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Backwoods Water Problems Continue To Plague Century
July 8, 2008
Water problems on Backwoods Road continued to plague the Century Town Council Monday night as the council debated the future of a nearly $1.5 million project.
Many of the 27 households on Backwoods Road have complained to the town for nearly a decade about poor water pressure, muddy water and sometimes the lack of water. The homes are served by 1.7 miles of pipe just two inches in diameter.
Back on May 22, the town received a symbolic $1,755,000 check for a USDA Rural Development Loan to improve water service in the area of Backwoods Road, but the council never voted to finalize the loan.
Since that time, about $300,000 was shaved from the project by decreasing the size of a new elevated storage tank near the intersection of Henry Street and Academy Street. The project was to also include generators for water wells and a new six inch water main from Shady Lane and State Line Road, west along State Line Road to Highway 4A, and then south on Highway 4A past Backwoods Road.
“We are not solving the Backwoods problem with this project. We are making a step toward it,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said, adding that the increased water pressure along Highway 4A would serve to increase the water pressure in the Backwoods Road two inch pipe. “But it is not going to be the solution to the Backwoods problem.”
Some resident expressed concern that increasing the pressure in the aging pipe under Backwoods Road will lead to more problems in pipe that already leaks.
“There is some concern about adding more pressure,” Dale Long of Fabre Engineering said of the pipe on Backwoods Road. “You have crappy pipe.”
The council planned to “buy down the loan” by about $300,000, mostly from funds to be received from the state from back billing for gas service at the Century Correctional Institute. With that $300,000, the monthly loan payment would be about $64,000…with that money coming from increased payments of around $90,000 a month from the prison.
Council member Henry Hawkins questioned whether the town could not do the project under the USDA loan and just use the $300,000 to increase the size of the water pipe under Backwoods Road.
After lengthy discussion, the council voted to authorize Long to find out if the USDA project loan could be updated to include improvements on Backwoods road. He will report back to the council on his findings.
Comments
5 Responses to “Backwoods Water Problems Continue To Plague Century”
i agree about helping backwood out with the dirty water and not much water pressure…i hope they get set up for good clean drinking water…… before you help set up that new trailer park coming …..that the century counsel agreed on.letting them tie into century from Flomaton.that trailer park is not a much backwood is….the owener of that trailer park has got more money and they know what to do with ……they really dont help need ….there are several things that needs to be done before that stupid trailer park……… centruy needs to be cleaned up stop giving to the rich and help the poor… good luck backwood & Bass rd
I also live on Bass Rd. and the water frequently cuts off and you have to wait whether your in the shower or washing dishes, it is often irritaing, I too choose to drink bottled water because of the poor water running through our pipes, and heaven forbid anyone whether it be the road grader or phone company or individuals who try to fix the road here “Too which I add is a real problem” Cut, Crush or in any other means disrupt the water pipes, this poses two problems we face here, there are enough people who live on this road, which should be afforded the same as others on 4A, better water pressure and better water,also paving of the main road to our homes, just take a look at what roads are paved and the ones that are not in this area, thanks
i live on bass rd our water pressure is not good and cuts off a lot i have never seen dirty water come out.i drink bottle water because of the taste of our tap water.
The water mains on that road need to be up-graded if for no other reason than to have proper fire protection for those people. Hydrants and water pressure were a problem there twenty years ago when I was in the local fire department .
“You have crappy pipe.” Who can’t love a comment like that?! Hopefully these residents will see improvement soon. They pay the same price for water, whether it’s clean or dirty. That’s the thing with public utilities. You get poor service and you just have to live with it until someone finally decides (or decides not) to fix it.
Maybe I can get Moore Creek Mt. Carmel water system to finally answer my water problems after the Backwoods story. Seems like we always have clay or sediment in our water. I’ve asked and asked and I can’t get a straight answer…