When the $5 per month fee was adopted last year many Coal Grove residents wanted to know exactly where the money would go.

They got another good answer to that question this week as the village moved forward with another phase of its water system project.

The village took the next step by greenlighting plans to replace a key distribution line that has been plagued with breaks as well as make a variety of significant improvements at the water plant itself.

This will lead to a variety of much needed improvements for residents who have long complained of the quality of water and frequent breakdowns in the system that has prompted boil-water advisories.

The reality is that this wouldn’t be possible without the fee that is primarily designed to repay an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency loan and fund water projects.

The EPA awarded the village $490,000, with 40 percent being a grant, and the other 60 percent a 30-year, low-interest loan.

Even though much of the extra revenue generated by the municipal fee will go toward this debt retirement, the council still has a responsibility to provide the public with clear updates about exactly how much money it generates and where that is spent.

Having a reliable system that delivers clean drinking water is a necessity, not a luxury.

The bottom line is that it doesn’t come cheap and it doesn’t come free.