Infrastructure Expansion
Expanded Access to Water and Sewer
Regional Water Commission
On December 10, 2003 I signed Executive Order No. 2003-005 thereby establishing the Lincoln Trail Regional Water Commission. The Commission is comprised of Water District #1, Water District #2, the cities of Radcliff and Elizabethtown, and Fort Knox. The purpose of the Commission is to coordinate the availability of potable water through the development, management, and operating of jointly owned sources of water for the betterment and benefit of our region.
A primary benefit of the Regional Water Commission is to ensure Hardin County as a whole retains control of our water supplies.
Safe Drinking Water Expansion
During the past seven plus years Water Districts No. 1 & 2 have installed more than 200 miles of water main lines to provide the availability of safe drinking water to almost another 2,000 households throughout Hardin County. Over 98% of Hardin County households now have access to safe drinking water, (up from approximately 92% eight years ago.)
State funding, federal grants, and direct funding from our federal congressional delegation has provided a significant portion of the resources necessary to bring our local water projects to fruition. Our close coordination with Senators McConnell and Bunning as well as our state legislators, State Senator Elizabeth Tori and State Representatives Jimmie Lee and Tim Moore, has resulted in millions of federal and state funds directed toward water expansion projects throughout Hardin County.
Wastewater Planning
In 2005 Senator McConnell was successful in supporting my request for Federal funding to prepare a Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan for the Hardin County area. Senator McConnell earmarked $200,000 for development of the plan, which began in early 2005, and completed in late 2007. Its purpose was to define the most appropriate and cost effective solutions for managing wastewater collection and treatment throughout the unincorporated area of the county. The plan established priorities for potential areas of service, methods of collection and treatment, and potential funding sources and methods for completing each phase. The life of the plan spans a twenty-year period.
The primary purpose of the plan was to document our region's wastewater needs, establish priorities, and estimate the cost to execute each phase. To that end, this plan has thus far assisted us in obtaining $54 million in state funding for Hardin County Sewer projects including $26 million for new collection systems as well as $28 million for the expansion and upgrading of existing facilities.