The Perkins community without safe drinking water after the well has stopped working

Perkins, Ga. (WJBF) – A local community is without safe drinking water, and they are asking for your help.

About 90 people in the Perkins community have been without water since September 6th, when the well stopped working. Now, they’re hoping for help getting it fixed.

“We went to go bathe our kid on Wednesday there was no water. So, Mike kind of told us what was going on with the well, and from there, we just kind of jumped in,” said Megan Kavanagh, a resident.

The well was originally installed in the 70s. Alice Farr has lived in Perkins her entire life, and her husband works on the well. They have a plan to repair it, but it won’t last forever.

“Most likely a temporary solution. It’s something that I mean, we’re kind of keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that it’s going to work for us,” said Mike Farr, a Resident and Treasure of Water System Local Operator. “But it’s only a matter of time that we’re still going to run back into the same situation.”

Their granddaughter wanted to help and spread the word about this because the community is mostly made up of elderly retirees on fixed incomes who cannot afford to get the water they need. The grand total for a new well could reach 85 thousand dollars.

“Perkins is an unincorporated part of Jenkins County. There’s not a lot of help from our local officials,” said Tara Sasser, who Grew up in Perkins. “Their hands are just tied with it. So, my grandparents have been trying to do it by themselves. You know these are 70s, 80s-year-old people who can’t get the out.”

For now, the North Jenkins County Volunteer Fire Department is working to bring water to fill the tank full enough to flush toilets and bathe, but the water is not safe to drink.

“The Jenkins County EMA and GEMA we got approved to be able to shuttle water with this tanker back and forth. We’ve been doing about three times a day,” said Robert Reeves, the North Jenkins County Volunteer Department Chief.

If you want to make a monetary donation, you can donate to the GoFundMe or send it to the Perkins Water Authority at P.O. Box 34, Perkins, Ga. 30822. You can also donate water bottles by bringing them to the Millen News at 856 East Cotton Avenue, Millen, Georgia 30442, Monday or Friday from 8 am-5pm or Tuesday and Wednesday from 8am—12pm.

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