Letter to the Editor regarding PWSD #2 of Caldwell County, by Cathy Youtsey
Aug 29, 2018 | Opinion |
On Aug. 24, 2018, Gov. Parson announced the award of a $27,380 grant to Public Water Supply District No. 2 of Caldwell County. This special grant fund was established to secure emergency sources and connections for water districts and cities experiencing drought-related supply crises. This grant will enable us to establish a secondary connection to Public Water Supply District No. 2 of Daviess County for water produced by the City of Gallatin. The connection will also alleviate our demand on the City of Hamilton’s reservoir that is currently more than 6 feet below the spillway.
First I would like to thank Gov. Parson, Rep. Neely, Rep. Eggleston, Sen. Hoskins, Sen. Hegeman, and their staff members for their personal attention and expedited response to the water supply crisis in our area. Without their support and quick actions our communities could not have established these emergency connections before loss of service to our customers.
By their directive, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has dedicated special finances and personnel to assist our districts and cities in obtaining secondary sources of water that will ensure a dependable and uninterrupted water supply to our systems. The DNR staff has provided excellent and immediate assistance with the emergency drought program applications. The abbreviated process will allow construction and operation of the Caldwell 2/Daviess 2 interconnection within 7 to 12 days.
Our neighboring districts and cities have united to ensure that any available surplus is being shared to depleted systems. Local boards and councils have quickly and graciously amended contracts and approved interconnections to their under-sourced neighbors. The operators, clerks, legal counsel, and engineering consultants of these systems have worked tirelessly to ensure that every resource and possibility has been evaluated.
As a water operator, I feel an immense responsibility and burden to ensure that the public …the public that includes my friends and family …have a reliable, safe, and adequate supply of drinking water. As a livestock producer, I am obligated to provide complete and adequate care for my animals. In a drought situation there is no delivery truck, no Amazon order, no trip to the store that is going to bring sufficient water to my people, to my cattle …to every family, business, farm, and industry in my community.
I appreciate every person and every department that has assisted us in obtaining this emergency connection. I’m going to ask you to do two more things. I’m going to ask that you help these other communities asking for assistance because they are us …just people needing the very basis of life and livelihood, with very little time, and very few resources. And I’m going to ask you to look ahead, make a plan, get prepared …because there will be more droughts, and more people, and more demand, and we must develop and build permanent solutions for the water supply of Northwest Missouri.
Again, my utmost gratitude to everyone that made our connection possible.
Sincerely,
Cathy Youtsey, Superintendent
Caldwell County PWSD #2
