Some residents and businesses in Appomattox along US 460 will soon be able to draw water from a water line instead of relying on problematic wells, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

This has been a hotly debated topic in the county because some feel that it is a step towards progress and growth, while others are concerned about an increase in taxes to support the extended water line.

Hopefully if there are any tax increases, that will be balanced out with the opportunities for residential and commercial growth in the area.

"Ann and Tom Nolen are on well No. 3 at their Appomattox County business.

And the water still comes out red.

'It runs like red dirt all the time,' Ann Nolen said.

And, she added, all the digging and re-digging for new wells has left them with little space on their property, on U.S. 460 west of the town of Appomattox.

So, when the Nolens received word last summer of the county's plans to build its first water line along the highway, they jumped at the chance to have their real estate business hooked into the service. Now they are among more than 50 Appomattox County property owners who have signed contracts with the county to hook up to the water line once it's built.

Drawing water from a source other than wells in Appomattox has long been long debated by officials in the county and the town. The 7.5-mile water line the Nolens await will extend from Concord east along U.S. 460 and hook Appomattox County users to Campbell County Utility and Service Authority's water supply.

Although the county has not yet set a date to begin construction, Appomattox County planner Johnnie Roark said recently that he expects to bid out the $5.2 million project by early spring. The county already has purchased parcels for a water tower and pump station.

For many in the county, the installation of a water line represents progress, a welcomed departure from an age-old reliance on private wells.

But others see the county's project as a step in the wrong direction, possibly toward higher taxes, more outside control and the beginning of the end of life in a small community.

Governing officials of the town of Appomattox are still debating whether the town should trade in their public well system and connect to the line."

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