Water pressure to increase for KAW customers in southeastern Fayette County

Kentucky American Water investing $1.5 million in system improvement

LEXINGTON (June 1, 2017) – Kentucky American Water is investing $1.5 million in a project designed to enhance water pressure and service for nearly 8,000 customers in southeastern Fayette County. Customers in the affected area will see, on average, an increase in their water pressure of 30 pounds per square inch (psi) over the next several months. In some cases that translates to enabling tasks such as filling bathtubs and the washing machine to go quicker.

Construction of a new booster pump station near the entrance of Jacobson Park started several months ago. The facility includes five new pumps with a total capacity of about 4,500 gallons per minute or 6.5 million gallons per day. Designed like a carriage house so that it doesn’t detract from the beauty of the park, the facility will help push water along in the distribution system to adjacent areas. The project also includes installing approximately 8,000 linear feet of new water main to help better circulate flow within the new pressure zone.

“Water pressures in this area have met regulatory requirements, but as the city has developed into parts of the county where elevations are higher, water pressures there tended to be lower than what customers have experienced in other areas of our system,” said Brent O’Neill, director of engineering for Kentucky American Water. “Customer feedback, along with the knowledge that this area is slated for additional growth and development, helped us determine that this project is a wise investment and necessary for us to continue providing quality service to customers well into the future.”

The new facilities will become operational in early June, but the increase in system water pressures in the affected region will occur gradually over several weeks to help ensure a smooth transition. Customers affected by the project have been notified with special mailers.