KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffTown of St. Mary to start buying water from Ste. Genevieve County

Town of St. Mary to start buying water from Ste. Genevieve County

By CJ Cassidy - bio | email

ST. MARY, MO (KFVS) - Would you feel safe drinking water that isn't always clear?

Folks in St. Mary say that's something they have to deal with.

Mayor Carl Wyatt says he has no problem drinking water straight out of the tap.

He admits the city has seen its share of brown water, but says plans are underway to fix those problems.

"Our water is still safe, but our wells are deteriorating," he said.

St. Mary resident Mary Hurst says she does a lot with the water, except drink it.

"I buy bottled water all the time," Hurst said. "If I cook with it, I boil it."

Wyatt says the city will spend $1,500,000 in grant and loan money to put in new pipes and buy water from Ste. Genevieve County.  But that could take up to a year, and he says residents have been advised not to do their laundry on the occasions the water turns brown.

"It looks bad but no bacteria, just old lines, all the chemical buildup over the years breaking loose. Our water has never been unsafe to drink," Wyatt said.

Still a DNR report from 2008 states "due to the unsanitary features with the city's water storage tanks and potential for contamination of the city's drinking water supply the department has urged the city to have the storage tanks inspected and necessary corrections made."

But some folks say they have confidence in city leaders.

"Right now they're trying to fix it," Bob Bertels said. "Give them an E for effort, and hopefully we will have better water. There's a faction in the community trying to drag everyone down. They need to stay or go."

Bartels agrees some people are just trying to muddy the waters.  But others say politics has nothing to do with the water looking muddy.

"I'm anxious for new water to come," Mary Hurst said.

The mayor says the bidding process for contractors opens up on Monday the 16th.

He also says the city only came close to showing real water problems when they had false positives on tests twice in three years. Those tests were later retracted.

©2009 KFVS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.