After Marion City Council last night approved a ban on fireworks and outdoor burning, the county responded by shutting down its brush yard.
Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said the brush yard has to be regularly burned in order to destroy organic debris dumped there. The brush yard sits on the city limits. Newcom said it's too close to town to take a chance on burning considering the dry conditions and the town's water shortage.
The brush yard will be closed until further notice.
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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.
The tax sale will be held Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, beginning at 9 a.m. CDT. All interested participants must register with the County Clerk’s office by the close of business on Monday, Aug. 1, 2022. Please contact the County Clerk’s office or visit crittenden.clerkinfo.net if you need more information about the tax sale registration process, the required registration fee or the deposit amounts needed. Taxpayers can continue to pay their delinquent tax bills to the County Clerk’s office any time prior to the tax sale.
Please Note: All payments must be received in the County Clerk’s office prior to the tax sale date listed in this advertisement. Payments received after the tax sale has been conducted will be returned without exception. Personal and business checks are not acceptable forms of payment.
Some delinquencies, although they have been advertised, will be excluded from the tax sale in accordance with the provisions of KRS 134.504(10)(b).
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Crittenden County Clerk’s Office at 270-965-3403.
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Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom said last-minute work between local leaders, the ferry operator and the two states prevented a temporary shutdown.
"Given we have the holiday weekend coming up, it was imperative to all of western Kentucky and southern Illinois that we ensured operations were not disrupted," Newcom said.
Today was the deadline for a deal in order to avoid any type of closure.
Illinois and Kentucky have a contract with the Cave In Rock Ferry Authority which then contracts operation of the service to Lonnie Lewis of Hardin County, Ill.
There has been a ferry at Cave In Rock for more 200 years. The current operator has managed it for the past 28 and says he wants to continue.
The Kentucky National Guard's mission at the former armory will be complete today. The Guard's job was only to help get the center set up and going. Now, volunteer manpower is needed at the site.
Helps is needed in short shifts to load bottled water into vehicles.
Churches, organizations or individual can volunteer. Ask to be scheduled as a helper by calling Marion City Hall at 270-965-2266 between 9 a.m., and 4:30 p.m.
The new schedule for bottled water distribution at the former armory is last names A-M on Thursdays and N-Z on Fridays until further notice.
The distribution center opens at 9 a.m., and closes at 6 p.m. It is also closed between noon and 2 p.m.
Beginning today, city residents will receive about 2 gallons of water per person in a household, which is a gallon less than previous days.
Kentucky's Pop-Up Driver Licensing Center will still be held July 6 at the former armory despite the location also being used for the emergency bottled water distribution site.
Driver's license customers should enter through the front door of the building. Appointments are required.
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Last night, the school board meeting lasted more than four hours as district leaders worked through options, trying to meet its budget against inflated construction costs. What's next? Find out in this week's full edition of The Crittenden Press.
Also in this week's full edition is an in-depth article on Marion's water crisis. We have all the details on what's to come and what has occurred over the last week or so. You'll want to read the entire article that is almost two full pages long. Like the school board, city leaders have some big decisions to make in the coming days.
Find out who with Crittenden County ties has a chance of playing at UK and who made it to the Show. History columnist Brenda Underdown steps back in time to a bustling Marion full of commerce and activity.
The Crittenden Press is your primary source of news and information for this community. We’re proud to serve our community and we take great pride in bringing you real news, sports reporting and other information that helps you know what’s going on in town and across the county. Help ensure that real reporting continues in this community by subscribing today. You can subscribe online to the full version of the newspaper for only $2.95 a month. Try our new e-Edition newspaper emailed straight to your inbox every Wednesday. Click here to subscribe.
Copyright 2022
The Crittenden Press
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The Republican senator from Bowling Green spoke on a variety of issues, including vaccines, pandemic relief funds, the economy, federal budget and his persistent criticism of COVID-19 lockdowns.
Get all the latest information on Marion’s water crisis inside this week’s full edition of The Crittenden Press, which will be on newsstands Wednesday about noon. We will have almost two full pages devoted to providing in depth coverage of the water shortage.
The City of Marion has made changes to the way it will give away free water. The new schedule for bottled water distribution at the former armory is last names A-M on Thursdays and N-Z on Fridays, until further notice. The distribution center opens at 9 a.m., and closes at 6 p.m. It is also closed between noon and 2 p.m. Beginning Thursday, city residents will receive about 2 gallons of water per person in a household, which is a gallon less than in previous days.
A military tanker truck crashed Sunday afternoon near Fredonia in the edge of Caldwell County on KY 902 with a 2,500-gallon load of water. One crewman was slightly injured. That incident triggered a safety review of the routes from Marion to Dycusburg, where water was being taken from the Cumberland River.
Now, the Guard and Emergency Management will be moving. The water collection station will go to the northern side of the county to draw water from the Tradewater River at the Crittenden-Union County Line.
Crittenden County Emergency Management Director Jason Hurley said US 60 has broader shoulders and other assets that make it more suitable for the larger tankers, which are making multiple runs per day, seven days week.
Motorists on US 60 East in the upper section of the county should be alert to slow-moving military vehicles.
Water transportation from the Cumberland River to Marion's Old City Lake began Saturday. Hurley said it will take most of today to move the pump and other equipment to the Tradewater River. Therefore, hauling will not resume until Wednesday.
THE CRITTENDEN PRESS | COPYRIGHT 2022
The current contract expires Thursday.
Illinois and Kentucky have a contract with the Cave In Rock Ferry Authority which then contracts operation of the service to Lonnie Lewis of Hardin County, Ill. The ferry authority is waiting on transportation officials in Frankfort, Ky., to respond to the latest contract changes. Negotiations have been ongoing since January.
Lewis, the Cave In Rock Ferry operator, hopes the impasse is broken before later this week.
“We will not be able to open Friday without a new a contract,” Lewis told The Crittenden Press this morning.
Local leaders and the Cave In Rock Ferry Authority are working with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet officials trying to prevent a shutdown like the one a few years ago.
Crittenden County Judge-Executive Perry Newcom says he's confident a contract will be executed before the deadline.
There has been a ferry at Cave In Rock for more 200 years. Lewis has operated it for the past 28 and says he wants to continue.
Two members of the National Guard crew in the vehicle were taken to a regional hospital as a precautionary measure.
The National Guard has been mobilized in support of Marion's water crisis.
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The one-lane bridge on KY 135 between KY 91 and Tolu will be closed for about two weeks in July while repairs are made.
Work crews are planning deck maintenance and joint work on the Hurricane Creek Bridge.
Also, the Piney Creek Bridge on KY 506 at the county line will be getting some repairs next month.
Traffic will be restricted to one lane with alternating flow controlled by an automated signal. Work at the Piney Creek Bridge is expected to take about 30 days to complete, weather permitting.
These jobs are tentatively set to begin around July 5.
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