Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Lee County Could Pay for Sewer Work

Lee County could pay for some emergency repairs to a rural sewer system.

The system in unincorporated Argyle, which has been in place for several years, is owned by Mount Pleasant-based Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS).

RUSS helps rural communities or individuals in southeast Iowa fund and build sewer systems.

RUSS Executive Director Bruce Hudson says Argyle's system is not working properly, though, because it is too small.

That is why the organization filed a lawsuit in Henry County, last year, against the firm that designed the system.

Hudson says RUSS wants the firm to cover the cost of upgrading the system.

He says the organization cannot wait for the lawsuit to be settled, though, so he has asked the Lee County Board of Supervisors to help pay for the project.

Board Chairman Ernie Schiller says the board is open to the proposal.

"I think it is prudent that our board looks and tries to find $50,000 for a loan payment until this can be settled," says Schiller, "because we need to get this system up and operational."

The county would cover 25% of the cost of the upgrade because a federal grant is in place to cover the rest.

The supervisors could vote on the $50,000 payment in the coming weeks.

Jason Parrott is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.