The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Funds sought for water projects





Representatives of the Letcher County Water and Sewer District have requested $15,110,505 in federal stimulus money to help pay for the construction of seven “shovel ready” water line projects and one sewer project.

Stephen Caudill of Bell Engineering told the water and sewer district’s board of directors last week that while some funding has already been obtained for most of the projects on the list he submitted, he also requested American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds as well.

The list of requests for stimulus funding is:

Water improvement projects:

• Knott-Letcher County Water Connector (top priority), $1,500,000

• Premium/Highway 160 Water Project, $1,125,000

• Red Star/Ulvah/Hallie Water Project, $2,500,000

• Pert Creek/Pine/Cram Creek Water Project, $1,987,805

• Millstone Water Project, $1,250,000

• Elk and Bull Creek Water Project, $5,200,000

• Payne Gap Water Project, $1,500,000

Sewer improvement projects:

• Blackey Wastewater Project (Phase I), $476,950

The board voted unanimously Feb. 26 to allow Caudill to submit the projects to the Kentucky Division of Water for approval as well as for funding through ARRA, the stimulus act signed into law last month by President Barack Obama.

Caudill also discussed the possibility of obtaining funding through the Abandoned Mine Lands program for several of the projects, He said most of the projects are eligible, including the Knott County Interconnect.

Caudill said the Interconnect project is absolutely essential for the county to continue to make progress in laying water lines because without it the Division of Water will not authorize further projects due to lack of capacity.

A project to install water lines in Thornton is among those being delayed until the county gets access to water from Carr Creek Lake in Knott County.


Leave a Reply