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| Marion has also banned burning and fireworks during crisis. |
Under the governor’s emergency declaration on June 18, Kentucky agencies already have authority to intervene. They have now been officially asked to lead the charge. The city council voted unanimously Thursday to surrender its direct management of the situation.
Carey Johnson, director for the Department for Environmental Protection, said Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, Energy and Environment Cabinet and Finance Cabinet will take the reins, continuing to explore both short- and long-term solutions to the crisis.
Manpower, expertise and ability to expedite analysis and response to the matter should impove, Johnson said.
With about seven days of raw water left in Old City Lake and options running out, Marion leaders say they agreed to hand over direct management of the situation to these agencies, each of which has already been involved with response for the last several weeks. Without rain in the coming week, the water shortage could become a humanitarian disaster. Kentucky Dream Center and WaterSteps are statewide programs that are preparing to bring in emergency water stations and portable showers.
The city has also issued a tighter water conservation order. Although Stage 3 of its original order allowed for irrigation of plants and grasses, those activities are now prohibited. Mayor Jared Byford said the crisis has reached a level that makes it necessary to ban watering of any plants, grasses or fields. However, gardens may still be watered, according to the mayor and the environmental director. Officials say conservation remains the most effective tool residents have in combating the water shortage.
The city’s move to give up its control of the response is more of a formality than something of great substance, state officials said. Yet, it will allow Kentucky agencies to narrow the scope of the response and concentrate on potential solutions they deem most attractive.
The city council met for nearly two hours tonight and heard comments from a number of citizens.
Johnson said the state's focus will now turn directly to engaging interconnections with other water systems, namely Sturgis and Princeton with cooperation from the Crittenden-Livingston Water District, which has transmission lines all over Crittenden County.
While other options may remain on the table, they will become secondary, Johnson said. A plan for further testing of water from the Lucile Mine will be among those moved off the board for now.
Through cooperation from Webster County Water District and the Crittenden-Livingston District, Marion is now receiving just over 70,000 gallons per day of potable water. The town’s daily demand is around 450,000 gallons on weekdays and bit lower on weekends, with current conservation measures in place.
Johnson said a Sturgis connection may become the primary focus. It’s the shortest route to drinking water of the options being considered. A water pipe of less than 4,000 feet must be constructed to tap into the Sturgis system. The Princeton route would need about three miles of water line to make a connection.
If it comes to fruition, the Sturgis connection is believed to be able to provide Marion with about 144,000 gallons of drinking water per day. Together with the Webster and Crittenden-Livingston link, Johnson said that could mean about 216,000 gallons being piped to Marion, or just under half of its daily demand.
The most certain short-term solution hinges on rainfall. The 10-day forecast shows potential rain on multiple days. About an inch of water will add two weeks of raw water to Marion’s system.
City council members pointed out that by relinquishing some of its authority to the state, they believe it will trigger greater financial assistance because of the emergency decree by Gov. Andy Beshear.
Other measures to continue augmenting Old City Lake, the town’s only remaining raw water source, will continue, including National Guard tankers running from the Tradwater River to Marion. There are also ongoing negotiations with area farmers who might be able to provide even larger tankers. The military has bigger tankers, too, that could be deployed, but those vehicles and perhaps even farm haulers would need a better place to offload. The dumping area at Old City Lake would have to be widened or the state would need to allow water to be dropped directly into Crooked Creek at some point above Old City Lake. Crooked Creek naturally feeds Old City Lake. A new plan to bring in ready-to-drink water is also in the works. Bulk loads could be brought from a nearby provider other than Crittenden-Livingston – which is already feeling strains of added demand – and dumped directly into clear wells at the Marion plant.
In other action, the city council approved an emergency order banning fireworks and outdoor burning during the water crisis.
Stay tuned to The Crittenden Press and The Crittenden Press Online for the latest and most thorough review of the ongoing crisis.
