Moore Creek Mount Carmel taps new water well

Moore Creek Mount Carmel Utilities officially opened its fourth water well at 3390 North Simmons Road and plans are to continue to add water capacity for customers in the Jay area.

Elijah Bell, president of the Moore Creek Mount Carmel Utilities board, said the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation turned the new well into a five-year project.

"We needed to add capacity to the system," Bell said. "There's a lot of development up here and we are trying to stay ahead of the growth."

He said the system currently has about 1,400 customers but continues to grow.

He said the site at the water well on North Simmons Road proved to be a great location for the water system.

"The water has tested really clean," Bell said. "That's a big plus."

Bell added that the new well also gives the system a backup for water supply if there is a malfunction at another well or pump. He also said Moore Creek Mount Carmel and the city of Jay have an agreement to share water in the event of an emergency.

"A few years ago everything froze," he said of the freezing temperatures right before Christmas. "This provides another water source for our customers as well as Jay's in case of an emergency."

Bell noted that the water system's franchise goes about 15 miles south of the North Simmons Road site and said the next project is to address that area.

"The south end will need a new pump and possibly a tank," Bell said. "But we couldn't do that until we got this project completed."

Bell also said he's proud that the water system has been able to keep its rates in line with other water systems and the board will continue to keep the rates as low as possible.