The exact cause of the dry wells is not known'the department of natural resources says the population growth in the area has put a strain on wells that aren't deep enough to access the water supply. But residents have their own theory'they suspect a nearby golf course and artificial lake of putting tremendous pressure on the area's aquifer'the golf course and lake have wells that are deeper than those of most homeowners.
Bob Lawrence lives in northern Greene county has had two of his wells dry up this year. He says he can't compete with larger, deeper wells.
Bob Lawrence and other residents learned at last week's meeting that there are no state laws regulating the amount of water pumped from wells. Now, it appears unlikely they'll get help in changing that from their state representative, Brad Roark. He says he's reluctant to propose legislation to regulate entities that pump large amounts of water from wells, like some golf courses and large estates.
Though Roark says he sympathizes with the residents' plight, he defends the high-use well owners' right to pump as much water as they want. He says it would be wrong to take away that right.
Roark has proposed extending water service from Springfield's city utilities to residents of northern Greene county. He says as more people move into the area, it would be beneficial to decrease reliance on well water.
Residents are concerned about the cost of extending city utilities to their homes in the county and the cost of digging deeper wells. In an effort to look for other solutions, residents are forming a task force'Roark says he plans to keep in touch with the task force as they work through the well water problem.