Growth could be byproduct of Farm Bill

If the 2007 Farm Bill is approved, there could be a new crop springing up in southern Franklin County and northern Anderson County — houses.

A regional water district, Public Wholesale Water District 12 based at Melvern Lake, is seeking a federal grant and low-interest loan for a $17 million expansion project.

“If we get the Farm Bill passed, Wholesale 12 is first on the agenda to get funds from Rural Development,” Fran Bennett, Williamsburg, and member of the water district’s board, said.

If the district gets the funding, the district would double its size and expand the size of its water treatment plant capacity to 1.2 million gallons of water per day, he said.

That could lead to more housing developments.

Bennett discussed the grant and loan application during a meeting of the Marais des Cygnes River Basin Advisory Committee Tuesday.

The grant application has been ready for nearly three years and has been waiting for more federal money to be available, he said.

“The system is fully designed and ready to go to bid as soon as we get the money,” Bennett said.

If the district gets the grant and a low-cost loan, the district would supply  Williamsburg, Richmond and Franklin County Rural Water District 4 covering much of southwestern Franklin County.

Much residential development has been stalled in southern Franklin County because water hasn’t been available, Larry Walrod, Franklin County planning director and member of the river basin committee, said.

If Wholesale 12 is able to expand, it will make more water available and when that happens, rural residential development is likely to explode in southern Franklin County and northern Anderson County, Walrod said.

Franklin County’s comprehensive plan foresees strong rural residential growth in the area but that projected growth hasn’t occurred because of the shortage of water, he said.

However, the 2007 Farm Bill has been stalled because President Bush has promised to veto it in its present form.

A farm bill has been approved by both the Senate and House by an overwhelming majority by both Democrats and Republicans but not by enough to override a presidential veto.

An extension of the 2002 Farm Bill, which the new farm bill would replace, is scheduled to expire March 15.