Services
History of No. 9
Background: Early in 1965 a group of citizens became interested in trying to organize a public water supply system to serve rural people in an area east of Columbia city limits. Eight water districts had already organized or were being organized in Boone County.
In February 1965, a mass meeting was held at Olivet Church at Harg on Route WW. Representatives of the Farmers Home Administration (FHA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, explained how to organize, finance, and operate a rural water district. Attendance was excellent and interest was high. That night the group overwhelmingly agreed to immediately get the project started.
Organization: Organization under state law meant getting signed petitions from landowners within the area. The Circuit Court was then petitioned for permission to form Public Water Supply District No. 9.
Boundaries of the district were defined at a hearing before the Court. At an election, 322 voters within the proposed district voted in favor of the issue. No one voted against it. With the election over, the Court issued a final order establishing the district and appointing the first board of directors. The board organized and hired an attorney and engineer. By-laws, rules, and regulations were adopted. Voters authorized the board to issue bonds to finance the water distribution system.
Progress Continues: The district engineer’s plans and specifications were approved by the Missouri Division of Health. Application for loan funds was made to FHA. Three separate loans totaling $794,000 had been obtained. Contracts were awarded to low bidders for installing the system.
Major features of the distribution system included about 100 miles of water line, one elevated 50,000-gallon water tower, five standpipes, and two deep wells with pumps and pump houses. One well was at Sunrise Estates. The other well was on the Warren farm north of New Haven School. The district owns the land where wells, standpipes, and towers are located.
A new well on the north side of the (old) Olivet Church grounds was drilled in the fall of 1971. The pump house and pump were in stalled and operating by spring 1972.
On January 1, 1972 there were approximately 950 active accounts serving about 1200 individual users. Some accounts, such as mobile home parks, serve more than one user with one meter. About 180 additional connections were made during calendar year 1971. More would have been made had there been sufficient water available.
Current: The District now serves approximately 6000 customers and has five operating deep wells that cover approximately 105 square miles.
