To the editor,
I am writing about Henry County Water company d/b/a Alliance Water refusing to enforce their easement and install the water main to my property in Tightwad, Mo.
In July of 2018, I contacted Henry County Water Company to request public water to my grandfather’s property at 313 SE 1201 Rd Tightwad, Mo 64735. In February of 2019, I paid the fees the water department required for them to begin working on the installation of the water main. They took until July of 2019 to get all of the permits and engineering plans together before they were ready for install. My grandfather died during this period on May 25,2019, from dehydration because the property doesn’t have water and he had to haul water everyday. He was 16 days from his 79th birthday when he died from not having water. I inherited the property from him and planned to move to the farm in order to continue his horse breeding operation. The water main supplies half of the residents on SE 1201 road and was supposed to extend to our property in the 90’s to service the entire road. However, the water company never installed it back then.
On May 6, 2020, Henry county water company d/b/a Alliance Water began installing the water main extension on their waterline easement on the property south of my property at 313 SE 1201 Rd Tightwad, MO 64735. When the water company began the installation that day, the owners of the property created an incident that required Henry County Sherrif deputies to respond. The neighbors have threatened to shoot people, tried to press criminal trespass charges, and filed a lawsuit against me and the water department. Please keep in mind there is a waterline easement and the water department has every right to be there as the Sherrif explained to them. During the pendency of this case, the neighbors have made it very clear that they will not allow me to have water on the water line easement until I pay them. The water company refuses to enforce the easement to install the water line and provide my property with a water claiming they have no duty to provide me with water after I’ve already done everything they required of me in order to get water.
My property has been without water for 2.5 years, and I have been embroiled in a legal battle simply because I asked for public water connection. I have severe crohns and cannot live on it without safe clean drinking water. I inherited the property from my grandfather when he died and I have been fighting to have the water installed ever since. My life has been completely destroyed by the neighbors blocking the easement and the Henry County Water Company refusing to enforce the easement and provide my property with water claiming they have no duty to provide me their customer with water.
Please help me seek resolution and investigate further the actions of the water company as I do believe they are in direct violation of state and federal regulations.
Thank you,
Tamar Tunnell
Tightwad, Mo.
