Volunteers with the Greeneville-Greene County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security distributed 546 gallons of free drinking water on Wednesday to residents whose wells and springs have gone dry or become muddy.

Eric Kaltenmark, volunteer coordinator for the agency, said the water was distributed to representatives of 31 households and will serve 78 people.

The amount of water donated between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday was 101 gallons more than the amount distributed a week earlier, Kaltenmark said.

Free drinking water donated by the Greeneville Premium Waters, Inc., plant is being distributed each Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at So-Pak-Co Warehouse No. 3, which is located at 1000 West Irish Street.

However, Kaltenmark noted that the last week of November, water distribution will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, instead of Wednesday, Nov. 26, due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

A similar water-distribution program in Greene County called "Operation Potable Water" that operated from October 2007 until April 2008 saw Emergency Management Agency volunteers devote 610 man-hours distributing 6,173 gallons of bottled drinking water to 727 residents.

But drought conditions that resumed in summer and early fall have again caused water wells to go dry.

Bill Brown, director of the Greeneville-Greene County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said he felt his office had little choice other than to try to help affected residents.

"As long as Premium Waters keeps helping us (by supplying free bottled water), we will keep helping those people," Brown said. "I can't imagine what it would be like to be without water."

Brown also pointed out that due to current economic conditions, many of those whose wells have gone dry can't afford to purchase drinking water.