Photo by Howard Owens
After dealing with several months of drought for the past two years in the town of Bethany, officials and residents have something to look forward to this coming spring, Town Supervisor Carl Hyde Jr. says.
Hyde issued a statement Wednesday that all of the preparation — surveys, applications, legal footwork — the town will begin its next water district this spring.
“After nine years of hard work, the Town of Bethany has received the green light for the construction of public Water District #5 for the residents, farms and businesses in the district,” Hyde said. “The construction is slated to start in early 2025, which will supply 474 units.”
The town had endured a drought severe enough to warrant a State of Emergency in December 2023. That dry condition meant hauling water for miles to and from homes and businesses and resulted in some generous donations of bottled water from local businesses, a water tanker that was loaned from the state for folks to fill up at Town Hall, and at least one farm shutting down due to the water shortage and hardship.
Add to that the Covid pandemic mucking up the process in between, causing delays and price increases and pushing a potential water district more out of reach.
Hyde was able to put Water District #5 on the map after the town received a Water Infrastructure Improvement Award in mid-December 2023 for $5 million. Since the town’s first application had been denied, town officials submitted a second one and anxiously awaited word of whether they would be approved — receiving that good news before end of the year to serve residents north to Route 20.
