Ben Bolt residents have been living with septic sewers for decades that pose health risks to the community when not in compliance.
The Jim Wells County Fresh Water District is working on a $65 million USDA grant project to bring a modern sewer system to the rural community, where nearly 700 residents currently rely on septic tanks or other improvised methods.
Jose Solis, who has lived in Ben Bolt for over 40 years, attended a town hall meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 6, to learn more about the project.
"I said 'man, that's awesome.' I hope we get it. And there had already been talk for a while that they had wanted to bring it," Solis said.
Solis currently has a septic tank for his mobile home, but not everything is connected to it. He runs his shower and washer lines out to flow into his yard because connecting everything to his tank would cause problems.
"It over flows. And that's when you start smelling stuff like that. And like they mentioned last night - health wise - that's not good for us," Solis said.
Octavio Flores, General Manager of the Jim Wells County Fresh Water District, is also a resident who sees the urgent need for proper infrastructure.
"If you walk around Ben Bolt - there's some people that have the hoses in the back of the yard and water isn't going into drainage. If we have anything going into the water - onto the land - it's going to seep into the water," Flores said.
According to Flores, the community has fallen decades behind in infrastructure development. Previous attempts to establish a sewer system weren't fully pursued.
"So, now, it's time to move forward. Our community is about 50 years behind. We need a sewer system," Flores said.
The grant would provide infrastructure to connect homes to the Alice South Side Treatment Plant, benefiting Ben Bolt and surrounding colonias.
Carmen Hornsby, who owns rental property in Ben Bolt, emphasized the financial burden the current situation places on residents.
"The need is great in this area. We have a lot of people that have been in need for many years. Septic tank systems are becoming very, very expensive. And there's a lot of people that cannot afford those specifics anymore," Hornsby said.
The Jim Wells County Fresh Water District expects to learn how much funding they'll receive from the USDA in September.
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