We have all enjoyed being elected officials for the Town of Winnsboro. There have been many challenges confronting the town, but none more complicated or more critical than dealing with our water shortage.
Fairfield County is served by five water districts. Both the Town of Blythewood and Fairfield County’s industrial park also depend on Fairfield County for water. Because of the complex intertwinement of these entities, it is essential that the parties work together to develop a long-term strategic plan. In fact, we are happy to report that we are making progress in organizing an entity that will oversee Fairfield County’s long-term water and sewer needs.
The next issue we must tackle is our water source. The town’s reservoir has been inadequate for quite some time. To further complicate the issue, the Interbasin Water Transfer Act does not allow water to be transferred from the Catawba River Basin to the Broad River Basin, and vice versa.
Various individuals and entities have explored alternatives to no avail. It is important to note that our state senator, Creighton Coleman, has worked tirelessly in advocating for this joint water board, but even more importantly, he has single-handedly convinced South Carolina Electric and
Gas (SCE&G) to discuss allowing the Town of Winnsboro to temporarily withdraw water from V.C. Summer Lake. Previous attempts by others, and even Senator Coleman’s first attempts to secure this assistance from SCE&G, were fruitless. However, Creighton’s persistent and tireless conversations with the right contacts resulted in this dialogue with SCE&G, which we anticipate will resolve our water issue.
With the election upon us, we think it is important for you to know that Creighton Coleman can and does get things done for our community. We, as individual citizens of the Town of Winnsboro – not in our capacity as elected officials – urge you to cast your vote for him on Nov. 6.
Roger Gaddy, Jack Wilkes, Bill Haslett, Clyde Sanders
Winnsboro
