YODER, Kan. — The public town hall meeting regarding Yoder Rural Water District 101 is set for this evening. The meeting is to cover what the county is doing to mitigate the high nitrate levels in the rural water supply.
“It’s going to explain to the residents what’s going on with their water with the high nitrates,” Reno County Public Works Director Don Brittain said. “And for sure that their rates will be going up.”
The high nitrate levels have been an ongoing problem for several years now, and efforts to secure another well free of the contamination have proven unsuccessful. Brittain says that they have several options to fixing the problem but it will involve purchasing water from another source:
“We’ll have to determine what it’s going to cost to get that infrastructure in place,” Brittain said. “I need to do a visit with Haven. They brought up the option that they could sell water, but I don’t know if that is doable.”
Even if the county gets a quick start to fixing the water issues in Yoder, it won't be fixed in a hurry.
“If we buy water from anybody then I have to get a preliminary plan for what it would cost,” Brittain said. “We’d have to apply for a grant to get the money to pay for this and hope to get some forgiveness on the loan.”
That grant cycle has already passed for the year which means it will take more time to get the infrastructure in place. Brittain says it could be as late as 2024 before service could make it to the rural water district.
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Journey of Yoder activity center, located two miles north of Yoder. At least two of the Reno County Commissioners are expected to attend, as well as leadership from Reno County Public Works.
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