Officials working to secure funding and make repairs to Marion water system
MARION, Ala. (WBMA) — Repairs are underway to address the ongoing water crisis in Marion. The water was reported safe but residents have still expressed concerns about using it.
"What we have done right now is we are working with the engineer to get the filter meter and valves changed in the water plant," said Brian Moore, water superintendent.
See more: City of Marion reports water is safe
See more: Water woes continue in Marion as city tries to get finances in order
Congresswoman Terri Sewell was unavailable on October 6 for an interview, but gave ABC33/40 the following statement:
The water crisis in Perry County is devastating and emblematic of the larger failure of our water infrastructure across Alabama’s Black Belt. Water issues continue to pose serious health, economic, and environmental hazards to our people and addressing this crisis is a top priority of mine priority in Congress. Access to clean water is a basic human right.
While I was thrilled that the Treasury allowed critical American Rescue Plan funds to be used for water infrastructure, it’s clear that more support is desperately needed. In July, I was proud to secure $480,000 to improve the City of Marion’s drinking water infrastructure in House Democrats FY2022 funding bill. I was also proud that my bill, the Decentralized Wastewater Grant Act, was included in a larger infrastructure package that passed the House earlier this year. While these bills are pending consideration in the Senate, I’ll continue to fight for additional aid.
This crisis is also a testament to the urgency of federal infrastructure legislation. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework alone provides $55 billion in funding for clean drinking water including $23 billion for the bipartisan Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act. These programs would be transformational for the City of Marion and rural communities across Alabama, and I won’t rest until we get them passed and signed into law.
Perry County Commissioner Cedric Hudson said while the county is helping however they can, it really comes down to the city.
"From my understanding the water tank went down to 1% which means there was hardly no water in the water tank," said Hudson.
Hudson said he believes this issue could have been prevented. He also said there is a three inch line connected from the county's water authority to Marion, but it is not enough to get water for the entire city. He said in order to do that, it would cost about $50,000.
"If we would've had a connect to Perry County water authority, we could've easily clicked the switch and Perry County water could've pumped the water directly to people through the city lines," he explained.
In the meantime, the city of Marion is continuing to flush lines and hydrants and are working to get a maintenance plan in place so these things can be done regularly.
"We are dealing with a plant that was built in 1960, i got this job maybe three years ago and i have yet to find anything to say maintenance was done on the regular, so now it is new to us and its something we are trying to get done and in place to make sure it doesn't happen again," said Moore.
Alabama Department of Environmental Management said they are providing technical assistance to the city of Marion as needed.
