No Water Woes for Lawrenceville

LAWRENCEVILLE, ILL. (WTHI) -      While some communities are wrestling with water issues during the drought, one Wabash Valley city is celebrating putting its long standing water problems to rest.

     Lawrenceville, Illinois spent decades wrestling with water quality.

     Now, the town is happy to report that water is no longer their issue.

   Everyone was smiling as officials cut the ribbon on the new $7-million water treatment plant in Lawrenceville, but folks here weren't always smiling about the water.

     In fact a decade ago a group of angry women took their complaints to the city.

     "We were afraid for our families, said Linda Gray.  "We were irritated with ruining laundry, not having clean water to wash with or cook with, or to drink and we wanted some results."

     Those results are now here.

     A water plant that is putting out one million gallons a day of clean, safe water.

     "Very relaxing to know that we are finally delivering clean safe water to our citizens," said Mayor Brian Straub.

     The project is going to do a lot of things for the community.

  It solves a long-standing problem that it's had with its water quality, and opens the way for economic development.

     "During a drought when wells are going dry and this community has water that they can share it means this is a viable community that individuals and other communities and businesses can look to when they need something," said Colleen Callahan with the USDA Office of Rural Development.

     Perhaps most importantly the project has finally found a way to make the angry  women happy.

     "No, you've got some really happy women," said Gray.

     With that accomplished, the community can count the clean water and possibilities for development as a bonus.

     Officials say they aren't quite done dealing with the water problems in Lawrenceville.

     The mayor says the next step will be to make certain the wells are protected from future contamination.