The Hopkinsville, Christian County and Todd County Association of Realtors is working to provide water to the residents of Marion who are nearing a water crisis.
The realtor’s association is collecting bottled water at their office at 1700 Parkview Drive in Hopkinsville Monday through Thursday. The first delivery of water will be made next week.
Marion City Administrator Adam Ledford the city was in danger of exhausting its water supply at City Lake with roughly 8 million gallons of water on hand. He noted the city uses approximately 13.5 million gallons of water a month and was in danger of exhausting its water supply if there is a prolonged drought or limited rainfall.
Mayor Jared Byford said what started as clear water under the Lake George levee has now seen the community move from a 13-month water supply to a 17-day option based on the updated City Lake analysis completed last week. He added that, coupled with limited rainfall this month, has the city exhausting its diminished supply.
Byford said the city has focused on taking every step to extend the city’s water supply while seeking a lasting temporary solution capable of reaching usage similar to their daily need. He added that while it was inevitable that many options would not be possible, he shared there are some promising solutions being considered including exploring options with Webster and Crit-Liv Water Districts, as well as working with Princeton, Caldwell, and Crit-Liv on the prospects of funneling quantities sufficient to meet the City’s needs through the interconnection of these systems.
Additionally, the mayor stated the city is stockpiling water and hand sanitizer to address needs in the event no other option resolves the matter in time to prevent pressure loss. He noted they also have a request in to the state for water storage/tankers to station at critical needs locations.