AWWA ACE54461

Northeast Missouri has a long history of inadequate water supplies. Groundwater in this region of the state is nearly non-existent and of very poor quality. Thus, municipal systems relied on small reservoirs to supply local drinking water needs. As rural water districts began forming and expanding, the pressure put on small local reservoirs increased. By the early 1980s, it became painfully obvious that the small reservoirs and local water treatment plants could not meet demand. Rural water districts were forced to stop growing and adding customers and municipalities were at the limits of their supply and treatment capacities. On top of all this, local supplies were extremely vulnerable to drought, which occur every seven to ten years in this area. In 1982, a small group of water purveyors decided that a stable, long-term source of drinking water needed to be developed. Growth had been stifled and the region was declining. The lack of adequate water supplies was a primary factor in this decline. After nearly a year of planning and research, this small group formed the Clarence Cannon Wholesale Water Commission on October 14, 1983. Numerous hurdles had to be cleared to get to this point and many more were in store before a regional water supply system could be realized.