Local and state officials are continuing to monitor the water situation in Marion with limited weekend rain not helping replenish the Old City Lake.
Crittenden County Emergency Management Director Jason Hurley said jail inmates filled and placed over 2,200 sandbags around the overflow at Old City Lake. This will help hold a few extra days of raw water should Marion get substantial rain.
Construction of a water line from Sturgis to connect to the Crittenden-Livingston Water System is being expedited. The Webster County Water System has been able to increase its flow into the Crittenden-Livingston System to increase the supply to Marion.
Hurley also said a contractor is working to clean out a channel that will allow water from the upper part of Crooked Creek to run into Old City Lake. The Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet are supervising the construction of about a 300-foot channel to get water in the creek to flow into the main lake.
Construction of the channel is also required to allow bulk water that will be hauled to an upstream drop site to more easily run into the lake. Once the channel is completed, P&H Farms is expected to mount a bulk water-hauling effort to help with the National Guard bulk water convoy. With all trucks running, the convoy operation should be able to increase bulk deliveries from about 70 thousand gallons per day to a total of 230,000 gallons per day. This will replace water lost due to evaporation, as well as provide a slight increase in the lake level.
Hurley said state agencies continue working on multiple strategies to extend the immediate supply.
The city is in need of additional volunteers for the bottled water distribution center. The bottled water distribution schedule is available.
