Several Letcher County officials came to the Cumberland City Council meeting on Tuesday in hopes the city can provide residents near the Harlan/Letcher line with city water.

Letcher County magistrate Bob Lewis, Letcher County Judge-Executive Jim Ward and Engineer Cory Napier were present representing the residents of the Harlan/Letcher line.

Lewis explained several Letcher County residents on the Harlan side of the mountain don’t receive water from Harlan or Letcher counties. Lewis said supplying them with water from Letcher County would be costly and very difficult due to the mountain.

Napier explained to the council how Letcher County is seeking a letter from the Cumberland council saying the city of Cumberland would supply residents of Letcher County with water from Cumberland.

Napier said the project was ready to move forward if the city would provide them with letter. He said the first phase of the project would add nearly eight miles of lines toward the Letcher County line, all he needed was the letter.

Napier said the letter needed to state Cumberland could provide the required amount of water to Letcher County.

Napier said a flow test had been conducted on the line but it had failed to produce the needed results. He said after some research it was determined a smaller piece of pipe had been used and if it was replaced then the flow test would produce the needed 70 gallons-per minute output required.

“We will take the water from the line, pump it up to a tank and then we’ll distribute from our tank, Letcher County’s tank on into their system,” Napier said. “So we are needing a source. We are needing some place to get the water.”

Magistrate David Kennedy said he had spoken with the Harlan Fiscal Court and was told if Cumberland would supply water to Letcher, then Harlan Fiscal Court would take care of replacing the line with no debt to Cumberland.

Napier asked the council if the line was replaced could Cumberland supply the water to the residents.

City engineer Paul Miller said he looked at other possible solutions, but it all came back to the issue of could the Cumberland water system supply the required amount of water.

Council member Carl Hatfield told the council he had read a Rural Water Survey which said the Cumberland water system was losing nearly 56 percent of the water processed. Hatfield said something would have to be done at the plant in order to meet the amount required.

“For us to get approval from the Division of Water, we have to get a letter from the supplier of the water, which would be you guys. That is the reason we are here tonight is to initiate that letter,” said Napier.

Mayor Loretta Cornett asked Kennedy if it would be possible to get a letter from Harlan Judge-Executive Joe Grieshop confirming Cumberland would not have to pay for the water line replacement. She said if the council got a letter from him, then the council would agree to provide a letter to Letcher County so they could begin work on phase 1.

Kennedy said at the fiscal court meeting later this month he would ask Grieshop to provide one and bring it to Cumberland City Hall.

Cornett and the council then voted to provide a letter to Letcher County pending the council received one from Grieshop and the fiscal court.