The chairman of the Washington County Water Task Force told his colleagues Thursday he hopes forthcoming federal pandemic relief dollars will help the county to accelerate its plans to provide water to residents who need it.
âWe are hoping to do a lot more projects,â County Commissioner Bryan Davenport said. âIt would be nice to double or triple our projects in the next four to eight years.
The chairman said using funds the county is slated to receive from the American Rescue Plan Act could âset a road mapâ of infrastructure projects for commissioners to follow in the future.
Davenport said such an effort could shorten the time that it takes for the county to get to all of the waterline projects on its list by a decade. He also told task force members having such a plan could help âcontrol the expectationsâ of residents wanting water service.
Washington County commissioners voted on June 28 to proceed with a list of water projects to serve rural communities.
The waterline resolution didnât specify how those water projects â totaling nearly $8 million â will be funded. Instead, commissioners decided the funding options should be left open while they decide how a portion of the $25.5 million the county will receive from the American Rescue Plan Act might be used to expand water infrastructure.
The waterline extension projects were identified by the countyâs Water Task Force and covers 48 months of work. The task force also calls for the county to establish a seven-person waterline installation crew to be supervised by the town of Jonesborough.
Task force works to set a list of top water projects in the county johnsoncitypress.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from johnsoncitypress.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Washington County commissioners are slated to vote on a grant application later this month to help provide water to homes in the Taylor Bridge Road area.
Meanwhile, members of the Washington County Water Task Force met Friday and discussed a process to determine how to prioritize other underserved communities in need of utility water.
County Commissioner Bryan Davenport, the chairman of the task force, said the panel will be asked to make âdata-driven decisionsâ on where the county should concentrate its limited resources for public water.
âEverywhere that doesnât have water should be first, but thatâs not possible,â he said.