With all the good that comes to the area from increased oil activity, it does create a few issues as well.

One serious concern that arises from the increased activity is how to maintain the quality of the roads with all the wear and tear that trucking and oil traffic produces.

Williams County Engineer Monte Meiers said the increasing oil traffic makes maintaining existing road systems a more serious problem. He said there is an increasing need to find a way to fund such repairs.

"I think it's going to become a significant problem as oil activity increases and migrates over into Williams County as it seems to be doing," said Meiers.

Meiers said more and more roads in the area are sustaining more serious damage due to the rising number of trucks and oil-related traffic. He said the list of roads in need of moderate or serious work continues to grow and the county doesn't have the funds to meet the need. He said a winter like last winter was particularly bad on roads, due to a high amount of moisture followed by a summer with heavy truck traffic. Meiers said the county has a decent amount of funding each year locally and also gets federal aid money each year for roads. He said the county's share of federal dollars is usually a little over $400,000 each year.

"That amounts to about four miles of overlay on one road per year," said Meiers.

Meiers said the county has projects that cost a lot more than one year's worth of funding with federal dollars. One project being considered is County Road 6 from U.S. Highway 2 to Epping, a project "that would take us two or three years' worth of federal dollars to save for."

Meiers said this is far from the only project in need and the county continues to fall further behind on important projects at the rate things are going.

Meiers said the problem is getting funding to the areas that need it.

"It's a legislative issue most likely. I just don't see where the oil-producing counties are getting their fair share filtering back to them or being earmarked or set aside for road repairs," said Meiers.

Meiers said the issue would likely have to be dealt with either by contacting state legislators and getting something done through the Legislature or the governor. He said simply trying to raise the money locally isn't feasible.

"You're not going to have the county and townships levying or taxing residents; it's not fair to them," said Meiers.

Meiers believes the oil companies are getting taxed fairly with things such as production taxes, but he also thinks the oil-producing counties should get more attention regarding road upkeep. He understands there are other local and area budgets that need consideration as well, but roads are key to maintaining a good economy.

"Our road system is a foundation to keeping our economy going. You can't just pipe all the oil out of here," said Meiers.

Meiers said with an anticipated jump in oil activity in 2010, the need for addressing the road situation becomes all the more important. He said unfortunately, since the Legislature doesn't meet again until 2011, addressing roads may have to wait.

"It's probably going to take awhile, but I think it would be best to do something as quickly as possible," he said.