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A proposed $120 million water project at R.D. Bailey Lake is a crucial component for Wyoming and McDowell counties.
Plans are on the table for establishing a regional water system to ensure that a plentiful source of clean water is available for decades to come.
How important is it?
Critical in our opinion.
Being able to rely on an ample water supply throughout the two counties provides residents with a strong sense of security, will pave the way to get water service into many unserved areas — and it also makes a bold statement to current and potential business owners and developers that this vital infrastructure component is available.
This is a “pipe in the ground” project that would tie many of the region’s local town systems and public service districts together and can be utilized as a primary source or backup source for water.
The environmental and engineering studies have been completed and the hardest part, securing funding, is now the focus.
A big step forward on that front — news that federal Abandoned Mine Land (AML) monies, totaling somewhere between $33 million and $42 million, have been approved for the water project — has been taken.
Now, an application for the remaining dollars is under consideration by USDA officials in Washington.
Our congressional representatives need to keep pushing the issue because this major economic development project will provide nothing but positive results and a needed, affordable water supply to a region that truly needs it.
