After shifting 100 percent of its water supply to the City of Cullman in the wake of a water quality advisory several weeks ago from its other source, West Morgan-East Lawrence, officials at the VAW water system are still weighing the options in regards to a permanent solution.

Earlier this month, West Morgan-East Lawrence recommended water customers within their system not drink the water until more work was done to address water quality concerns flagged by the EPA, though they have now reportedly received some preliminary water tests showing the supply could soon clock in at acceptable levels. But, the advisory remains in effect at this time.

Larry Duke, chairman of the VAW water board, made a point to assure customers that water from their system is safe to drink since it is now coming from Cullman, while also stressing the system would never provide contaminated water to its customers.

With West Morgan-East Lawrence working to have new tests conducted that could potentially see the advisory lifted in the coming weeks, Duke said the VAW board would be meeting to discuss its options to forge a path forward in the coming weeks and months.

Essentially, the question is this: Will the VAW continue buying all its water from Cullman permanently, or return to its approximate 50-50 split once West Morgan-East Lawrence is cleared?

Duke noted there are still a variety of factors to consider, not the least of which is the fact that VAW is currently under contract to purchase water from West Morgan-East Lawrence, though that agreement is temporarily waived while the advisory is in effect.

“It’s honestly undecided at this point, but the board is looking at it and will be making a decision at some point,” he said. “For now, it’s important for people to realize our water is safe and we will not turn on any water that is unsafe for our patrons to use.”

The VAW was actually in the early stages of taking out a $6 million loan to build a new, eight-mile water line to connect into West Morgan-East Lawrence’s pump station as news of the advisory broke, though the board has yet to sign the paperwork for the loan, meaning they could still hold off on the project if they so choose.

“We have a loan approved, but it hasn’t been signed yet,” he said. “The plan had been to put that in so we could use more of their water, at that time.”

For customers of other systems served by Cullman water, which includes essentially all of Cullman County, a decision by VAW to use Cullman for all its water needs would likely lead to lower water rates due to the increase in volume. City water rates are on the rise to pay for the new Duck River reservoir, which provides water along with Lake Catoma, but city officials note the more volume sold, the lower the rate for all customers.