LOUISVILLE – On August 22 through 24, 2016, representatives of Kentucky’s public drinking water and wastewater utilities gathered for Kentucky Rural Water Association’s (KRWA) 37th Annual Conference and Exhibition held in Louisville, Kentucky at the Galt House Hotel & Suites. Nearly 800 utility professionals gained valuable insight from industry experts on having the proper “Tools For Success.” Attendees also enjoyed networking with peers, and touring Kentucky’s largest exhibition of products and services available to public utilities.
Each year, ten water and wastewater utilities are announced during Tuesday morning’s Member Appreciation Breakfast as Wooden Bucket finalists and honored for their outstanding service during the past year. Tom Fern, State Director and Anthony Hollingsworth, Community Programs Director, USDA-Rural Development, were on hand to present all of the honorees with plaques of recognition. Utilities honored included: Bath County Water District; Beattyville Waterworks; Caveland Environmental Authority; Henderson County Water District; Jessamine County Water District #1; Lebanon Water Works Company; Louisa Utilities Commission; Mercer County Sanitation District; North Marshall Water District; and Pineville Utility Commission. However, from this list, one utility is singled out to receive Rural Water’s highest honor, the prestigious Wooden Bucket Award.
The Wooden Bucket Award is presented to a water and/or wastewater utility that has made substantial and lasting improvements in providing high levels of customer service and high quality drinking water and wastewater services in its community, including having shown exceptional efforts in meeting the needs of their communities, enhancing their operations, and complying with regulatory requirements. While, Lebanon Water Works Company was named as the utility most deserving of this award, being recognized as one of the ten finalists is indeed an honor.
The Kentucky Rural Water Association is a statewide, non-profit association that provides training, on-site technical assistance, advocacy, and other services to all utilities, including over 365 member public drinking water and wastewater utilities, in Kentucky. With offices in Bowling Green and Frankfort, KRWA has been fulfilling its mission of helping water and wastewater utilities help themselves since 1979.