I had the opportunity to tour the new DeKalb County Utility District’s new water plant this past week, and was very impressed by the operation.
During this month’s meeting of the Smithville Mayor and Alderman, an agreement was reached and passed between the city and county to share resources if necessary, giving both a viable backup system in case of an outage or emergency.
Having first-rate water facilities is definitely a boon for the area, as years ago in Milwaukee I was an inadvertent victim of a biological agent when cryptosporidium parasites found their way into the city’s  water supply.
I usually didn’t drink the city water, as I was living in Waukesha at the time, but there was a trade show for home security systems downtown and I went. Feeling like a drink of water, I came across a water fountain and had a few sips. Apparently they were a few sips too many as I started feeling like I had the flu. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you have a compromised immune system, a cryptosporidium infection can become life-threatening without proper treatment. You can help prevent a cryptosporidium infection by practicing good hygiene and avoiding swallowing water from pools, recreational water parks, lakes and streams.
You notice there’s nothing in there about not drinking out of water fountains. I wish I had the same luck when it comes to contest winning on lottery tickets but I can sure find a biological agent in the city water without trying too hard.
One of my military occupational specialties during my army career was 54B or Nuclear, Biological, Chemical NCO and instructor. I know better than most what can happen if your water is compromised both from my military training and personal experience in the matter.
For me, I just became best friends with the bathroom and Gatorade for a couple days and it eventually passed but everyone wasn’t so lucky.
By having the ability locally to switch water supplies if necessary, the local governments can better protect the people of DeKalb County if something were to happen. Seems like a good idea to me. I know it is a drag for the city having to lose so many customers and how it will play out for the water rates I don’t know.
The new plant in the county is state-of-the-art but it’s got to be paid for. The city has the job of still maintaining and providing services to its customers without the support of the many residents who used to be on the grid but are now on the county’s supply. According to city officials, their plant is paid for so that’s a plus to city residents.
Budgets aside, there seemed to be some great cooperation between the city and county on the matter, albeit not everyone was without reservations. Having a backup water supply can be a good thing for all.

Contact Steve Warner at news@smithvillereview.com