FRANKFORT - Other than during a rare boil-water advisory, most of us don't think
twice when we turn on the faucet. We just expect clean and plentiful water to be
there.
For about 95 percent of Kentuckians, that's exactly what we get each and
every day from the 400-plus public and community water systems that
serve the commonwealth. These systems meet or exceed health-based
standards at an incredible rate of 99.73 percent.
We shouldn't take clean water for granted, however, as extreme droughts
out West and the lead crisis in such communities as Flint, Mich., show.
The need to stay the course was the focus of remarks last week from the
state's Division of Water director, who appeared before the General
Assembly's Natural Resources and Environment Committee.
He noted that the average age of our 213 water treatment plants is 36,
while the 60,000 miles of water lines that bring this resource to our
homes and businesses are older than that. Our nearly 1,900
water-storage tanks, meanwhile, are not much younger, with an average
age of 26.
He said the state has $1.9 billion in infrastructure needs through 2025
if we want to keep our public water systems healthy.
The challenge is that many of these systems are seeing little if any
growth in customers, and conservation efforts have reduced demand as
well. That is making it tougher to finance major projects.
It's a similar story for our sewer systems, which cover about 60 percent
of our population. Wastewater treatment plants are about 30 years old
on average, and more than 5,000 miles of sewer lines have been in place
for five decades or longer.
Earlier this year, the state took two major steps forward to ensure our
water remains safe and plentiful. In March, the Division of Water
created a diverse workgroup to assess how well Kentucky is meeting lead
and copper guidelines and what more we may need to do.
State officials noted that just three of the 400-plus public water
systems exceeded recommended lead levels over the past four years, but
changes in procedure brought all three back into compliance. Cities
like Louisville, meanwhile, are working to replace lead service lines to
be even safer.
Around the same time this group began, the General Assembly passed a law
creating the Kentucky Water Resources Board, which was a major priority
of Kentucky Farm Bureau. The new board is tackling such issues as
conservation, drought response and making sure agriculture and rural
areas have what they need in the years ahead.
Speaking of drought, the state issued a Level I warning last week for
most of the commonwealth, since we have only received 40 to 75 percent
of our normal rainfall over the past three months. Northern Kentucky,
which has had a wetter fall, is the only area not included.
The drought is a major factor behind a recent rash of forest fires,
especially in the eastern part of the state. More than 29,000 acres
have already been burned, necessitating the need for more localized
burning bans.
In the limited space I have left, I want to thank those who voted on
November 8th. This election will bring about a lot of changes across
the commonwealth and country, but I remain confident that the needs of
our district will continue to be met. Now that the campaigns are over,
it is time to come together and govern. We cannot afford to backtrack
on gains we have made.
With that in mind, I would like to hear any concerns or questions you
may have regarding state government. You can reach me by addressing any
letter to Room 351A, Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Frankfort, KY
40601; or you can email me at
Will.Coursey@lrc.ky.gov<mailto:Will.Coursey@lrc.ky.gov>.
To leave a message for me or for any legislator by phone, please call
800-372-7181. For those with a hearing impairment, the number is
800-896-0305.
I hope to hear from you soon.
