http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/bluntprese_3608.mp3
The state of Missouri is buying the town of Fair Grove a ditch, a sludge tank, and a disinfecting system. Governor Matt Blunt and state representative Shane Schoeller paid a visit to the small community just north of Springfield this morning to present the grant. KSMU's Megan Keathley was there and files this report.
Hot water on the left, cold water on the right, effluent runs downhill. The phrase applies to both basic plumbing and the corporate world, especially the part about effluent. These were the words of Fair Grove mayor Tim Smith before he was presented a check by Governor Blunt, which will affect both plumbing and the small "corporate" world in Fair Grove. The money will be used to pay for an oxidation ditch, a wastewater tank, and a new UV light disinfecting mechanism. The cost: half a million. Protecting water quality and the environment? According Blunt, priceless.
The town of Fair Grove has been growing steadily for the past several years. That, coupled with increasingly strict federal environmental regulations, leaves rural wastewater systems (like the one in Fair Grove) in need of an overhaul. The 500,000 in state grant money will barely cover half the cost of the project, which is expected to be completed next summer.