Money Recommended For East Locust Creek Reservoir Project

The East Locust Creek Reservoir project in Sullivan County is among water initiatives that would be funded under the “Rural Growth Plan” announced on March 1 by Gov. Eric Greitens.
Under the plan, $10 million would be made available for the project, which is designed to provide 7 million gallons of water per day to 10 counties and approximately 54,000 customers in the north central Missouri area. The money has been held in the Multipurpose Water Resource Fund, which has been dormant for several years. Money for the MWRF is being made available as the result of federal reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Fund, which in turn allows for the state to free up money that had been set aside for that program. Legislation under the MWRF would allow the state to join the North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission in serving the debt on a USDA-Rural Development loan for the water project. The $10 million represents more than two-thirds of the debt service needed and addresses the “local-side” match to the federal construction funds that are available.
The Rural Growth Plan will still need to go through the legislative process. In addition to the $10 million for the East Locust Creek project, funding would also be available for three other projects in the state, with the total funding being $17,665,000.
“The announcement of water infrastructure funds comes as great news to the Commission and to the 10 counties we propose to serve from the East Locust Creek Reservoir, North Central Missouri Regional Water Commission Chairman Rick Gardner said. “North Central Missouri has suffered under the threat of drought for decades. Placing this much funding toward water infrastructure and our project is the most significant commitment that the state has made in decades.”
The East Locust Creek Reservoir will be a 2,352-acre reservoir situated atop 4,500 acres of land. It is 6.5 miles long with 82 miles of shoreline and will be the 28th largest body of water in the state of Missouri.