White County completing a series of water infrastructure upgrades in O’Connor and Walling to replace aging lines and support residential growth.
County Executive Kyle Goff said the county received just over $5 million in American Rescue Plan funds in 2022 to address utility needs. Goff said the final physical work concluded last week at the O’Connor Utility District, leaving only administrative paperwork to be finalized.
“Several areas of the county with the residential development and the new homes and the loss of farmland to residential development that’s been subdivided,” Goff said, “Has led us to some areas of the county where we have water lines that are undersized for the capacity that they now need.”
Goff said much of the existing infrastructure dated back to the 1960s and had not received a major overhaul in six decades. The county targeted areas with high population density.
“This has been a very long process,” Goff said. “I was on the commission when we received some of these ARP funds back in 2022, I believe it was.”
Goff said the upgrades do not expand service to new residents but instead focus on the long-term reliability of the system.
“I think sustainability is the number one,” Goff said. “I think putting some of these improvements in place that will last us for a really long time, I think that was the ultimate goal.”
Goff said the remaining ARP money was used for a 10 percent local match to secure a state grant for a new health department. That facility is also nearing completion and is expected to be operational in November.
“So this is something that families maybe can be a little bit more at ease about the future of water in White County,” Goff said. “Well, I think hopefully it’ll mean that we don’t have to do this again for quite some time.”
Goff said the county does not have additional water projects planned at this time as the four local utility districts manage their own capital improvement plans.
