Much like December’s tornadoes and a global pandemic, there is no true playbook for how to handle when a main water source of a town runs dangerously dry.
Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom and his Marion constituents are learning this first hand, in what’s been another tough “first-time-for-everything” experience in the Commonwealth.
Day by day, the do’s and don’t’s are being scribbled down, as the community grapples with response and relief — and Newcom said there’s a growing hope that these recent efforts of collaboration are showing what to do should another community have to endure these issues.
Mesonet indicators show that Crittenden County has received more than five inches of rain in the last two weeks or so, but Old City Lake — now the main water reserve following the draining of Lake George — has only received half-an-inch.
That, Newcom said, is a grave concern.
Water is being pumped from the Tradewater River and being delivered by sources like the National Guard and P&H Farms, but Newcom said the pump failed around 10 AM Sunday.
As of noon Monday, the pump had been out of commission for nearly a day, and that no loads of water had been delivered to Old City Lake in the past 12 hours. Repair workers were procuring repair supplies Monday in Hopkinsville, but the loss of hauling would be immediately noticeable.
Over the next couple of weeks, Newcom said there’s growing anticipation that engineering estimates will be returned for short-term water supply repairs and workarounds. While the hauling has been an immediate boon to the community, it is far more costly than creating a permanent infrastructure.
One solution continues to be a strengthening of the Crittenden-Livingston system with Sturgis and Webster County. Pumping less than 40,000 gallons per day early on, Newcom said as of Monday that connection to Marion was gushing 130,000 gallons.
Businesses in town, including the nursing home and some restaurants, have purchased tanks for potable water.
It’s low on the priority list right now, but Lake George has long been a recreation spot for Crittenden Countians and other regional folk. A great number of properties surrounding it were based on the lake’s value, and its fishing, camping, boating and lush wildlife made it a strong retreat.
Following its necessary draining, the once 65-acre water source is anything but now, and Newcom said there are swarms of questions about its future, and whether it’s even rebuilt.
With P&H Farms and the National Guard carrying water to Marion from the Tradewater River, there is a renewed appreciation for the Ohio River tributary.
Never in his mind did Newcom think this aquatic arm would come to be such a precious source of assistance for his community.
Marion’s next chance for rain: Sunday afternoon.
