More than 20 water treatment systems including Morgantown to receive special funding

Wed, 02/13/2013 - 9:02pm — Diane Dyer

Twenty-two small drinking water treatment systems in Kentucky will receive financial assistance through a program designed to improve their technical, managerial and financial capabilities to ensure production of safe drinking water in a consistent, cost-effective manner.

Small systems are those serving fewer than 10,000 customers.

Jennifer Spradlin, program manager for the Capacity Development Assistance Program, said the Division of Water was able to build on the lessons learned from the program’s first year of operation.

“Over twice as many systems applied for this round of funding. With last year’s success, the program will continue to evolve and expand in order to assist more systems with managerial, financial, and technical capacity,” Spradlin said in a news release from the state.

The program is administered by the nonprofit Community Action of Kentucky (through the Rural Community Assistance Program). The applications were ranked on factors that are not regulated, such as median household income, population, historical rate increases and results of previous sanitary surveys.

Funding for the Capacity Development Assistance Program for Small Systems is made possible through funds from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund capitalization grant. The DWSRF program was established by the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 to provide low-interest loans to public water systems for infrastructure improvements needed to produce safe drinking water. The program emphasizes the prevention of drinking water contamination by allowing states to reserve a portion of their grants to fund activities that encourage enhanced water system management and source water protection.

The following list is comprised of the water systems and the projects the water systems will complete:

Brodhead Water Works – Operations & Maintenance Manual update and drinking water rate study
Fordsville Water District – Infrastructure mapping
Centertown Water District – Two infrastructure mapping projects
Morgantown Utilities – Infrastructure mapping
Fleming-Neon Water Co. – Leak detection/water loss
Trenton Water and Sewer – Infrastructure mapping
Vanceburg Electric Plant Board – Leak detection/water loss
Nortonville Water Works – Infrastructure mapping
Western Lewis Rectorville Water District – Infrastructure mapping
Dexter-Almo Heights Water District – Two Infrastructure mapping projects
Wingo Water – Water storage tank inspection
Munfordville Water Department – Leak detection/water loss
Bonnieville Water District – Leak detection/water loss
Adairville Water Works – Leak detection/water loss
Livermore Water Works – Infrastructure mapping
Brownsville Municipal Water System – Infrastructure mapping
Augusta Regional Water Treatment Plant – Asset management plan
Pineville Water - Fonde – Infrastructure mapping
Cawood Water District – Leak detection/water loss
Mount Olivet Water Department – Asset management plan
Elkhorn Water District – Leak detection/water loss
Burkesville Water Works – Storage tank inspection