Dear Readers,

It is no secret that it usually takes a major crisis to get most government agencies to act. There is nothing like a full blown emergency to force officials to come up with plans to fix this or that problem.

That said, it is refreshing and comforting that our local water district is not following suit.

For the last several years, they have been planning to bring a 12-inch water main from Boothbay Harbor to Southport. The purpose is to add supplies for fire protection and provide clean drinking water.

That effort was boosted last week with a $3.4 million federal funding package. Of that sum, $1.2 million is a grant and $2.2 million is a loan.

The good news is it won't boost your water bill, or at least there is no plan to do so in the near future, said Jon Ziegra, the manager of the Boothbay Region Water District.

Advance planning has not always been a feature of the district’s work. Its last major project, which brought a 12-inch water main from Boothbay to East Boothbay in 2010, was triggered by the horrible 2008 fire that destroyed the major shed at Washburn & Doughty Shipyard. Firefighters on that blaze complained their efforts were hampered because district water mains could not provide enough water.

This time the water district worked to solve a problem before being faced with an emergency.

With the federal funding package in place, Ziegra said the district will begin the final permitting/planning process in hopes of beginning construction in the off season of 2014/2015.

In another case of the water district planning before being faced with a crisis, we note the recent terrible news out of West Virginia, where the water supply of a major city has been fouled by a chemical spill.

We get most of our water from Adams Pond. Worried that a traffic accident on Route 27 (bordering the pond) could dump a load of something bad into water supply, the water district arranged to use Knickerbocker Pond, as an alternate source.

It is good to see both the trustees and staff prepare for emergencies before there is a crisis.

Their efforts have earned a pat on the back from all of us.