FRANKFORT, Ky. — $3 million was awarded to four water utilities in Bullitt County to deliver clean drinking water and improved sewer and water systems from the Better Kentucky Plan’s $250 million Cleaner Water Program. The program is estimated to create approximately 3,800 jobs across the state.
Awards were presented to the Bullitt County Sanitation District, the City of Lebanon Junction, Louisville Water Company, and North Nelson Water District. The five projects range from water line extensions to constructing a new pump station.
Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and administered by the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA), $250 million was appropriated at the close of the 2021 General Assembly through a bi-partisan agreement for clean drinking water and wastewater grants to fund projects across Kentucky.
The Kentucky Regional Planning and Development Agency submitted the funding requests for all projects to the KIA. The nearly $3 million funding award will be directed to the following four recipients and uses Bullitt County’s entire county allocation from the Cleaner Water Program.
Bullitt County Sanitation District
The Bullitt County Sanitation District was awarded $307,757 for the construction of a sewage pumping station and new force water mains that will pump all sewage from the Hunters Hollow system to the new Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District Mud Lane sewer used to treat Bullitt County’s wastewater. This will eliminate excessive loadings to three existing wastewater treatment plans to improve operations and accept additional flows from nearby areas. The impact of the new pumping station will benefit both Bullitt and Jefferson County residents.
City of Lebanon Junction
Lebanon Junction will receive $395,000 to construct a 12-inch gravity sewer line to relieve the existing 8-inch gravity sewer line between East Oak Street and Main Street in the Lebanon Junction service area. The new line will provide dependable and improved operations to transport sewage flow from downtown to the wastewater treatment plan.
Louisville Water Company
Through this Cleaner Water grant, 21 households on John Lee Road and Eagles Road will now have access to safe, high-quality drinking water.
Louisville Water Company received $601,010 for two projects that will provide access to water service in rural Bullitt County. Louisville Water Company will use the funds to install a little over a mile of water main along John Lee Road to provide water service to 14 households and install a little less than a mile of water mail on Eagles Road to reach seven households. Currently, residents on these streets can only access drinking water through private wells or by hauling water from the nearest fill station more than 11 miles away from Eagles Road and more than 20 miles away from John Lee Road. This infrastructure investment will also help create nine jobs. Louisville Water Company expects to begin the work in early 2022.
North Nelson Water District
Nearly $1.7 million was awarded to extend water mains along three Bullitt County roads: Rummage Road, Grisby Road and Vaughn Road. Approximately 40,400 feet of water main will be installed improving the quality and quantity of water served to an estimated 25 households that currently rely on groundwater wells.
“You do not have to look far to find ailing infrastructure in need of repair throughout rural Kentucky. But, thanks to the foresight of the General Assembly and its commitment to improving Kentuckians’ quality of life, this $250 million dollar investment will provide a source of safe drinking water, which is something many of us take for granted,” said State Rep. Thomas Huff.
Cleaner Water program funding is allocated in three ways:
- $150 million based on each county’s proportion of the state’s population, with the exception of Jefferson County’s share, which is discounted by 50% based on its high per capita allocation from the federal act. A list of the allocations by county can be found here.
- $50 million is available for utilities to provide drinking water services to unserved, rural customers or to utilities under a federal consent decree. The KIA shall consider social, economic and environmental benefits in determining the allocations.
- $49.9 million is available to supplement a project grant for a project with a cost in excess of a county’s allocation amount and other available grant sources. The social, economic and environmental benefits shall be considered in determining project allocations. KIA will receive $75,000 to administer the grant program.
The application process will be ongoing through Nov. 19, 2021, and KIA will make awards continuously throughout the year. All grant awardees must obligate the funds by Dec. 31, 2024.
The American Society of Civil Engineers in 2019 projected that Kentucky faces nearly $14.5 billion in water/wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, including over $8.2 billion in drinking water upgrades and $6.2 billion in sewer system improvements.
Information about the Cleaner Water Program, as well as grants for broadband expansion, school facility upgrades and vocational education center renovations, can be found at governor.ky.gov/BetterKy.
Click here for more Kentucky business news.
