At Monday night’s Leitchfield City Council meeting, the council voted to adopt several documents related to the financing of the new Leitchfield Water Treatment Plant.
Leitchfield Utilities Attorney David Vickery presented the council with an additional grant and loan from United States Rural Development to cover the cost of the project, which was originally estimated to cost around $8 million, but has been projected to cost in the $13 million range.
To offset the increased cost of the project, Vickery said Leitchfield Utilities received approval from U.S. Rural Development last month for a $961,000 grant and 40-year $4,539,000 loan (at 3.375 percent).
The council approved the grant and loan, along with several documents related to the project.
Originally, the new water treatment plant was to be financed with a $2.4 million grant and $5.6 million loan. The total fund package now sits at $13.5 million.
The current water treatment plant, located at 3245 Lewis School Road, was built in 1968. The new plant will be constructed adjacent to the current plant.
The decision to construct a new treatment plant came after the federal government raised the water quality standards – which would mean the purchase of millions of dollars of new equipment for the current, antiquated facility — and the growing need for a larger facility more capable of meeting the water demands of its expanding customer base.
The new plant is expected to take two years to construct.
The adoption of the financing and other documents for the new water treatment plant was approved by five of the six city council members, with Clayton Miller the lone dissenting vote. Miller said his constituents expressed concerns about the impact the new water plant would have on water rates.
In May of last year, and for the third time in four years, the Leitchfield Water Treatment Plant received an AWOP (Area-Wide Optimization Program) award for surpassing state and federal goals and standards for water quality.
The Leitchfield plant won the Champion Award in the small drinking water treatment plant category (plants designed to produce 3 million or more gallons of water per day).
Twenty states participate in the AWOP initiatives, with 145 surface water treatment plants in Kentucky tested for water quality, particle removal and the plant’s overall compliance record for the previous three years. Of those 145, 36 were recognized for meeting optimized water quality goals. Only one other water treatment plant received the Champion Award.
Darren Dennison has served as Leitchfield Water Treatment Plant Superintendent since 2005.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
