The town of Tunica’s move to reinstitute metering of water – and billing by usage, not at a flat rate – is paying off in fairly dramatic fashion, with a drop in overall water usage.
Operations director Ellis Koonce said that in 2006, prior to the change, annual municipal water usage was over 389 million gallons. By the end of 2011, after the town started the new rates, annual usage had dropped to 288 million gallons. 2012 saw a further decline, to 228 million gallons, or about 630,000 gallons per day.
“It just shows...how much water we were losing,” Koonce said.
Koonce explained that leaks in both town lines and lines on private property have been repaired since 2010, and he believes that homeowners are being more cautious with their usage, leading to the decline.

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Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau staff members Stacey Bland, Lisa Konupka and Chrissy Garner made a surprise visit to the Tunica Humane Society on Friday, March 1, to introduce Sandy Williams and Gail Johnson to their new friend constructed from Southland players cards.

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March and April are shaping up to be busy months in Tunica, according to Main Street and Chamber of Commerce leaders.
Tunica Main Street’s Lynn Ryals said activities kick off with Purple Martin Day at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 15, when attendees will gather near the north end of Rivergate Park to welcome back Tunica’s favorite bird. There will be a drawing for a prize and a specially decorated cake at Jeffcoat’s Deli, Ryals said.
Tunica is designated as the Purple Martin Capital of Mississippi. Scout birds were spotted in town last week, and several new bird houses have been installed downtown.
A second event in March is garnering even more notice, Ryals reports. March 23’s bike trail ribbon-cutting and 13-mile ride has been featured in area media and is drawing bicycle aficionados from the entire region.

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In mid-February, Raquell Vasquez and her mother Juana Guerrero-Montes began a venture in Tunica that the mother-daughter team hopes will become a hot spot for locals and the area’s growing Hispanic population alike.
The business, La Frontera, is a combination market and taqueria that – while still in development – will provide patrons with a variety of ethnic-themed food items, as well as fresh Mexican cuisine.

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