Residents seek water switch

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Saturday, October 31, 2009

FERRIDAY — A group of Lake Concordia residents has approached the Concordia Waterworks board about switching from Ferriday’s water system to the waterworks system.

One of the residents, Ronnie Hendricks, recently approached the board on behalf of approximately 20 people with the question of what it would take for the residents to make the switch.

It wasn’t his idea, but he, too, wanted to know if it was feasible, Hendricks said.

“We are just wanting good drinking water, and Concordia has probably the best water in the parish,” he said.

There are no plans to make the switch, and the group was more interested in knowing if switching to Concordia Waterworks was an option before pursuing anything, Hendricks said.

“There is no use in having a meeting and asking everyone on the lake if they want to make the switch if you then go to the water people and them say, ‘No, you can’t do it,’” he said.

Hendricks said he knows that the Town of Ferriday is working hard to address its drinking water woes, but he’s worried that a permanent fix will still be several years in the future.

If the Lake Concordia residents are going to make the switch, they’re going to have to get permission from the Department of Health and Hospitals and from the Town of Ferriday, because Ferriday owns the water line in that area, Concordia Waterworks board member Warren Enterkin said.

The lake residents will also have to bear the expense of putting a water line across the lake.

Taking on the lake residents shouldn’t affect the waterworks’ capacity to provide service to its customers, Enterkin said.

“We take in new subdivisions as they are built, and I think we have the amount of water to take care of that,” he said. “There would only be about 100 meters on that line.”

The trick will be to convince lake residents to carry the cost of permits and infrastructure, Hendricks said.

“You are looking at a lot of money, and not everybody on that lake is willing to fork over $1,200 to $1,500,” he said.

And while Hendricks said he was interested in exploring the option of switching water providers, he wasn’t banking on that plan.

“If the switch doesn’t happen I will probably drill a well,” he said. “I am going to get good water.”