Getting a new water system is one of, if not the best thing, that has happened in the small town of Ehrhardt.

According to Mayor Bill Stanley, “People are drinking Ehrhardt’s water that never drank it before, and they are saying it tastes good. We are proud to get the much needed water system.”

At Tuesday night’s meeting, it was reported that the annual water evaluation report came back good and DHEC was well pleased with the quality of the water.

Mayor Stanley said the project is going really well and they want to extend some water lines in several other places. He said just when you take one step forward, you end up taking two steps backward, referring to the fact that Bruce Ellis informed the town that he will no longer being testing the water for them as of June 30th.

According to Mayor Stanley, the town will have to pay someone else a lot more than what Ellis charged to test the water. It will cost the town $55.00 per day, seven days a week until Ehrhardt establishes their own Lab.

Water samples have to be taken every day for testing.

Alvin Jeffcoat has been hired as the new licensed wastewater treatment plant operator for Ehrhardt.

“We appreciate what Bruce Ellis did for us,” said Mayor Stanley.

Councilman Freddie Copeland, along with the mayor and other councilpersons, thanked the Board of Public Works men for coming down on a Saturday to help unstop a sewer line. “BPW has been good to us and helps us out when we need them,” said the Mayor.

In other Business:

• Council passed a motion to start charging a $25.00 fee to cut the water off, when a person comes in , pays the $100.00 deposit, and then decides they want their money back after the water has already been turned on. This will be deducted from the deposit.

• Council discussed the possibility of getting well # 3 back on line and the cost of the repairs to do it. There is still money in the water project fund and this needs to done says the mayor.

• Mayor Stanley said the town needs to be cleaned up to get ready for Schuetzenfest and some holes in the sidewalks need to be repaired.

• A motion was passed to renew Ehrhardt’s existing fire contract with Bamberg County.

• There was a discussion concerning a meeting that went well with Sharon Hammond , Bamberg County Emergency Response Coordinator, stating that Ehrhardt would be a distribution/command center in the event there was a disaster…” According to Hammond, Bamberg County will work with the town of Ehrhardt if something were to happen,” said Police Chief Chad Dilling.