Considering it’s 2017, you’d think running water would be a given.

Folks living in South Madison County still have to visit a well, but they wish they could simply turn a handle, but soon hot and cold could just be a water line away.

“We have found dead rats in here and you don’t have a choice but to just take em out put some Purex in your water and go on that’s all you can do.”longtime Madison County Resident Chuck Stout said.

While many people may not appreciate their running water, folks in Madison County sure wish they could.

“We joke between ourself, my wife and I that we couldn’t out live it, we probably wont live long enough to see running water, but we’re trying still,” Stout said.

Stout was born and raised in South Madison County, never having full running water.

He’s witnessed the county try to bring rural water to the area for three decades, always failing for one reason or another.

Stout says some people have sent in deposits for a new water line at least three different times.

 All of those times he says it didn’t come to fruition because of cost, and rough terrain.

“The more that we can have sign up  that will partake of the potential water then the less that drops the meter cost and makes our grant application look a lot better. Currently at the application that we have in has a meter cost of about 44 thousand dollars. they’d like to have a meter around 25 thousand,”Sonny Varnell with Mt. Olive Water Association said.

A hearing has been set to request 3.8 million dollars for a waterline extension into the St. Paul, Pettigrew and Boston areas.

It’s estimated around 55-percent of those funds would benefit low and moderate income people according to the Mt. Olive Water Association.

“We look forward to perhaps Mount Olive competing these grants and getting the system installed  so that in the next three to four years anyway that we can have running water out here,” Varnell said.

There will be a public hearing Thursday, April 6th to discuss further plans.