For residents in the Macedonia Hill area, the need for reliable water has been an issue that has lingered for years.

And last week, some much welcome news on the subject was received.

The State of Ohio is awarding $250,000 in grant funds to go toward the planning and engineering design for a project to bring running water to areas including Macedonia, Fayette Township, Rome Township, Windsor Township and the Symmes Valley area.

In 2018, the Lawrence County Rural Water District was established to work on the issue. Its president, Dave Lucas, said he reached out to Gov. Mike DeWine soon after he was elected about the need.

Lucas said the total project will be an expensive one, with $4 million needed for the first and most difficult part, Macedonia Hill.

But last week’s announcement by the governor is a good first step and residents will be glad to hear the news.

We commend Lucas and the Water District for their work on this issue and thank DeWine for taking this action and hope coming months will see more work toward finally resolving this problem for our county’s rural residents.