Bogue Chitto residents celebrate connection to clear water

It’s been a decade coming, but over 70 homes in the Bogue Chitto community have been connected to clean county water for the first time.  

Many of the citizens who were recently connected to the county water system attended a ceremony at New Vernon Church in Marion Junction Thursday, July 11 to mark the occasion. West Dallas Water Board Vice Chair Maggie Drake-Peterson said it was the health of the citizens and the desire to make the community grow that fueled efforts to get clean water hooked up to homes in the area.

More than 10 years ago, community residents were informed that test results showed the water from their private wells contained E. coli, residue of formaldehyde and other unsafe contaminants, making it unfit for human consumption.

Dallas County Commission Chair Jimmy Nunn said most folks take clean water for granted. “If you already have good drinking water, this might not mean as much to you,” Nunn said. Improvements like this show that “Dallas County is on the move,” he said. 

Most of the funding for the Bogue Chitto water project came from the USDA. Alabama State Director of the USDA Nivory Gordon said they are working hard in rural America to bring these improvements.

Gordon also said this project “was truly a community effort” and applauded the West Dallas Water Board and the community for being organized and working so hard for so many years.

Also attending the event was retired county commissioner Larry Nichols and current commissioner Curtis Williams, both of whom were instrumental in getting this project started a decade ago.

Commissioners Vivian Rogers and Jan Justice spoke, thanking the people involved in making it possible.

Representatives from the construction company that did the installations were on hand to answer questions and get reports of problems with the newly installed system.

As the citizens left the event, they were given coffee cups printed with the phone number to call if there are any problems or questions. 

Bogue Chitto is an unincorporated community in Dallas County founded in the early 1900s about 15 miles west of Selma. Many current residents are descendants of slaves. 

After numerous informational meetings with community members, the Dallas County Commission and the West Dallas Water Board of Directors received a grant and loans through ADECA totaling $3.8 million. That money was used to connect over 70 homes and one church to a clean, safe water supply.

The project officially started with a kickoff ceremony on Nov. 7, 2022.