TALLADEGA COUNTY — The Central Talladega County Water District received a big boost to its plans to dig a second well to benefit the residents who receive water in that district.

Members of the county’s state legislative delegation stopped by the Water District Board of Directors’ monthly meeting to award them a $100,000 check to start the process of digging that well.

Jimmy Arnold, the manager and operator of the water district, said, “We are to the point where we have to have another water source. We’ve looked at the city of Talladega, which isn’t practical, and we’ve looked at Talladega County, which isn’t practical for financial reasons.

“We would spend a lot of money, and then we still wouldn’t have our own water source. This way we will have our water source, and we can control it.”

The $100,000 grant will allow the Water District to begin digging and testing for a suitable site. Arnold said that usually takes several tries by drilling in different areas to find that site.

“We have to get a well that will produce water before we can go to rural development and borrow the money to develop a well,” Arnold said. “We’re looking at possibly spending a couple of hundred thousand dollars. Hopefully not. I would love for this (grant) to take care of it, if we get really lucky and drilled one well.

“But normally that doesn’t happen, to be honest. This is going to help us get that well that will produce water, and then we’ll go to (U.S. Agriculture Department) Rural Development and get funding and hopefully some grant money so we can keep our rates down.”

Arnold does not expect many more water lines to be laid in the district, but the well will provide security to customers should there be a leak or a problem with the other well. Issues like those could cause customers to be without water.

The district serves customers from rural areas in the central part of the county such as Sycamore, Winterboro and Renfroe, among several other locations. Arnold said the water district serves 1,061 households.

State Sen. Jim Preuitt, State Rep. Steve Hurst and State Rep. Barbara Boyd were at the meeting to present the check.

“This is a very needed service that you provide for the community, and we appreciate you,” Preuitt said. “What we have for you this afternoon is a portion of the 2 percent rural tax that was approved in 1991.”

He said that 10 percent of the tax is designated for rural water development.

Contact Brandon Fincher at bfincher@dailyhome.com.