MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s pumped from the ground and virtually ready to go.
We’re talking about Memphis water.
Straight from an aquifer 350 feet below the ground, there are 50 trillion gallons of water so pure, it’s barely treated before winding up in our homes.
That is unless you work in some government buildings.
News Channel 3 spotted drinking water dispensers from Little Rock, trucked in.
They were bought and used by our local leaders and their staff.
As soon as you walk into Shelby County Register Tom Leatherwood’s office you see a 5-gallon water dispenser.
“Would this make you confident when drinking out of this? The pipes may be perfect, but they’ve been here since the 1930s,” said Leatherwood.
He showed us pipes in his office that he said dates back to when his office was a hospital.
He said he worried about lead and asbestos.
The County Engineer said that was just not true.
All the pipes were replaced way before Leatherwood even moved in.
Leatherwood had a second office right across the street.
You didn’t even have to go inside to see bottled water there too.
He wasn’t the only one.
The On Your Side Investigators found a document that showed the county spent nearly $50 thousand on Arkansas bottled water last year alone.
They even admitted that’s likely not all that was spent either.
Thousands of dollars were budgeted under the Sheriff’s Office tab.
His staff told WREG most is in the jail for employees.
We tried to interview Sheriff Oldham, but a spokesman refused, saying he had nothing to do with water consumption.
It’s something the city is spending money on that is free of charge.
The news comes as the county is fighting over the budget.
Sheriff Oldham himself is asking for more money.
As for Tome Leatherwood’s bad pipes, we should point out spends about $1200 a year on his water, but that money comes from fees he charges, and not tax dollars.
County leaders told WREG it’s unlikely anything will change because it’s up to each politician to spend as they see fit.
