National Guard soldiers respond to Marion to haul water during crisis

With a state of emergency declared for the City of Marion, Kentucky National Guard soldiers are responding to help with the water crisis.

By Friday, soldiers with the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade will begin transporting water from the Cumberland River.  Army PLS vehicles will transport non-potable storage tanks daily from the river at Dycusburg to provide Old City Lake with 80,000 gallons of water to offset the daily consumption of Marion's 3,000 residents.

Old City Lake has the capacity to hold about 17 days worth of water for the city, but depends on timely rainfall to be replenished. By comparison, the now-drained Lake George held about a year's supply.

At the same time, soldiers began passing out bottled water to Marion residents Thursday at the old armory building. 

It was also announced that Marion's water system is now connected to the Crittenden-Livingston Water District to supply about 8 percent of the city's daily needs. The city will also continue to explore possible connections to water districts in Webster County, Sturgis and Princeton.