Water, Waste, & Wastewater - Part III

The Lexington Water Department knew that leaks claimed a large percentage of the water purchased from Tim Shelton, but had few means to seek out and repair the damaged forty year-old pipe. It was also apparent that such leaks weakened the system's water pressure, most noticeably on its outer edges.

Rascaltown, Tennessee, first noticed a dramatic decrease in water pressure early in 2005, and by June 2006 the water had ceased to flow altogether. Tim Shelton trucked in water to the remote community, while the town of Lexington initially noticed little difference.

When the main pump malfunctioned early in July, the water department activated its back-up, only to discover it was clogged with mud and small gravel. Now Rascaltown wasn't the only community without water. Mayor Herman Jaggers ordered bottled water purchased for Lexington residents--something he hadn't bothered to do for those in Tennessee who could not vote in Lexington elections. City employees handed out the Wal-Mart water by the case, while fielding the questions of irritated residents.

The arrival of a third pump restored water to the entire Lexington system, but did nothing to lessen the 1.3 million dollar USDA loan. After four years in office, Jaggers decided not to seek re-election, and only former Mayor Bobby McGuire qualified, winning the position by default.

In January of this year, the Lexington Water Department added a $5.00 charge to each of the 940 households subscribing to city water, whether in reach of the sewer system or not. The town's yearly payment on the government loan is just under $84,000.00, and was not up to date at that time.

In February, McGuire requested a $500,000.00 grant from NACOLG to install a new well filtration system, as well as an additional $300,000.00 for an upgrade to the wastewater lagoon, an expense that had not been calculated when the initial sewer budget was established. This month McGuire has requested a third grant from NACOLG in the amount of $271,000.00 to purchase an additional well in Greenhill for supplementary water.

Assuming all three grants are secured, this would afford the Lexington Water Department an additional $1,071,000.00 in funding for its seemingly bottomless water pit. One local attorney who has worked with the town has been quoted as saying the small town would be better off to revoke its charter and revert to an unincorporated community. The same source has indicated that Mayor Bobby McGuire may resign in July due to personal issues.

Whatever direction the town may take, a decade has passed, millions of dollars have been spent, and a faulty sewer has been installed. So far, no new national chains have established themselves in Lexington. The town's citizens have a right to know what went wrong.


What's up with this: Area judges appear to be handing down more severe penalties for sex crimes. Let's hope Lauderdale County jurists follow their example.