[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 155 (Friday, November 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ``WATER 2000''

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                          HON. DAVID D. PHELPS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 4, 1999

  Mr. PHELPS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Hamilton 
County Water District and to bring attention to the ``Water 2000'' 
celebration taking place on November 12, of this year, at the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars Hall in McLeansboro, Illinois. The Hamilton County 
Water District will be the first water district in Illinois, and one of 
the first in the nation, to supply all rural residents who desire water 
during the year 2000.
  Prior to the formation of the Hamilton County Water District in 1978, 
the population centers in that region had treated waters, but the rural 
residents depended upon wells, cisterns, or ponds as a source of water. 
The Hamilton County Water District realized this inequity, and pushed 
forward to supply these residents with suitable drinking water on par 
with their more urban counterparts. In the coming year, the final 
``Water 2000'' expansion by the Hamilton County Water District, will 
complete a total 350 miles of water mains that will serve 1,230 rural 
customers. Funding for these various expansions include U.S. Department 
of Agriculture, U.S. Economic Development Association, the Illinois 
Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, the Illinois Department 
of Natural Resources and the Illinois Rural Bond Bank.
  Mr. Speaker, I am especially pleased about the ``Water 2000'' 
celebration and what it stands for. I come from a rural part of the 
country, where many rural residents sometimes lack basic services such 
as potable water, that many Americans in more urban areas take for 
granted. This great accomplishment by the Hamilton County Water 
District, and all the agencies and individuals who worked to this goal, 
is one worthy of commemoration in the Congressional Record, and a 
milestone for rural residents all over this country.

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