By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

VICTORIA — After nearly a year without clean running water in their home, Kevin and Laura McCarter, who live just outside of Victoria, soon could have access to safe drinking water. But, despite public outcries and a social media storm from area residents, the water will not be coming from the City of Victoria just 1,700 feet east of the residence, instead coming from Post Rock Rural Water District through a line that will be laid from over a mile away.

The McCarters were forced to seek a new water supply after the wells on their property became contaminated last year. Due to their proximity to Victoria, the couple worked with the city for months to secure water from the city, but even with support from Jerry Kanzenbach, Victoria Mayor, the Victoria City Council failed to vote on a measure that would have added the McCarter home to the city water supply through annexation.

Despite the lack of action by the Victoria City Council, good news came to the McCarters last week when Post Rock Rural Water District sent a letter indicating their board is in support of getting water to the farm from the district.

“The District’s Board of Directors are very sympathetic to your situation,” the letter to the McCarters said. “Service would most logically come from the City of Victoria. While it is not the ideal situation for anyone concerned, Rural Water District No. 1 Ellsworth County, Kansas Board of Directors are offering to serve you a safe and reliable source of water.”

The deal is contingent on the McCarters signing a water line extension agreement and purchasing a district benefit unit.

The McCarters had originally worked with the district to secure water, but due to the proximity of the home to Victoria, they had been they were too close to get water from a rural water district.

“We’re kind of back to where we were before with Post Rock,” McCarter said. “We’re extremely happy, but extremely pessimistic too,” McCarter said, because of what had happened in the past, but thinks now they are now coming to the end of a long journey to get water to the home.

“I think now we are getting closer, for sure,” he said.

Running water from the rural district also adds a substantial cost – something McCarter is willing to pay – if only just to put an end to the ordeal.

“If they run it, it will be a little over $40,000 on their part,” he said. “By the time it is all said and done, we’ll probably spend $60,000 to $70,000 dollars on water from them,” noting with the cost of the district running the line, he will also need to re-plumb the house and run a line from the meter at the end of his long driveway. On top of those new costs, McCarter estimates he has almost $10,000 in attorney fees getting to this point.

“We’re excited about it, but when you start looking at a 30-year loan to pay off water, it’s not that much fun,” he said.

McCarter estimated the cost to get water from Victoria would have been less than $10,000.