Update on Earmarked Funding for Local Water, Plus Guthrie Seeks Additional $14M for New Intake

EC Water District Says Emergency Pump Was Not Used During Dry Season

Excavators near Lock and Dam no. 5 in Roundhill in September, 2024.

Darren Doyle, story and photo:
Since April of 2022, over $7M of funding has been secured through various sources to improve water quality and quantity in Edmonson County. Two and half years later, local residents are still complaining about all three with not much improvements being made; however, those improvements are still planned and the majority of Edmonson County Water District customers still have plenty of drinking water that the ECWD says is safe.

The funding comes from a wide assortment  of sources. The first was a $650,000 award allocated from Edmonson County's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding from the local Fiscal Court. This was for improvements to multiple pump stations, new service to E Hack Road, and improvements on Luttrell Cemetery Road, Segal Road, Carl Ashley Road, and HWY 70. In addition, three water storage tanks are to be painted and improved.

Currently, no improvements have been made on this project but they are planned for the near future,  ECWD General Manager Kevin Shaw said.

"With all the events that have led up to today and the time that has gone since this project was planned, adding cost from price increases, all pieces of the original plan probably will not come to fruition, but many good improvements will come from this funding," Shaw told the Edmonson Voice. "We are under the gun to get this project awarded and have advertised for bids and will accepting quotes in November and planning to award contracts in December."

In addition, District 19 State Rep. Michael Meredith announced in March of this year that a total of $6.5M would be available for specific water projects in the county as follows:

• $1 million to connect Edmonson County Water District with Grayson County water to relieve stress on the northern part of the system 
• $3.5 million to provide matching funds for a federal water grant that Congressman Brett Guthrie was reportedly working to secure to build a new intake tower on Green River 
• $2 million to Edmonson County Fiscal Court to pass through to the water district for emergency infrastructure improvements.

Mr. Shaw addressed each category and gave an update on each point.

For the $1M earmarked for an emergency connection on the northern part of they system, Shaw stated, "Time was not on our side and this project was completed late spring with in house funding to make sure the customers got the service they deserved through the summer. I am in the process of getting permission to use this funding in other areas and have confidence that permission will be given, it will just take time. It will then be applied to other pressing maintenance and water loss solutions."

Shaw said the $2 million will come through the Department of Local Government.

"We have worked on the necessary resolutions and budgets to move forward on this piece of funding. It to will go for updated system functions i.e. SCADA improvements, zone metering to help with water loss, more work at the Wax treatment plant, lots of different maintenance matters."

Edmonson County Judge/Executive Scott Lindsey said while the money was allocated earlier in the year, the county is waiting on instructions and documentation needed to send to the Department of Local Government to receive the funds. According to Lindsey, the Edmonson County Fiscal Court passed a resolution and corresponding Project Scope and Budget that should satisfy the requirements to receive the money allocated by the Kentucky General Assembly. 

Shaw said hopes to have everything in place to move forward with both the $2M and $1M projects moving forward in the spring and summer of 2025.

"The wheels of Government move way too slow sometimes but this really is moving forward pretty good," he said. "With any luck we will have several million dollars of work going on in 2025 and see quite the improvement in the system as a result. These are baby steps and we have a lot more to move on."

As for the $3.5M for the intake, which many argue is the most crucial of all, Shaw says it can't be used until all the details of a new intake system are finalized.

"It has been appropriated, we have taken care of any necessary paperwork that needs to be done up to this point," he said. "It cannot be used at this time for anything other than intake work, so we are just in the hold position on that. Also we are still expecting relief from Washington on the intake replacement, some promises have been made but no official notification as of yet.

"The state of the intake is grim, but it did stay under water after all the construction was complete on the removal the Locks," Shaw stated. "We did not have to use the emergency pump last summer but because of the lower water level there are some challenges treating the water that is now available to us."

He said those issues will remain until a new intake is constructed, like screens clogging up with debris, intrusion of silt in the intakes structure, and water that is tough to treat.

"But as I have promised, we will work through it and keep water and the best water we can to the customers of Edmonson County."

The $3.5M is only a piece of what might be available to help the situation. Rep. Brett Guthrie has requested $14M of U.S. Community Project Funding from the Committee of Appropriations for an entire new intake on the Green River for Edmonson County Water District Customers.

"Congressman Guthrie is committed to ensuring there is a long and short term solution in place for the issues being faced by the Edmonson County Water District," said DJ Griffin, Communications Director for Rep. Guthrie's Office.

"The House of Representatives and the Senate have yet to pass an appropriations bill which would fund this proposal, so we do not yet have an update on if this project will be included in the Appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2025."

Many local residents have made claims on the Edmonson Voice Facebook Page that their water bills are suddenly much higher, some even said they are double. However, customers are only charged for what they use and many of those same customers say they don't use the water for drinking, cooking, or even pets. Kevin Shaw said rates haven't changed for several years.

"I honestly think only once in past five years and it was maybe 2-3 years ago and not a big increase even then," he said. They truly have some of the best rates in the state."

"I feel real good about what we will get accomplished in 2025," Shaw added. "I feel like now I have a decent handle on the make up of the system and areas we can concentrate on that customers will notice a difference."