Lee County might be forced to go back to the drawing board when it comes to a proposed sanitary sewer system in an unincorporated community just north of Keokuk.
The county hoped to receive assistance from Regional Utility Service Systems (RUSS), which is an organization that serves ten southeast Iowa counties. It helps small communities find the money to build a sewer system and then manage it for them.
RUSS spent months working on a proposal to build a system in Mooar/Powdertown but that work could be for naught.
The project has reached a point where RUSS needs permission from its members to potentially borrow money for construction. But 3 of the 10 member counties (Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington) rejected that request.
Unanimous consent is required for RUSS to proceed.
Lee County Board of Supervisors Chairman Ernie Schiller said he was not surprised by the decision from the Wapello County Board of Supervisors, given the county's desire to leave the organization.
But he was taken aback by the decision from the other two.
"They probably have their reasons, but again, this is Lee County and we are trying to do what our residents want," said Schiller. "Not that we want to do for our residents, but what our residents have come to us for, so yeah, I am a little disappointed.”
Schiller said if a sewer system is not installed in Mooar/Powdertown, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources could get involved due to environmental concerns surrounding the already polluted Lake Chatfield.
Most of the residents of the community are onboard with the project because it will give them a say in the project, compared to the Iowa DNR.
Schiller said unfortunately, the project may be too big for the county to handle on its own.
"I think for our board to do it personally would really be a stretch, so I am hoping Bruce (Hudson) can come up with some alternatives," said Schiller.
Bruce Hudson is the executive director of RUSS. The organization's Board of Directors will meet this week.
Schiller hopes to learn more about the future of the Mooar/Powdertown project at that time.
