to provide water that is needed in a county," Trent said.

If land is found, the county could apply for some type of emergency grant to buy property, he said.

Like it did with a $600,000 grant to match Hecla’s recent line expansion commitment, the county might be able to seek funding for developing water sources, Trent said.