Sewer system may be on the way for Bois D'Arc residents

Residents of Bois D’Arc may soon have access to a sewer system, according to Charlie Jones, Greene County Water Operator for District 6, in Bois D’Arc.
 
The water district has received a grant for a feasibility study that could determine the future of Bois D’Arc’s sewer hopes.
 
An unincorporated community, Bois D’Arc is primarily made up of rural households that process their waste with septic systems. This means that each home or building needs its own tank where waste solids can be stored while liquid eventually flows into a drain field for soil filtering. It requires pumping once the tank reaches capacity. The system is common in more rural areas, but Jones hopes to eventually bring the convenience of city life to residents, at least as far as sewage processing.
 
Jones said that in his 23 years operating the Bois D’Arc water system, there have been multiple instances where septic systems failed, leaving raw sewage running above ground, doing damage to water lines, and in one example filling up the water meter pit with sewage. This is one of myriad reasons why Jones thinks the city could use its own sewer system.
 
Process for progress
The first step in implementing this sewer system is to conduct a feasibility study, something Jones has already taken steps toward. The city was granted $50,000 from the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments (SMCOG) to undertake a study analyzing if and how the city could implement a sewer system. According to Jones, there are a few tentative options available to the city, with the study determining which is optimal. The city could build their own wastewater treatment plant or pump their sewage to a neighboring community with a wastewater plant that has capacity to spare. The communities being considered are Ash Grove and Springfield. Willard is also in the conversation but doesn’t have its own sewer system.
 
Springfield has already agreed to hosting the incoming sewage from Bois D’Arc should they decide in that direction, said Jones, but this would require 10 miles of piping to be constructed. "Ash Grove is another possible way to go," said Jones, as they are currently processing sewage at only 30 percent of their total capacity.
 
Funding undetermined
It is currently unknown where the funds for such a project will be gathered, according to Jones, but he suspects the city will have to apply for grants and possibly host a bond election.
 
Regardless of how the cost is to be managed, however, Jones said this could be a good thing for the residents, not only increasing convenience but also encouraging more citizens to move to an area that hasn’t seen substantial growth in a long while.
 
“If something like [a sewer system] could go in there, then you could see that becoming more valuable as far as a developer coming in there and wanting to buy those lots,” said Jones.
 
The future will tell what is to come of Bois D’Arc’s sewer hopes, but the feasibility study is already underway and is expected to finish in under 300 days.