HENRY COUNTY, Va. (rbs news now) — Curtis Millner renewed his call on August 19 for increased state and federal support to extend a water line along Route 57 East and Stoney Mountain Road in Henry County.

Millner is the representative for the Iriswood district on the Henry County Public Service Authority Board of Directors.

His renewed appeal follows news that the water line extension would not be included in this year’s congressional district project funding, along with a failed application through the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Drinking Water.

“This is a very important project for my district,” Millner said. “Parts of the Iriswood district are very
rural, but in the times that we are living in, they deserve equal access to safe, public drinking water. We
have to keep trying. I hope the state will eventually come around and help us fund this project.”

The proposed project, estimated to cost $7.6 million, would involve constructing 60,850 linear feet of pipe, consolidating the existing Leatherwood Estates well system into a larger surface water supply, a news release said.

If completed, it would provide public water service to nearly 250 additional homes in the district.

The release said the impacted households are located in Census Tract 103, where the median household income is 33 percent lower than the national average.

According to the American Community Survey, approximately 62 percent of the population in the tract are classified as people of color, and 46 percent are considered low-income.

The project area also ranks in the 76th percentile of the state and 68th percentile of the nation on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice index, which measures the impact of environmental factors on health and equity.

A bacterial sampling of 30 private wells in the project area revealed that 56.6 percent of homes tested positive for total coliform, with 3.33 percent testing positive for E. coli, the release said.

Extending the PSA’s water line to these households would provide access to drinking water treated for microbial and chemical contamination, potentially reducing health risks associated with waterborne diseases, according to the PSA.

The project could also increase property values and provide enhanced fire protection.

The PSA said it has submitted another application to the state for funding assistance for the project this year, continuing efforts to secure the necessary resources for the water line extension.

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