In 1992, the County received a $5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to develop an alternative and emergency water supply for the county’s poultry industry. Then it went to VAW (VAW Water System Inc.), then through Johnson’s Crossing, and then to Walter, then the County got into the water business in 1972.” But the people at the East Cullman Water System started it, said they’d borrow some money, and built a water system to East Cullman. Most of us were raised where we had an outdoor toilet, didn’t have running water, and a public water supply just seemed out of the question. He said it could produce 8 million gallons a day, and at that time they were using 3 million gallons a day. Back in the 60s, Mayor Bill Nesmith and a lot of others had the vision to build Lake Catoma. Said Knight, “Cullman is on a plateau, and having a source of water for the public has been an issue ever since it was formed. Jimmy Knight, chairman of the Duck River Advisory Board, addressed the Cullman City Council June 26 about the recent history of the water systems in Cullman County. Lake Catoma followed in 1967 with a new treatment plant Lake George was disconnected from the water system and the old treatment plant was closed. The City impounded Lake George as a water source in 1958, creating a 254-acre reservoir with a potential 5 million gallon-per day supply. An 80 million-gallon, 18-acre lake was impounded at Eva Road Bridge in the late 1940s. In the 1930s, droughts forced the transportation of water to Cullman by truck, until a pipeline was run from the Mulberry River in 1938. By 1913, the city had three wells with a capacity of 72,000 gallons per day. Jacobs beamed, “It’s a great day for all of Cullman County – all the rate payers, chicken houses, farms – and we couldn’t have done it without everyone in this room.”Īs Cullman’s city government celebrates the opening of drinking water service from Duck River, The Tribune takes a look back at the projects that led to this point.Ĭullman’s city water system dates back to the 1887 drilling of an artesian well fitted with a steam-powered pump to support industrial water needs. The reality is that it’s built, the pipeline is complete, next week they’ll be flushing lines and by the end of the week, they can begin treating some of that water.” We could’ve built this impoundment, the debt would be half paid off and we could’ve built it for cheaper, but that’s not the reality. “There’s been some environmental folks who didn’t want this to happen, and it really cost the rate payers some money. “This has been a long time coming, and it’s been a lot of work to get here,” said Jacobs. He said even though there has not been another drought as intense since then, it could happen again at any time, and that year really drove home how necessary another water source would be. It allows us to continue to grow and prosper in the future.”Īt the June 26 Cullman City Council meeting, Jacobs recounted his experience during the 2006 drought and his reaction at seeing how drastically Lake Catoma fell. It protected not only the residents, but businesses and agriculture- particularly the poultry industry- and so many other things that are important to us. Greer, who came to work for Cullman in May 1993, told The Tribune, “It really is 27 years of culmination on a project that I always believed had the potential to ensure this community had an adequate water supply for a hundred years. The mayor thanked Greer for his 27 years of service in the development of the project. Jacobs said, “Today I am excited to say that water from Duck River is now being pumped to the water filter plant and coming to a home near you.” During his Friday video update, Jacobs invited Cullman Economic Development Agency (CEDA) Director Dale Greer to attend, and poured him a cup of water drawn from the new supply. – Mayor Woody Jacobs announced Friday, July 17 that the city of Cullman has begun drawing water from the Duck River Reservoir to the city water treatment plant, and that the city is now receiving drinking water from the reservoir.
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