MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WTVA) -- Residents in northeast Pickens County who have struggled with an inadequate water supply at their homes and workplaces will be getting some relief as a result of a $200,000 grant announced by Gov. Robert Bentley.
The Pickens County Water Authority will use the funding to install a new well and treatment system to ensure residents have plentiful water for consumption, bathing and other needs.
A 500-foot-deep well with a water-filtration treatment system will provide adequate water for more than 1,000 households and 33 businesses in the area, including 16 poultry farms.
"Every Alabamian needs clean, consumable water, but an adequate supply becomes even more vital when your livelihood depends on it," Bentley said. "I am pleased to announce this project."
The well will be drilled at a site near Alabama Highway 17 and County Road 59.
Bentley notified Eugene Burkhalter, water authority chairman, that the grant had been approved.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs administers the ARC program and a range of other programs that support law enforcement, economic development, workforce development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
Congress established ARC in 1965 as a supplemental grant program to raise the standard of living, improve the quality of life and promote economic development in portions of the 13 Appalachian mountain states.
Thirty-seven Alabama counties, including Pickens County, are part of the ARC area.
