Tick, tock

If water wells in far West Odessa aren't dry already, they may be getting there.

The Redondo Water System Improvements Project, an endeavor two years in the making to extend city water service to a portion of West Odessa, will wrap up soon, but residents even farther west are still waiting - eight years later.

"Some people out there have a lot of water on their well, but a lot of people don't," county grants administrator Randy Ragsdale said. He oversees water-line extension projects.

"They're getting three or four gallons a minute. That's not enough to water your lawn and take a shower at the same time."

The Redondo water-service extension is one of many grant-funded projects the county has landed during the last 15 years. Local fund matches and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development monies pay for these projects.

The projects are meant to alleviate West Odessa's continuous water supply problem since many private wells in the area are either dry or getting dangerously close, forcing residents to rely on bottled water and to haul loads of the precious commodity in extreme cases.

The price tag for this water-relief effort adds up to about $3 million during the last three to five years, with grants covering 85 percent of it.

Ragsdale said construction is nearly complete on Redondo Water System Improvements lines that will pump city water to residents between 42nd Street and University Boulevard east of Redondo and up to Slavik Avenue.

Once meters are set up and everyone's tied in, the Ector County Utility District will annex those properties into its coverage area. Residents who qualify as low- to moderate-income aren't paying a dime to hook up to the city lines thanks to grant funds, but they will have to pay 1 1/2 times the city water rate once their switch from using wells is complete plus a 9-cent per $100 home valuation ECUD tax.

That's good news for anyone who's well is running dry within ECUD's boundaries, but those within the West Odessa Water Supply Corp's boundaries aren't so lucky.

Red tape

Two utility districts have been set up to help bring water lines to West Odessa. One of them is ECUD, which has been around for decades. ECUD contracts with the city to get its water supply and maintains lines and meters.

Its boundaries stretch as far west as Knox Avenue.

The West Odessa Water Supply Corp. takes over from there, reaching west to Westcliff Road down to Interstate 20. Its northern boundary stops at Yukon Road, with a small section jutting out to Tripp Avenue.

One of the corporation's founding board members, Kenneth Cook, could not be reached for comment, but county commissioner Freddie Gardner said the agency was set up about eight years ago. Back then, residents who wanted to be served by West Odessa Water Supply paid about $250 each to help pay for water line installation and other start-up costs in hopes that they could eventually wean themselves off low-producing wells, Gardner said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded a $3 million grant to West Odessa Water Supply, and the county received $500,000 in HUD funds, funneled through the Office of Rural Community Affairs, that commissioners allocated for the utility agency.

But years of red tape wrangling with federal and state agencies has stalled the corporation's progress, leaving its residents with dying water wells and $3.5 million in limbo.

"There's no way to speed it up because when you're dealing with federal, state agencies and the city, you just can't get things done really quick," Gardner said.

Gardner said West Odessa Water Supply hasn't been able to seek bids for water line construction because of its most recent hang up with the USDA. The federal agency said the corporation has to secure a water supply contract for 40 years before any grant monies can be spent.

That agreement hasn't been finalized, so no infrastructure has been built yet to get the other Texas Tea to homeowners in far West Odessa.

Why not ECUD?

Gardner and Ragsdale said ECUD can't branch out to cover West Odessa Water Supply's coverage area because such far-reaching water lines couldn't carry enough pressure to service homes adequately.

Gardner said the county's landscape elevates west of ECUD's coverage area, so a series of pump stations and at least one water tower would probably be necessary to maintain the 40 pounds of water pressure most houses need. 

That would cost millions, so ECUD's boundaries are pretty much set where they are.

Gardner said West Odessa Water Supply board members have worked hard to get the utility district off the ground, but new regulations from the USDA keep popping up just when members think they have everything squared away.

"They've worked tirelessly for eight years," Gardner said. "It's a constant battle all the time."

But the clock's ticking for West Odessa Water Supply's $500,000 grant from HUD. Ragsdale said the corporation has to spend that money by June 2009 or it could be taken away. The $500,000 is meant to cover the cost of extending smaller water lines to homes, but the utility district can't do that until a water main is built, which would be covered by the $3 million USDA grant.  

"If they're not able to get their (USDA) grant in place and get started on the infrastructure, they're going to lose $500,000 from ORCA," Gardner said. "I would sure hate to see them lose that."

And Gardner's sure that everyone who paid up $250 to get West Odessa Water Supply off its feet is wondering if they'll ever see a return on their investment.

"If you don't have water at least to use at your house, you're going to have to move," he said.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Lots of money has gone toward extending city water to West Odessans. Here's a breakdown of funding for the last three to five years.

>> $2.5 million: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds funneled through the Texas' Office of Rural Community Affairs.

>> $426,170: Local matches from Ector County Utility District.

>> $3 million: U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to West Odessa Water Supply Corp. for infrastructure and start-up costs.

>> $270,762: West Odessa Water Supply's local match for USDA grant.