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TABLEOFCONTENTS
TABLEOFCONTENTS PageNo.ExecutiveSummary...............................................................................................................2SolutionstoRaisetheGrades................................................................................................3AboutASCEKentucky............................................................................................................4KentuckyInfrastructureReportCardSteeringCommittee..................................................5KentuckyInfrastructureReportCardCommitteeChairs......................................................6Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................7GradingCriteria......................................................................................................................8GradingScale.........................................................................................................................9KentuckyGradesSummary..................................................................................................10
Ü Aviation....................................................................................................................11
Ü Bridges.....................................................................................................................18
Ü Dams........................................................................................................................23
Ü DrinkingWater........................................................................................................30
Ü Energy......................................................................................................................40
Ü HazardousWaste....................................................................................................47
Ü Levees......................................................................................................................53
Ü Roads.......................................................................................................................58
Ü SolidWaste..............................................................................................................64
Ü Wastewater.............................................................................................................70
PAGE|2
EXECUTIVESUMMARYKentucky’sinfrastructureiseverywherearoundyou,andyouuseiteveryday.Theinterconnectedsystemofroadsandbridges,drinkingwater,sewersystems,damsandlevees,aviation,solidwaste,andenergyareallcriticaltooursuccess.Wehavebecomeaccustomedtothesesystemsquietlysupportingourabilitytoworkandplay.However,in2019,ourinfrastructurenetworksareagingandstrugglingtoperformasneeded.
Infrastructuredeterioratesasitages,anditmustberepairedorreplacedwhenitexceedsitsusefullife.Theeffectsoftime,weather,andincreasedusefromagrowingpopulationareimpactingthequalityoftheinfrastructureinourstate.Lookingahead,thereareopportunitiesforKentuckytoinvestnotonlyintheinfrastructureinneedofrepairandreplacement,butalsotoplanstrategicallyforthefuture.Throughsmartinvestmentandcollaborativecoordination,Kentuckyhastheopportunitytomeaningfullyimprovecriticalinfrastructurenetworks,includingwater,wastewater,roads,rail,airports,andfreighttoensurebothlocalandstate-wideeconomiescangrow.Strategicinvestmentsandproperplanningwillalsoprovidesafeandhealthyenvironmentsforourchildren,neighbors,andcommunities.
ThegoodnewsisthatKentucky'scivilengineers,governmentagencies,privateinterestgroups,andthepublicarecommittedtobuildingandmaintainingKentucky’sinfrastructuretokeepourresidentsandvisitorssafe,maintainahealthyenvironment,andhelpsupportoureconomy.TheKentuckySectionoftheAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineershascreatedthissimpletooltogiveresidents,businesses,andpolicy-makersasnapshotofthecurrentconditionofourstate'sinfrastructuresystems—boththegoodandthenot-so-good.Inaddition,thisreportprovidesrecommendationsonthingsourCommonwealthcandotomakesureourinfrastructureisthereforusinthedays,weeks,andyearsahead.Workingtogether,wecanimplementaproactiveandcollaborativeapproachtoinfrastructureplanningandfundingthatpromotessmartinvestmentstoavoidcostly,catastrophicfailures.
WehopethisreportprovidestheinformationneededtomakeeveryKentuckycitizenaninformedKentuckycitizen.
Findyourelectedofficials
ChecktheKYLegislativeTrackingCentertofindlegislationthatyoucareabout(hint…infrastructure)
Nowthatyouknowyourelectedofficials,EMAILTHEMandVISITTHEIROFFICEStoshareKentucky’sgradesandsolutions
Usethehashtag#ASCEKYReportCardtoshowyoursupportofKentucky’sinfrastructure
PAGE|3
SOLUTIONSTORAISETHEGRADES
1) Weneedabig-pictureapproachtoinfrastructureinvestment—onethatanticipatesthechallenges
oftomorrowwhileaddressingtheproblemsoftoday.Aswedeterminewherelimitedfunding
shouldbespent,it’simportanttoapproachinvestmentknowingournetworksourinterconnected.
Itdoeslessgoodtopavearoadifthepipelinesundergroundareinneedofreplacement.
Providingfloodprotectionbybuildingleveesinoneneighborhoodbutleavingtheadjacent
neighborhoodunprotectedwillultimatelycauseharmduringthenextmajorrainevent.Investing
inourinfrastructurerequiresproperplanning,forwardthinking,andmostimportant,adequate
investmentforalloursystems.
2) WemustinvestinKentucky’smultimodalfreightnetworktoprepareforthefuture.Louisvilleand
NorthernKentuckyaregloballogisticshubsformajorcompanies,includingAmazon,UPS,FedEx,
andDHL.However,theedgeourstatehasinthedistributionandlogisticsindustryisnot
guaranteed.Weneedtoinvestproactivelyinourmultimodaltransportationnetworktoretainour
competitiveadvantageintheyearsahead.Suchinvestmentincludesprovidingadequatefunding
forourroadways,rail,andinlandwaterways,aswellasprovidingrobustinvestmentfor
intermodalconnectionsandbottlenecksinthenetwork.
3) Ruralcommunitiesrequiresignificantfundingtoaddressdilapidatedinfrastructuresystems.Much
likeresidentsofcities,ourruralpopulationreliesoninfrastructuresystemsthatwerebuilt50to
100yearsago.However,unlikeourlargermetropolitancommunities,ruraltownslackthe
populationdensitytopayintothecostofrepairingandreplacingsystems.Ruralcommunitiesare
frequentlyplaguedbyunsafedrinkingwater,pothole-riddledroads,andlivingnearunsafe
hazardouswastesites.Fundingtorepairandreplacethesesystemswillbeinstrumentalto
providingourruralcitizensaccesstojobsandhealthcare.
PAGE|4
ABOUTASCEKENTUCKYEstablishedin1936,theASCEKentuckySectionhasfiveactiveBranchescoveringalloftheCommonwealthofKentucky.CivilEngineersinKentuckyjoinASCEtodevelopleadershipskills,enhancetheirknowledgeofthelatesttechnologyandengineeringpractices,andtonetworkwithothercivilengineeringprofessionals.TheASCEKentuckySectionpromotestheprofessionbyofferingannualscholarshipstodeservingstudentspursuingacareerinCivilEngineering.TheSectionalsohostsanannualCivilEngineeringConferencetoadvancetheknowledgeofitsmembersandtohonoroutstandingindividualsandprojects.ASCEMembersadvocateforinfrastructureandenvironmentalstewardshipwhichwillleadtoabetterqualityoflifeforallKentuckians.
PAGE|5
KENTUCKYINFRASTRUCTUREREPORTCARDSTEERINGCOMMITTEE
AnnaDeneckeAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineersWashington,DCColetteR.Easter,PELouisvilleMetropolitanSewerDistrictLouisville,KYMaryJoGedimanWordsFreshLouisville,KYAngelaGoodrichStrandAssociates,Inc.Lexington,KYPaulG.Maron,PEStrandAssociates,Inc.Louisville,KYThomasD.Rockaway,PhD,PEUniversityofLouisvilleLouisville,KY
PAGE|6
KENTUCKYINFRASTRUCTUREREPORTCARDCOMMITTEECHAIRS
Aviation
KarenScott,PEInspiredStrategiesLLCLouisville,KYBridges
NancyAlbright,PEKentuckyTransportationCabinetFrankfort,KYDams
ColetteR.Easter,PELouisvilleMetropolitanSewerDistrictLouisville,KY
JonKeeling,PEStantecLexington,KYDrinkingWater
GregHeitzman,PEBlueWaterKentucky,Inc.Louisville,KYEnergy
SheilaMedinaUniversityofKentuckyLexington,KYHazardousWaste
DarrellHerron,PEStantecLexington,KY
Levees
JoshDickerson,PELouisvilleMetropolitanSewerDistrictLouisville,KY
ColetteR.Easter,PELouisvilleMetropolitanSewerDistrictLouisville,KYRoads
NancyAlbright,PEKentuckyTransportationCabinetFrankfort,KYSolidWaste
DarrellHerron,PEStantecLexington,KYWastewater
VickiCoombs,PELouisvilleMetropolitanSewerDistrictLouisville,KYDakotahDeRoche,PEBurgess&Niple,Inc.Louisville,KY
PAGE|7
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSTheASCEKentuckyReportCardCommitteethanksthefollowingsponsorsforsupportingthecostsassociatedwithproducingthe2019ReportCard,includingfundingthereleaseeventandprintingmaterials:
AmericanCouncilofEngineeringCompaniesAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers–BluegrassBranchAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers–FrankfortBranchAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers–KentuckySectionAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers–LouisvilleBranchAmericanWaterWorksAssociation–Kentucky/TennesseeSectionArcadisBLAndersonCompanyBrownandCaldwellCenterforInfrastructureResearch,UniversityofLouisvilleCornerstoneEngineeringGeotechnology,Inc.GRWHazenandSawyerHeritageEngineering,LLCHNTBCorporationIntegratedEngineeringJacobi,Toombs&Lanz,Inc.JacobsEngineeringGroup,Inc.KentuckySocietyofProfessionalEngineers–LouisvilleChapterLouisvilleWaterCompanyMagnaEngineersQk4RAConsultants,LLCSanitationDistrictNo.1ofNorthernKentuckyStantecStites&Harbison,PLLCStraefferPump&Supply,Inc.StrandAssociates,Inc.WaterEnvironmentAssociationofKentuckyandTennessee
PAGE|8
GRADINGCRITERIATheReportCardsectionsareanalyzedbasedonthefollowingeightcriteria:CAPACITY–Doestheinfrastructure’scapacitymeetcurrentandfuturedemands?CONDITION–Whatistheinfrastructure’sexistingandnear-futurephysicalcondition?FUNDING–Whatisthecurrentleveloffundingfromalllevelsofgovernmentfortheinfrastructurecategoryascomparedtotheestimatedfundingneed?FUTURENEED–Whatisthecosttoimprovetheinfrastructure?Willfuturefundingprospectsaddresstheneed?OPERATIONANDMAINTENANCE–Whatistheowners’abilitytooperateandmaintaintheinfrastructureproperly?Istheinfrastructureincompliancewithgovernmentregulations?PUBLICSAFETY–Towhatextentisthepublic’ssafetyjeopardizedbytheconditionoftheinfrastructureandwhatcouldbetheconsequencesoffailure?RESILIENCE–Whatistheinfrastructuresystem’scapabilitytopreventorprotectagainstsignificantmultihazardthreatsandincidents?Howableisittorecoverquicklyandreconstitutecriticalserviceswithminimumconsequencesforpublicsafetyandhealth,theeconomy,andnationalsecurity?INNOVATION–Whatnewandinnovativetechniques,materials,technologies,anddeliverymethodsarebeingimplementedtoimprovetheinfrastructure?
PAGE|9
GRADINGSCALETheReportCardsectionsaregradedonthefollowingscale:A–EXCEPTIONAL:FITFORTHEFUTURETheinfrastructureinthesystemornetworkisgenerallyin
excellentcondition,typicallyneworrecentlyrehabilitated,andmeetscapacityneedsforthefuture.Afewelementsshowsignsofgeneraldeteriorationthatrequireattention.Facilitiesmeetmodernstandardsforfunctionalityandareresilienttowithstandmostdisastersandsevereweatherevents.
B–GOOD:ADEQUATEFORNOWTheinfrastructureinthesystemornetworkisingoodtoexcellent
condition;someelementsshowsignsofgeneraldeteriorationthatrequireattention.Afewelementsexhibitsignificantdeficiencies.Safeandreliablewithminimalcapacityissuesandminimalrisk.
C–MEDIOCRE:REQUIRESATTENTIONTheinfrastructureinthesystemornetworkisinfairtogood
condition;itshowsgeneralsignsofdeteriorationandrequiresattention.Someelementsexhibitsignificantdeficienciesinconditionsandfunctionality,withincreasingvulnerabilitytorisk.
D–POOR:ATRISKTheinfrastructureisinpoortofairconditionandmostlybelowstandard,with
manyelementsapproachingtheendoftheirservicelife.Alargeportionofthesystemexhibitssignificantdeterioration.Conditionandcapacityareofsignificantconcernwithstrongriskoffailure.
F–FAILING/CRITICAL:UNFITFORPURPOSETheinfrastructureinthesystemisinunacceptable
conditionwithwidespreadadvancedsignsofdeterioration.Manyofthecomponentsofthesystemexhibitsignsofimminentfailure.
PAGE|10
KENTUCKYGRADESSUMMARY
PAGE|11
SUMMARY
Kentuckyairportshaveatotaleconomicimpactofnearly$15billionannually.Whenairportsarekept
inworkingorder,aviationhasapositiveimpactonabroadarrayofservicesforourCommonwealth,
includingmilitary,healthcare,andtransportationofgoodsandservices,justtonameafew.Thereare
fundingsourcesinplacetosupportinfrastructurefacilitieswithinthestate;however,significantneeds
exist,includingaconsolidatedrentalcarfacilityatCVG,thefinalportionofafive-phasetaxiway
projectatLEX,andcontinuedmodernizationofairfieldelementsatSDF.Whilethestatehasmade
recentairfieldimprovementsandneededterminalupgradesatseveralofitsprimaryfacilities,weare
confrontedwithagingfacilitiesandcannotfullyrealizeneweconomicopportunitieswithoutneeded
infrastructureimprovements.
CAPACITY
Therearecurrently55public-useairportsinthestate,adecreasefromthenearly60reportedin2011.
Thefiveairportsthatclosedwereallvisual-approachfacilitieswithnocontroltower,withonefacility
beingaprivateuseairport.Ofthe55remainingairportfacilitiesinthestate,fiveareidentifiedas
commercialserviceairports,andtheremainingarecategorizedas"generalaviation"(GA)airports.
Thesizeclassificationofanairportisimportantbecauseitisdirectlytiedtofunding.ANonhubisan
airportwithlessthan0.05percentofthenation’stotalnumberofpassengers.ASmallHubairportis
onewithatleast0.05percentbutlessthan0.25percent.AMediumHubairportisonewithatleast
0.25percentbutlessthan1percent.And,aLargeHubairporthasatleast1percentofthenation’s
totalnumberofpassengers.
AccordingtoFederalAviationAdministration(FAA)airportclassifications,therearenoLargeHub
airportsinthestateofKentucky.TheCincinnati/NorthernKentuckyInternationalAirport(CVG),
locatedinnorthernKentucky,isthelargestairportinthestateandisconsideredtobeaMediumHub,
enplaningnearly3.8millionpassengersannuallyaccordingtorecentlyreleaseddatafromtheFAA.
LouisvilleInternationalAirportatStandifordField(SDF)isconsideredaSmallHubairport,locatedin
Louisville,withapproximately1.7millionannualenplanements.BothCVGandSDFareexperiencing
tremendousgrowth,withCVGreportinga16percentcalendaryear-over-yearincreaseandSDFup
over3percentfromlastyear'senplanementfigures,withmorerecentactivityapproachingnearly10
percent.Additionally,bothfacilitiesboastastrongcargocomponentwithCVGhostingDHLand
Amazon’sPrimeAir,andSDFasthehometotheall-pointsdomestichubforUnitedParcelService
(UPS).TheonlyotherSmallHubairportinthestateisBlueGrassAirport(LEX),locatedinLexington,
withnearly650,000enplanementsannually.Thelastoftheprimaryairportsinthestateinclude
BarkleyRegionalAirport(PAH)inPaducahandOwensboro-DaviessCountyAirport(OWB)in
Owensboro,bothwithaNonhubstatus.PAHenplanesapproximately21,000annually,whileOWB
enplanesnearly20,000passengerseachyear.
Theremaining50public-useairportsinthestateareclassifiedasGeneralAviationairports.TheGA
classificationappliestoanairportwithfewerthan2,500annualpassengersandisnotusedfor
commercialaviation.Thisairporttypeisthelargestsinglegroupofairportsinthesystem.
PAGE|12
Figure1.Public-UseAirportsintheCommonwealthofKentucky,NationalPlanofIntegratedAirportSystems
(2017-2021)
CONDITION
Ofthe55public-useairportsinthestate,allareequippedwithhard-pavedsurfacesfortheirrunways
andassociatedtaxiways.Mostofthesesurfacesarepavedwithasphalt;however,forairportfacilities
withhigheruseandtheneedtosupportlargeraircraft,suchasCVGandSDF,therunwaysand
taxiwaysareconcrete.Sinceconcreteisalongerlastingmaterialthanasphalt,airportfacilitiessuchas
OWBandLEXhavealsoutilizedconcretewithsomeoftheirnewerrunwayfacilities.
Airportsmustperformadetailedinspectionofairfieldpavementsatleastonceperyearaspartofthe
PavementManagementProgram(PMP).Allpublic-useairportsinKentuckyhaveaPMP.Ifapavement
conditionindex(PCI)surveyisperformedundercertainASTMconditions,thefrequencyofthe
detailedinspectionmaybeextendedtothreeyears.Lesscomprehensiveroutinedaily,weekly,and
monthlymaintenanceinspectionsofrunwaysandtaxiwaysarerequiredforstandardoperations.
PAGE|13
ECONOMICIMPACT
Kentuckyairportshaveatotaleconomicimpactofnearly$15billionannually,yieldingnearly115,000
jobs.CVGandSDFairportsaccountformorethan83percent,orapproximately$12.5billion,ofthe
totaleconomicimpactannually.Allairportsinthestateplayaroleingeneratingeconomicactivityfor
theirsurroundingareas.
BothCVGandSDFhaveseenadramaticincreaseintheconstructionofwarehousesandother
commercialbuildingsincloseproximitytotheirairports.Theseareknownaswarehouseor“end-of-
the-runway”servicelogistics.SDF,withitsconnectiontoUPSandWorldport®,hasseenanumberof
businesseslocatetotheLouisvilleareatobeclosetotheWorldport®facility.
Comparably,CVGhasseenasimilarattractionfrombusinesseswiththeDHLfacilitylocatedonthe
airfieldinnorthernKentucky,aswellasrecentplansforAmazontobuildaprimaryhubonthesouth
sideoftheairfield.Amazon'splansaretoconstructthreemillionsquarefeetofbuildingsandlease
morethan900acresfor50+years.This$1.4billioninvestmentwillsupportafleetof100+Amazon
Primecargoplanesandbringmorethan2,700jobstoCVG.
Inall,Kentucky’sairportshaveaquantifiableeconomicimpactonthesurroundingareas.Someother
benefitsderivedfromairportsincludesearchandrescue,medicaltransportation/evacuation,and
militarytraining.
OPERATION&MAINTENANCE
TheprimarycommercialserviceairportsinKentuckyutilizefederalentitlementdollarsgeneratedfrom
theFAA’sAirportImprovementProgram(AIP)toassistwithpavementremediationamongother
eligibleuses,whiletheremainingairportsseekdiscretionaryfundingthroughthestatetosupport
theirneeds.
Maintenanceofexistinginfrastructureateachoftheairportsiscertainlyofconcern,butanotherissue
involvesflightdelaysinthenationalairspacesystem(NAS).Sinceeachairportfeedstoother
destinations,theabilityforanotherairporttoefficientlyacceptandturnaroundaircraftisimportantto
theNAS.Therefore,whiletheconditionofpavedsurfacesisoneofmanyvitalcomponents,theability
foraircrafttoarriveanddepartduringinclementweather,andthenavigationalsystemsneededto
supportsuchactivity,arealsocrucial.Forty-threeofthe55public-useairportsinKentuckysupport
somelevelofnavigationalsystemtosustainotherthanvisualapproachesatthevariousairports.An
exampleofthisincludesthelocalizerandtheglideslope—bothground-basedsystemsthatuseradar
toassistaircraftinlandingduringinclementweather.Beyondthesetraditionalsystems,the
implantationofcapabilitiesidentifiedundertheFAA’sNextGENprogramarekeytothefull
optimizationofairportsinKentuckyandthroughoutthecountry.
PAGE|14
Figure2.ReplacingaconcretepanelinRunway17R-35LatSDF.
FUNDING
Overthelastseveralyears,Kentucky’saviationsystemhasremainedstabledespitethechallengeof
Congressnotreauthorizinglong-termlegislationfortheAirportImprovementProgram(AIP).The
recentpassageoftheFAAReauthorizationActof2018shouldenhancethispositiongoingforward.
ThePassengerFacilityCharge(PFC)ProgramallowsthecollectionofPFCfeesupto$4.50forevery
enplanedpassengeratthefivecommercialserviceairportsinKentucky.Thesefeesareidentifiedby
theindividualairporttofundFAA-approvedprojectsthatenhancesafety,security,orcapacity;reduce
noise;orincreaseaircarriercompetition.IncreasingthePFCcapwouldhelpKentuckyairportsaccess
additionalcapitaltosupportandimprovethestate’saviationinfrastructure.
Anothersourceofaviationinfrastructurefundingisastatejetfueltaxthatwasimplementedin2000
andwentintoeffectinKentuckyin2003.Thetaxwasputintoplacetohelpsupportcapital
infrastructureneedsatpublicairportsacrossthestate;however,thattaxhassincebeencapped
withinthestate,reducingtheamountofavailablefunds.Withanincreaseinthefueltaxcaponair
carrier/transportcompanies,thejetfueltaxfundingwouldbeavailabletosupportaviationfacilitiesin
theCommonwealth.
FUTURENEED
InvestmentNeeds
ThoughKentuckyhasrecentlymadenecessaryimprovementsandupgrades,millionsofdollarsarestill
neededtocontinuekeepingourairportscompetitiveinthetwenty-firstcentury.
PAGE|15
Asairpassengertrafficincreasesacrossthecountry,andascargooperationscontinuetogrowatCVG
andSDFinparticular,weareconfrontedwithagingfacilities.Ourlocalcommunitiescannotfully
realizeneweconomicopportunitieswithouttheinfrastructureimprovementsneededtosupportboth
commercialairserviceandcargo-relatedactivities.
Nationwide,airportshavemorethan$100billioninimprovementstomakeinthenextfiveyears.In
Kentucky,fundingforairportswouldimprovethepassengerexperienceandenhanceourfacilities,
includingrunways,taxiways,terminals,gates,andotherprojects.
AtCVG,aconsolidatedrentalcarfacilityisneededtostreamlinepassengermovementsinandoutof
theairport;itwillalsoimproveairquality.
AtLEX,thismeansfundingtocompletethefinalportionofafive-phasetaxiwayprojectthatwill
enhancethesafetyandefficiencyoftheairportfortheairlines,aswellasgeneralaviationoperators.
AtSDF,continuedmodernizationofvitalairfieldelementsisapriority,includingtheneedtotransform
andreconstructtheolderportionofthetaxiwaynetwork.
Suchinfrastructureinvestmentsleaddirectlytonewjobsatourairportsandhavelargerimpactson
theeconomiesbeyondourgates.InLouisville,SDFandBowmanFieldwereshownin2014tosupport
morethan69,900jobsandgeneratedinexcessof$8.1billionintotaleconomicactivity.AtLEX,itslast
studypointstoapproximately$370millionineconomicoutputandnearly3,500jobs.Finally,CVG’s
mostrecentimpactstudyshowsover$4.4billionineconomicoutput,aswellasmorethan31,100
directandindirectjobs.
Withover$790millionininfrastructureneedsinthenextfiveyears,workatKentucky’sairportscould
realisticallycreatemorethan18,000jobs.Inaddition,thetravelingpublicinKentuckyandacrossthe
UnitedStateswouldbenefitfromshortersecuritylines,moreairlinecompetition,lowerairfares,and
twenty-firstcenturyfacilities.
LegislativeNeeds
Atthefederallevel,thereisaneedtohaveCongressapprovelong-termlegislationfortheAirport
ImprovementProgram.Thepreviousextensionsrepresentadiscontinuouscycleoffundingforthose
airportseligibleforAIPentitlementfunding.Thisirregularityleadstogapsinpotentialdiscretionary
fundingfortheremaininggeneralaviationairportsinthestate.Congressmustfocusonapproving
legislationtoreturnstabilitytotheAIPprogramandfundingthroughouttheNAS.
Atthestatelevel,theconsiderationofanincreasetothecaponthejetfueltaxwouldimprovethe
fundingpositionofmanyofthegeneralaviationfacilities.
PUBLICSAFETY&RESILIENCE
TheTransportationSecurityAdministration(TSA),acomponentoftheDepartmentofHomeland
Security,isresponsibleforsecurityinthenation’scommercialserviceairports.Eachcommercial
serviceairportisrequiredtomaintainbothpoliceandfireserviceforthefacility.Thesizeoftheunits
isbasedonthenumberandsizeofaircraftthatuseeachfacility.GAairportsarenotsubjecttothe
samerequirements.
PAGE|16
Inthecaseofacatastrophicevent,beitman-made,weather-related,etc.,airportsarecriticalto
coordinatingeffortsforrelief,includingmanpowerandsupplies.Eachcommercialserviceairportin
theCommonwealthisrequiredtomaintainanemergencyplan.Theseareprimarilytargetedto
aircraftincidents,buttheymayalsobetailoredtoincludenaturaldisastersorothercatastrophic
events.
Othermeasuresaimedatkeepingthepublicsafeinandaroundairportsincludemaintainingfences
aroundfacilitiestopreventpedestriansfromaccessingtheairfieldandfacilities,aswellasmaintaining
wildlifemitigationplanstodiminishtheriskofwildlifestrikesonornearairports.
INNOVATION
CVG'sDeltahubwasdrasticallycutin2000,reducingthenumberofdailypassengerflightsandleaving
thefacilitywithtwoemptyterminals.Buttheairportturnedthecutbackintoaneconomicwinby
demolishingthosetwoterminalsandbuildingsignificantupgradestoTerminal3.Withcommitments
toelevatingthepassengerexperience,CVGwasnamedthehighestrankingU.S.airporton2017's
World'sBestAirportlistfromSkyTrax.Inaddition,thefacilitystartedLaunchingPointin2016,anew,
strategicfive-yearplanfocusedoninnovationsforthefuture,includingtechnologyandairservice.
SimilarlyatSDF,enrichingthecustomer’sexperienceisatoppriority.In2018,SDFcompletedthe
installationofBluetoothtechnologythatenablestheblindandvisuallyimpairedtonavigatethe
terminalwiththeirsmartphonefromthefrontcurbtotheairlinegate.SDFalsojustlauncheda$100
millionprojecttoaddinnovativecustomeramenitieswithintheterminalfacility,whichmayeven
includesolarenergysolutions.
InotherinnovationsinKentuckyairports,airfieldlightinghasbeenupdatedtoutilizeLEDlightfixtures,
whichareenergyefficientandreducetheenergyfootprintfortheCommonwealth'sairports.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
ThefollowingrecommendationsaresupportedbyASCE:
Ü IncreasingthePassengerFacilityCharge(PFC)capwouldhelpKentuckyairportsaccessadditional
capitaltosupportandimprovethestate’saviationinfrastructure.
Ü ImplementNextGensystem.
Ü Considerincreasingthefueltaxcaponaircarrier/transportcompanies,allowingthejetfueltaxto
supportaviationfacilitieswithintheCommonwealth.
Ü Continuetoimprovethefacilitiesatexistingairportsandconsideropportunitiestoexpandair
servicetoareasthatcansustainsuchdevelopment.
Ü ContinuetocoordinatetheSix-YearHighwayPlanwiththeSix-YearAviationPlantoallowmore
efficienttransportationofpeople,goods,andservices.
DEFINITIONS/KEYTERMS
LargeHub–commercial,publiclyownedairportswith1%ormoreofannualpassengerboardings
MediumHub–commercial,publiclyownedairportswithatleast.25%butlessthan1%ofannual
passengerboardings
PAGE|17
SmallHub–commercial,publiclyownedairportswithatleast.05%butlessthan.25%ofannual
passengerboardings
Nonhub–commercial,publiclyownedairportswithmorethan10,000butlessthan.05%ofannual
passengerboardings
Nonhub,nonprimary–commercial,publiclyownedairportswithatleast2,500andnomorethan
10,000annualpassengerboardings
AIP–FAA’sAirportImprovementProgram
CVG–Cincinnati/NorthernKentuckyInternationalAirport(CVG)
FAA–FederalAviationAdministration
GA–GeneralAviation
LEX–BlueGrassAirport
NAS–NationalAirspaceSystem
OWB–Owensboro-DaviessCountyAirport
PAH–BarkleyRegionalAirport
PFC–PassengerFacilityCharge
SDF–LouisvilleInternationalAirport
TSA–TransportationSecurityAdministration
SOURCES
1. PassengerFacilityCharge(PFC)Program.RetrievedJune2018fromFederalAviation
Administration:https://www.faa.gov/airports/pfc/
2. AirportCategories.RetrievedJune2018fromFederalAviationAdministration:
https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/categories/
PAGE|18
SUMMARY
TheoverallconditionofKentucky’sbridgeshassteadilyimprovedinrecentyears,inpartthankstothe
prioritizationofinvestmentsintransportationinfrastructurebytheTransportationCabinet,through
theStrategicHighwayInvestmentFormulaforTomorrow(SHIFT)evaluationandscoringsystem.In
2011,nearly9.25percentofallbridgesinKentuckywerestructurallydeficient;by2017,7.77percent
werestructurallydeficient,areductionof180bridges.However,lookingahead,2,857bridgeshave
beenidentifiedasneedingrepair,whichthestateestimateswillcost$1.8billion.Thisdoesnotinclude
theneededrepairsandadditionalcapacityneededontheI-75bridgebetweenKentuckyandOhio,nor
doesitincludeanewI-69bridgeovertheOhioRiverbetweenKentuckyandIndiana.
INTRODUCTION
KentuckianswereremindedoftheimportanceofbridgesineverydaylifeinSeptemberof2011,when
theShermanMintonBridge,connectingKentuckytoIndiana,wasclosedsuddenlyafterinspectors
foundcracksinitsstructuralbeams.Thebridgewasclosedforfourmonthswhileitunderwentrepairs,
creatinghugetrafficcongestiononbothsidesoftheOhioRiver.Theclosuremadenationalheadlines
andremindedmanyKentuckiansthatbridgesareacrucialpartofasafeandreliabletransportation
network.
TheOhioRiverBridgesprojectsawtheconstructionoftwonewbridgesacrosstheOhioRiver,anda
newbridgewithinnovativeconstructiontechniquesreplacedafunctionallyobsoletestructure
connectingMilton,Kentucky,toMadison,Indiana.Thesebridgesprovidecriticallinksbetween
KentuckyandIndianatoalleviatetrafficcongestionandstimulatetheeconomyoftheentireregion.
Inadditiontothesemajorbridgeprojects,theKentuckyTransportationCabinet(KYTC)hasjust
institutedtheBridgingKentuckyprogramtoprovidefundingtorehabilitate,repair,orreplacemore
than1,000bridgesacrossallofKentucky’s120counties.Approximately$700millionwillbeinvested
overthenextsixyears,whichwillextendthelifeexpectancyofthesestructures.2017datashowsthat
7.77percentofKentucky’sbridgeswereconsideredtobein"Poor"condition,whichisdownfrom
9.25percentin2011,forareductionof180structurallydeficientbridgesacrossthestate.However,
thebacklogofmaintenanceneedscontinuestogrow,andmorethanhalfofthestate'sbridgesare
nearingtheendoftheirdesignlife.
CAPACITY&CONDITION
BridgesareacriticalpartofKentucky'sinfrastructure,astheyspanarichlandscapeofvalleys,rivers,
andotherwaterwaysinthestateandplayavitalroleinkeepingtheroadwaysandrailroadsofthe
Commonwealthconnected.Kentucky'speople—andeconomy—dependonthestate's14,280bridges
aspartofasafeandreliabletransportationnetwork.
TheoverallconditionofKentucky'sbridgeshasimprovedinrecentyears.Forexample,thenumberof
structurallydeficient(SD)bridgesinthestatehassteadilydecreased.SDbridgesarenotunsafe,but
theydorequiresignificantmaintenance,rehabilitation,orreplacementbecausecriticalload-carrying
elementswerefoundtobeinpoorconditionduetodeteriorationordamage.In2011,theFederal
HighwayAdministration’s(FHWA)NationalBridgeInventory(NBI)reportedthatnearly9.25percentof
allbridgesinKentuckywereconsideredtobeSD.However,in2017only7.77percentofKentucky’s
bridgeswereSD,areductionof180bridges.
PAGE|19
FHWAchangeditsterminologyin2017sothatbridgespreviouslyconsidered"structurallydeficient"
arenowmostoftenconsideredtobein"Poor"condition.Thenew,simplerclassificationtermsare:
Good,Fair,orPoorcondition.Bridgeconditionisdeterminedbasedonthelowestconditionrating
assignedtovariouscomponentsofabridge,includingitsdeck,superstructure,andsubstructure.Ifthe
lowestratingisgreaterthanorequaltoseven,thebridgeisclassifiedas“Good.”Bridgesratedfiveor
sixareclassifiedas“Fair.”Iftheratingislessthanorequaltofour,theclassificationis“Poor.”In2017,
Kentuckyhadatotalof5,361bridgesin“Good”condition(37%bycount),7,903in“Fair”condition
(57%bycount),and1,014in“Poor”condition.BridgesinGoodconditionhaveremainedbetween36
and41percentoftheinventorybycountandbetween38and43percentbydeckareasince2011.
(Thedeckareaofabridgeisthewidthoftheroadwaysurfaceofabridgemultipliedbythelengthof
thebridge,whichprovidesanindicationastothesizeofthebridge.)Bridgesclassifiedas"Fair"have
remainedbetween53and59percentofthebridgeinventorybycountand51and58percentbydeck
areasince2011.
Ultimately,KYTCestimatesthatKentuckiansarecrossingbridgestructuresthatarein"Poor"condition
roughly2.4milliontimesperday.Inaddition,7.5percentofbridgesinKentuckyhaveapostedload
restrictionontheamountofweightthebridgecanhold.Insomeareas,postedloadrestrictionbridges
canrestrictaccesstoimportantservicevehiclessuchasbuses,ambulances,andgarbagetrucks.At
present,morethan60bridgesareclosedstatewideduetounsafeconditions,andthereare822
bridgesintheCommonwealththataren'tsafeforschoolbusestocross.
OPERATION&MAINTENANCE
KYTCinventoriesandinspectsmorethan14,000bridgesinaccordancewiththeNationalBridge
InspectionStandards(NBIS).
Ofthe14,280bridgesinKentucky,thefederalgovernmentowns83(7percentofwhichare
consideredPoor);thestateowns9,019(6percentaredeemedPoor);localgovernmentsown5,144
(11percentofwhicharePoor);andprivateentitiesown34(38percentareconsideredPoor).
MaintenanceofKentucky'sbridgesiscarriedoutbytheentitiesthatownthem.Forthebridgesowned
bythestate,KYTChasrecentlyimplementedapilotprogramintwoofthe12districtstoexpand
bridgepreservationpracticesbyconductingpreventivemaintenanceonaprogrammaticbasis.
Activitieswillincludewashingsaltoffbridges;cleaning,sealing,andgreasingbearings;cleaningand
sealingjoints;cleaningandsealingpiercaps;patchingandsealingbridgedecks;andremovingdrift
material.Thepilotprogramwilladdresscosteffectiveness,prioritizationoftreatments,construction
methods,treatmentselection,serviceintervals,etc.,anddeterminetheworkthatisbestsuitedfor
statecrewsandwhichworkisbestsuitedforoutsourcingtocontractors.
PAGE|20
FUNDING&FUTURENEED
Kentuckybridgemaintenanceactivitiesarefundedthroughbothstateandfederalfueltaxsources.
Federaldollarsforbridgereplacementsandpreventivemaintenanceareprovidedthroughmultiple
sub-allocationsfromKentucky’sallocationoftheHighwayTrustFund,includingtheNationalHighway
PerformanceProgram(NHPP).ThesefundsaretobeusedforbridgesthatarepartoftheNational
HighwaySystem(NHS).AdditionalfederaldollarscomethroughtheFederalSurfaceTransportation
BlockGrantProgram(STP-BG),whichmaybeusedforbridgeseitheronorofftheNHS.Asforstate-
basedfunding,theCommonwealthofKentuckyhastwomainsources,thefuelstaxesongasolineand
dieselandtheusagetaxonvehiclepurchases.
TheTransportationCabinethasrecentlyprioritizedinvestmentsinthetransportationinfrastructureof
thestatebyimplementingtheStrategicHighwayInvestmentFormulaforTomorrow(SHIFT),whichisa
formulaforevaluatingandscoringmorethan1,100transportationprojectsacrossthestate.SHIFTis
similartoatriplebottomlineprocessinthattheprioritizationevaluateseachprojectinthecategories
ofassetmanagement,cost-benefitanalysis,economicdevelopment,congestion,andsafety.Thisnew
prioritizationprocesshelpedthestatedeterminewhichprojectsshouldbefundedwithexisting
revenuesourcesoverthenextseveralyears.Thestatehasidentifiedneededrepairson2,857bridges,
whichthestateestimateswillcost$1.8billion.Thisdoesnotincludetheneededrepairsand
additionalcapacityneededontheI-75bridgebetweenKentuckyandOhio,nordoesitincludeanew
I-69bridgeovertheOhioRiverbetweenKentuckyandIndiana.
FollowingtheSHIFTprocessofcategorizingandprioritizingneededbridgeandroadrepairs,KYTC
publishedthe2018HighwayPlan,asix-yearplanformajormaintenanceandcapitalimprovementsto
bothroadsandbridgesinKentucky.
WhoownsKY’sbridgesthatareinpoorcondition?WhoownsKY’sbridges?
Figure3.Kentucky'sBridges,byOwner Figure4.KentuckyBridgesinPoorCondition,
byOwner
PAGE|21
Figure5.Bridgesscheduledforreplacement,maintenance,orsafetyrepairsinFY2018-2020
Afterprioritizingthelistoftransportationinfrastructureneedsandpublishingthe2018HighwayPlan,KYTCinstitutedtheBridgingKentuckyprogramtoprovidefundingfortheseprojects.Between2018
and2024,approvedconstructionprojectswillrestoremorethan1,000state,county,andmunicipal
bridgesacrossallofKentucky’s120counties.Approximately$700millionwillbeinvestedoverthe
nextsixyears.Theserepairsandimprovementsareexpectedtoaddatleast30yearsoflifetomostof
thesebridges,andwhereafullreplacementisappropriate,newconstructionwouldprovideatleast
75yearsofusefullife.
PUBLICSAFETY&RESILIENCE
ThemissionoftheKentuckyTransportationCabinetistoprovideasafe,efficient,environmentally
sound,andfiscallyresponsibletransportationsystemthatdeliverseconomicopportunityand
enhancesthequalityoflifeinKentucky.Thecabinetiscurrentlyusingarisk-basedassetmanagement
plantoadvancefundingdecisionsfocusedonpublicsafetyandresilienceoftheinfrastructureassets.
Asanexampleofitsuse,a2018VulnerabilityAssessmentidentifiedhazardsinKentuckythatcan
potentiallyaffectthelifecycleoftransportationsystems,suchasfloods,sinkholes,landslides,and
earthquakes.Thesehazardswouldresultinhighermaintenancecostsandshorterreplacementcycles
aswellasdisruptiontothetravelingpublic.Theinformationgatheredduringtheassessmenthasbeen
includedintherisk-basedassetmanagementplan,andstrategiesarebeingdevelopedtohelp
mitigatetheeffectsofextremeweatherandnaturalhazards.
INNOVATION
Kentuckyisutilizingsomenewandinnovativetechnologiesinbridgeconstructionandrepair,which
areinspiredbytheFHWAEveryDayCountsinitiative.WiththeBridgingKentuckyProgram,KYTCis
planningtouseaproject-bundlingprocess,whichinvolvesawardingasinglecontractforseveral
PAGE|22
similarpreservation,rehabilitation,orreplacementprojectsinordertostreamlinedesignand
construction,reducecosts,andeffectivelydecreasethebridgeprojectbacklog.
AninnovationinnewbridgeconstructionwasseenwhentheMilton-MadisonBridgeinnorthern
Kentuckymadehistorywhenitsnewsteeltrusssuperstructurewasmoved55feetontoits
permanent,rehabilitatedpiersusingatechniquecalledtrusssliding.Thetrussslidingtechnique
allowedtraffictobemaintainedacrossthisimportantbi-stateconnectorwithminimalclosures—only
afewweekscomparedwiththe365daysthatwereoriginallyestimated.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
InordertoimproveKentucky'sgradeforBridges,thefollowingrecommendationsare
supported:
Ü ContinuetosupporttheSHIFTformulausedinthedevelopmentofthesix-year2018Highway
Plan.
Ü Increasetransportationfundingthroughavarietyofrevenuesources.
Ü Expandbridgepreservationpracticesstatewidebasedontheresultsofthecurrentpiloteffortin
twoKYTCdistricts.
Ü Incentivizelocalgovernmentstoinitiatebridgepreservationpractices.
Ü ExpandthecurrentpilotpreservationprogramstatewidetoimprovebridgesratedasFair.
DEFINITIONS
FHWA–FederalHighwayAdministration
HBRRP–HighwayBridgeReplacementandRehabilitationProgram
KYTC–KentuckyTransportationCabinet
NBI–NationalBridgeInventory
NBIS–NationalBridgeInspectionStandards
SD–StructurallyDeficient
SHIFT–StrategicHighwayInvestmentFormulaforTomorrow
SOURCES
1. NationalBridgeInventory,U.S.DepartmentofTransportation:
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/nbi.cfm
2. Kentucky2018HighwayPlan,KentuckyTransportationCabinet:
http://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Pages/2018-Highway-Plan.aspx
3. SHIFT,KentuckyTransportationCabinet:https://transportation.ky.gov/SHIFT/Pages/default.aspx
DataMinerWebsite,KentuckyTransportationCabinet:http://maps.kytc.ky.gov/bridge/
PAGE|23
SUMMARY
DamsareacriticalpartofKentucky'sinfrastructure,andmanycitizensoftheCommonwealthenjoy
thevaluablebenefitstheyprovide.Inrecentyears,thestatehasseenanincreaseinthenumberof
high-hazarddams,meaningthosethathavethepotentialforlossoflifeandsignificantproperty
destructioniftheyshouldfail.Thisisduetoareasdownstreamofthesedamsbeingdeveloped,
creatingpopulationsatriskthatdidnotpreviouslyexist.Inaddition,amajorityofthe
Commonwealth'sdamstructuresarenowmorethan50yearsold.Fortunately,whereasin2010fewer
than5percentofhigh-hazarddamshadEmergencyActionPlans(EAPs),approximately75percent
haveatleastsimplifieddraftplanstoday.However,necessarystatefundingtoimplementothersafety
programs,assistanceforprivatedamowners,anddirectfundingforstate-ownedandoperateddams
forrehabilitationofagingdamshasbeendramaticallycut.Fundingisneededtorehabilitatehigh-
hazarddams,supportpublicandprivatedamownersinmaintenanceneeds,improveemergency
preparedness,increaseeducationofdamsafetyforbothownersandthepublic,updateinspection
methodsandequipment,andhireadditionalstaffforregulatoryconditioninspections.
CAPACITY&CONDITION
DamsmeetavarietyofneedsintheCommonwealthofKentucky,includingwatersupply,irrigationfor
agriculturalpurposes,energygeneration,pollutioncontrol,floodriskmanagement,andthemost
commonpurpose,recreation.ResourcesgeneratedfromdamsareavaluablepartofKentucky’s
economy.MostdamsintheCommonwealthareconstructedearthenembankments,withapurpose
ofholdingbillionsofgallonsofwater.
Thereare1,107damsinKentuckylistedinthe2016NationalInventoryofDams(NID).TheNID
includesdamsthatare"highhazard"or"moderatehazard"potential,meaningdamfailurecould
causelossofhumanlifeoreconomicloss,respectively.TheNIDalsoincludesallstructuresthatare25
feetorhigherorstore50acre-feetofwaterormore.
TheKentuckyDivisionofWater’s(KDOW)DamSafetyProgramhasregulatoryauthorityovera
significantnumberofdamsthroughoutthestateandhasdifferentqualificationsforthedamsthey
regulate.Damsfoundundertheirauthorityincludealldamsinthestatewiththeexceptionof
federallyowneddams,damsassociatedwithmining,*anddamsthatdonottechnicallymeetthe
KDOWdefinitionofadam.†AsreportedbyKDOW,thetotalnumberofstate-regulateddamsin
Kentuckyis954.Ofthese,137areownedbycitiesortowns,72arestateowned,553areprivately
owned,andtheremainingareownedbythefederalgovernmentortheminingindustry.Inaddition,
therearedamsthatarenotstate-regulated,astheydonotexceedtheheightandstorage
requirementstobejurisdictionalunderstateregulatorycode.
*MiningdamsareregulatedbytheU.S.DepartmentofLabor’sMiningSafetyandHealth
AdministrationandtheKentuckyDivisionofMineReclamationandEnforcement.
†TheKentuckyStateDivisionofWaterclassifiesaregulateddamasastructurethathasan
embankmentthatisaminimumof25feetinheight,measuredfromthedownstreamtoeofthedam,
orhasamaximumimpoundingcapacityof50acre-feetormoreatthetopofthestructure.
PAGE|24
Figure6.DamsbyOwnerType.
TheaverageageofKDOWstate-regulateddamsinKentuckyis52years,pertheDamSafetySectionof
theDivisionofWater.Damsbuiltinthistimeperiodarenowatorbeyondtheaveragedesignlifeof50
years.
Figure7.DamsinKentuckyprovidedbyKentuckyDivisionofWater(KDOW),DamSafetySection.
137
553
72
74
80
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
AxisTitle
DamsbyPrimaryOwnerTypeinKentucky
Mining/Other Federal State PrivatelyOwned LocalGovernments
PAGE|25
Asmentionedabove,damsareclassifiedbasedontheirhazardpotential,ortheanticipated
consequencesinthecaseoffailure.
A"low-hazard,"orClassA,damisdefinedasastructurewhosefailurewouldcauselossofthe
structureitselfbutlittleornoadditionaldamagetootherproperty.Suchstructuresaregenerally
locatedinruraloragriculturalareaswherefailuremaydamagefarmbuildingsotherthanresidences,
agriculturallands,orcountyroads.ThemajorityofdamsinKentuckyareclassifiedas"low-hazard."
A"moderate-hazard,"orClassB,damistypicallydefinedasadamwhosefailurewouldcause
significantpropertydestructionbutnolossofhumanlife.Thesedamsarelocatedinpredominantly
ruralagriculturalareaswherefailuresmaydamageisolatedhomes,mainhighwaysormajor
railroads,orcauseinterruptionofuseorserviceofrelativelyimportantpublicutilities.Thereare
133"moderate-hazard"(alsoreferredtoassignificant-hazard)state-regulateddamsinKentucky,and
anadditional54inthiscategorythatarenotstate-regulated,foratotalof187overall,accordingto
theNID.
A"high-hazard,"orClassC,damistypicallydefinedasadamwhosepotentialfailureorimproper
operationwouldcauselossofhumanlifeorsignificantpropertydestructiontohouses,industrialor
commercialbuildings,importantpublicutilities,mainhighways,ormajorrailroads.Thenumberof
state-regulated"high-hazard"damsinKentuckyis177,withanadditional98thatarenotstate-
regulated,foratotalof275overallinthiscategory,accordingtotheNID.AsreportedbyKDOW,
nearlyhalfofthestate-regulatedhigh-hazarddams,79,areconsideredtohavecriticalneeds,
meaningtheyhavebeenassessedasbeinginpoororunsatisfactorycondition.Thenon-state-
regulatedhigh-hazarddamsareownedbyotherentities,includingfederalagenciesandmining
companies.(ManyoftheminingdamsarelistedasbeingregulatedbytheMineSafetyandHealth
Administration).Ofallhigh-hazarddamsintheNID,88areeitherinpoororunsatisfactorycondition.
Becausethepotentialforlossoflifeorsignificantpropertydamageissohigh,manyofthesehigh-
hazarddamshaveanEmergencyActionPlan(EAP)inplaceshouldacrisisoccur.High-hazarddamsare
notrequiredtohaveanEAPinthestateofKentucky,butasreportedbyKDOW,133outofthe177
state-regulateddams,orapproximately75percent,havefullorsimplifiedplansinplace.(Thisdoes
notincludeminingdams).EAPsaretheretohelppeoplegetoutofharm'swayinadvanceofadam
failure.Theseplansincludestandardproceduressuchasalistofwhichagenciestoalert,aswellas
floodinundationmapssoofficialsknowwhoneedstoevacuate.
Figure8.NumberofState-RegulatedHighHazardPotentialDamswithanEAP.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160NumberofState-RegulatedHigh-HazardPotentialDamswithanEAP
1999 2004 2010 2015
PAGE|26
OPERATION&MAINTENANCE
Damownersareresponsiblefortheoperation,maintenance,andsafetyoftheirdams,whichincludes
financinganyneededupgradesandrepairs.Butbecauseofthepotentialdownstreamimpactto
citizensandcommunitiessurroundingKentucky'sdams,thestatehasregulatoryauthorityoverdam
safetyissues.
Thestate'sEnergyandEnvironmentCabinetrunsKentucky'sdamsafetyprogramoutofitsDivisionof
Water(KDOW).Theseofficesareresponsibleforconductingregularinspectionsofexistingdams,
overseeingremediationofdeficientdams,andworkingwithlocalofficialsanddamownerson
emergencypreparedness.TheDamSafetyProgram(DSP)isalsoresponsibleforthepermitting
requiredfornewdamconstruction.Asofthiswriting,therearethreefull-timestaffmembersinthe
DSP,withonevacancyatthepresenttime.
KDOWcurrentlyhasaninspectionscheduleofonceeverytwoyearsforallregulatedhigh-and
moderate-hazarddams.Inthenearfuture,state-owned,high-hazardstructureswillbeinspectedon
anannualbasis.Low-hazarddamsareonafive-yearinspectioncycle.Eachinspectionstartswitha
completefilereviewintheofficetonoteanyidentifieddeficienciesandtobecomefamiliarwith
hydrologicevaluations.Theinspectorthenperformsafieldevaluation.
TheDamSafetyandFloodplainComplianceSectionsoftheKDOWmaintainalistofdamstructuresin
aninventorydatabase.Todeterminethefrequencyofinspectionforeachdam,thecabinettakesinto
considerationthesizeandtype,topography,geology,soilcondition,hydrology,climate,useofthe
reservoir,thelandslyinginthefloodplaindownstream,andthehazardclassificationofthedam.
Ifthestructuremeetsallthenecessaryrequirements,aCertificateofInspectionisissuedtothe
owner.Ifthedamdoesnotmeetallnecessaryrequirements,theownerisnotifiedofanydeficiencies.
DamSafetystaffalsoperformperiodicinspectionsofnewdamsunderconstruction.Afinalinspection
isperformedwhentheconstructioniscomplete,andifthedamisconstructedaccordingtotheplans
andspecifications,aletterisissuedapprovingtheimpoundingofwater.Thedamisthenaddedtothe
inventorydatabase.
FUNDING
ThecurrentoperatingbudgetfortheDamSafetysectionoftheDOWis$529,490annually.Thisfigure
isone-thirdofthebudgetonlyeightyearsago(seeFigure9).AccordingtodatafromASDSO,this
figureisjustbelowthenationalaveragefordamsafetyagencybudgets(onaper-dambasis).
InadditiontofundingforthestatewideDamSafetyProgram,thereareseparatefundingstreamsfor
rehabilitationandrepairofstate-owneddams,providedthroughtheState-OwnedDamRepair
programoftheKentuckyDOW.Thisfundingsourceisreplenishedeveryyearwithalineiteminthe
statebudget;however,thisrevenuestreamisonlyforrehabilitationorrepairofstate-owneddams.
PAGE|27
Figure9.BudgetingforDamSafetyinKentucky,fromKentuckyDamSafetyPerformanceReport,2016.
Somelocaldamownershavelocalfundingstreamsfordammaintenanceandrepairs.Manylarge,
privatedamownershaveself-fundedoperations,includingEAPdevelopment.
AnotherpotentialfundingstreamwasauthorizedbythecreationoftheHighHazardPotentialDam
RehabilitationprogramwhenTheWaterInfrastructureImprovementsfortheNation(WIIN)Act,
passedin2016.Whiletheprogramhasbeenauthorized,ithasnotyetbeenfundedorimplemented
byFEMA.Oncefundsaremadeavailable,Kentuckywillbeabletoapplyforthesegrantsforthe
rehabilitationofnon-federalhigh-hazardpotentialdams.
FUTURENEED
Atthepresenttime,theDamSafetysectionoftheDivisionofWaterhasfundinglimitationsthat
hinderitsabilitytoinspectallofthestate'sinventoryofdamsonitsregularinspectionschedule.Inthe
future,inordertohelpprioritizeprojects,arisk-informedanddata-drivenassetmanagementplan
shouldbedevelopedfortheKentuckydaminventory.Thiswillhelpsafetyinspectorsanddamowners
focusonrepairsandoperationalchangesneededtoreduceriskstoacceptablelevels.
Anotherinitiativethatwillincreasecommunitysafetyisthecreationofmoreemergencyactionplans.
ThoughdamsinKentuckyarenotrequiredtohaveanEAP,only133outofthe177stateregulated
high-hazardstructureshaveafullorsimplifiedplaninplace.Itisunknownhowmanyofthehigh-
hazardminingdamsinthestatehaveEAPs.Damownersofthesestructuresinparticularshould
develop,maintain,andexercisefullEAPswithdetailedinundationmapping.
AdditionaleffortswillbeneededinthenearfuturetoupdateapplicableKentuckyDamSafety
regulationsandmodernizeDamSafetyprogrammaticrisks.Inaddition,Kentuckymayconsidertaking
enhancedenforcementactionsonnon-compliantdamsthathavecriticalneedforrehabilitation
and/orrepair.
PUBLICSAFETY,RESILIENCE&INNOVATION
HundredsofdamsacrosstheCommonwealthhavethepotentialtofailwithtragicconsequences,and
Kentuckiansneedtounderstandtherisksassociatedwithpotentialincidentsandfailures.This
demandsgreaterattentiontoandinvestmentinmeasuresthatreduceriskstopublicsafetyand
economicassets.
RegularinspectionsarethefirstlineofdefenseinprotectingKentuckycitizens,agriculture,and
property.OneofKDOW’sDamSafetyProgramgoalsistoprovideroutineinspectionsonregulated
$0.00
$500,000.00
$1,000,000.00
$1,500,000.00
$2,000,000.00DamSafetyStateBudget
1999 2004 2010 2015
PAGE|28
dams,andtheystrivetomeetthisgoalwithlimitedresources.Ultimately,itisthedamowner’s
responsibilityforproperinspection,operation,andmaintenanceoftheirdam.
Thenextmostimportantactiontotakeforreducingtherisksoflossoflifeandpropertydamagefrom
damfailuresistocreateEmergencyActionPlansatallhigh-andmoderate-hazardpotentialdamsin
thestate.ItisespeciallycriticaltohaveanEAPatthehigh-hazardpotentialdamsthathavebeen
foundtobeunsafeordonotmeetcurrentaccepteddamsafetycriteria.
Inordertosharedamsafetybestpracticesthroughoutthestate,theKentuckyDivisionofWater’s
DamSafetyProgramhasbeenworkingondevelopingcollaborativeinteragencyforumswitha
progressiveapproachtosharinglessonslearned,innovativeideas,andfinancial/economicneeds.The
DamSafetyProgramroutinelycommunicatesandcoordinateswithmultipleagenciesbothlocallyand
nationwidetodiscusskeyissuesandtrendsinDamSafetyBestPractices.KDOW’sDamSafety
ProgramisworkingtocoordinatewithfederalagenciesthroughinitiativesliketheSilverJackets
Program,whichisfocusedonfloodriskmanagementandmitigation,andwithotherassociationssuch
astheKentuckyAssociationofMitigationManagement,aswellasparticipatingintheNationalDam
SafetyReviewBoard.KDOWisworkingincooperationwiththeDepartmentofHomelandSecurityona
four-phasedprojecttocreateanearly-warningmonitoringsystemintheeventofadamfailure.Four
damswereselectedastheinitialpilotfortheprojectduetotheirlocationandexistingavailable
instrumentationavailableatthedamthatcanbeusedforcomparisonandcontrolpurposes.Best
practiceslearnedthroughthisprojectmaybeappliedtodamlocationsthroughoutthe
Commonwealth(andthecountry)wherethereislimitedinformationand/orinstrumentation.These
toolsareintendedtoincreasewarningandresponsetime,reduceriskstolivesandproperty,and
ultimatelybuildcommunityresiliencetofloodevents.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
ThefollowingrecommendationsaresupportedbyASCE:
Ü RecommendadditionalfundingforKDOW’sDamSafetyProgramtofurthertheprogram’sgoals
Ü Recommenduserfeesonregulateddams,includingfeesassessedforoperationalpermitsto
buildnewdams
Ü RecommendrequiringEmergencyActionPlans(EAPs)forallhigh-hazardandmoderate-hazard
damsinKentucky(includingminingdamsregulatedbythestate)
Ü SupportfullappropriationsforthefederalHighHazardPotentialDamRehabilitationprogram
Ü Exploredevelopmentofacentralrisk-basedassetmanagementplantobehousedand
maintainedbyKDOWtoidentifyandprioritizegreatestneedsfordamrepair
Ü Similartothestate-owneddamrepairfund,setuparepairfundformunicipallyowneddams
withpossibleexpansiontoincludeaseparatefundforrepairstoprivatelyowneddams
Ü Strategicallyplanforalternativefundingavenuesforqualifyingdamownerstomatchanyfederal
dollarsthatareawardedfordammaintenanceandrepairs
Ü Increasecitizenawarenessoftherisksrelatedtodams,andeffectivemethodsforlivingsafely
withthem
Ü Increaseoutreachtodamownersandoperatorssotheyareawareofstatedamsafetylaws,
fundingsources,andregulations,aswellastheirresponsibilitiesandliabilities.Explorehelping
PAGE|29
damownerscreateoperationsmanualswithinformationontheproperoperation,maintenance,
andinspectionoftheirdams
Ü Increaseeducationtolocalemergencymanagementofficials,firstresponders,andpeoplewho
liveandworkinareasdownstreamofdams,sotheyunderstandtheplansforresponseinan
emergencysituation
DEFINITIONS/KEYTERMS
DHS–DepartmentofHomelandSecurity
KDOW–KentuckyDivisionofWater
FEMA–FederalEmergencyManagementAgency
EAP–EmergencyActionPlan
KIA–KentuckyInfrastructureAuthority
USACE–U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers
WIIN–WaterInfrastructureImprovementsfortheNationAct
SOURCES
1. EnergyandEnvironmentCabinet,DivisionofWater,DamSafety:
http://water.ky.gov/damsafety/Pages/default.aspx
2. KentuckyDamSafetyPerformanceReport,AssociationofStateDamSafetyOfficials,2016;
https://damsafety.org/content/kentucky-program-performance-report
3. DamsinKentuckymap:http://eppcapps.ky.gov/waterdams/DamsMap2.htm
4. U.S.HouseofRepresentatives,Transportation&InfrastructureCommitteewebsite:
https://transportation.house.gov/wrda-2016/
5. U.S.ArmyCorpofEngineers,NationalInventoryofDams,
http://nid.usace.army.mil/cm_apex/f?p=838:3:0::NO
6. PersonalinterviewswithKDOWDamSafetystaff,2018
PAGE|30
SUMMARY
Kentuckyenactedlegislationin2000topromoteregionalcooperationandwatersystemconsolidation
throughouttheCommonwealth.After18years,Kentuckyhasmadesignificantprogressinextending
publicwaterservicetomorethan97percentofthestate’spopulation.Kentuckyhasdeployeda
robust,onlineWaterResourceInformationSystemandhascontinuedtoconsolidateandregionalize
thenumberofpublicwatersystemsinordertoservemorecitizensandgainefficiencies.Kentuckyhas
alsoestablishedaDrinkingWaterAdvisoryCouncil,toprovideinputondrinkingwaterregulationsand
bestpracticesinwatermanagement,treatment,anddistribution.WhileKentuckyhasmadesignificant
progressinconsolidationofwatersystemsandservicelevels,severalchallengeshavebeenidentified,
includingcompliancewiththeSafeDrinkingWaterAct(SDWA)DisinfectionByproductsRule(DBPR)in
somesmallsystems;reducedstatefundingtothe2020WaterProgram;waterlossthataverages30
percentonastate-widebasis;anddrinkingwaterinfrastructureneedsthathaveincreased33percent
from2013to2017,withacurrentestimateof$8.2billionover20years.
CONDITIONANDCAPACITY
Kentuckycurrentlyhasapopulationof4.47millionpeople,whoareservedby435publicwater
systemsasofJuly1,2018.Seventy-onepercentofthestate'sdrinkingwaterissuppliedfromsurface
watersources(rivers,streams,andlakes),while29percentissuppliedbygroundwatersources.
Kentuckyhasundergoneextensiveregionalizationandconsolidationofwatersystemsoverthepast
45years,reducingthenumberofitspublicwatersystemsfrom2,188in1974to435in2018,as
showninFigure10.Consolidationhasledtoimprovementinservicelevels,regulatorycompliance,
operatingandcapitalefficiencies,droughttolerance,andaffordablewaterrates.
Figure10.KentuckyPublicWaterSystems,1974to2018.
2188
1812
1254
781
484 435
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
1974 1979 1989 1999 2009 2018
Numbe
rofW
aterSy
stem
s
Year
KentuckyPublicDrinkingWaterSystems
PAGE|31
In2000,KentuckyGovernorPaulPattonandtheKentuckyGeneralAssemblysetoutanambitiousplan
underSenateBill409toimprovewaterservicethroughoutKentucky.SenateBill409established
community-basedplanningfordrinkingwaterinfrastructurestatewideunderthedirectionofthe
KentuckyInfrastructureAuthority(KIA).KIAservesasaclearinghouseforfederalandstatefundingof
drinkingwaterprojects,includingtheStateRevolvingFund(SRF)program,aswellasstategrantand
loanprogramsauthorizedbytheKentuckyLegislature.KIAmaintainsastatewidegeographic
informationsystem(GIS)database,knownastheWaterResourcesInformationSystem(WRIS).WRISis
updatedannuallywithinformationprovidedbywaterutilitiestoregionalwatermanagementcouncils.
Since2000,Kentuckyhasexpandedwaterservicefromapproximately37,000milesofwatermainto
58,783milesin2017.Withthesewaterlineimprovements,thestatehasincreasedthepercentageof
thepopulationbeingservedbyapublicdrinkingwatersystem,from85percentin2000tomorethan
97percenttoday.ThisservicelevelisoneofthehighestintheUnitedStates,withfewerthan3
percentofthepopulation(estimatedat100,000residents)withoutaccesstoapublicdrinkingwater
supply.Figure11showsamapofthepublicwatersystemsinKentucky,andTable1providesa
summaryofKentucky’swatersystems,sourceofwater,population,andassets.
OPERATION&MAINTENANCE
TheKentuckyPublicServiceCommission(PSC)regulatespublicwatersystemsinKentucky,withthe
exceptionofmunicipallyownedwatersystemsthatareexemptfromKentuckyPSCregulationforrates
andservicelevels.
Morethan99percentofthewatersystemsinKentuckyareownedbyacity,county,orstate
authorizedagency.Government-ownedsystemsinKentuckyareexemptfrompropertyandincome
taxesandhaveaccesstotax-exemptdebtandgovernmentgrantsandlow-interestloans.
Thethreelargestpublicwatersystems(LouisvilleWaterCompany,KentuckyAmericanWater
Company,andNorthernKentuckyWaterDistrict)serveapproximately30percentofthestate’s
populationandhaveachievedthehighestlevelofwaterqualitytreatmentundertheU.S.
EnvironmentalProtectionAgency's(EPA)PartnershipforSafeWater.
PublicWaterSystemsandSource:435PublicWaterSystems(Total)· 137SurfaceWater(31%)· 172SurfaceWaterPurchasers(40%)· 101GroundWater(23%)· 25GroundWaterPurchasers(6%)
PopulationServed:· 22%serveapopulationover10,000· 19%serveapopulationof5,000to10,000· 59%serveapopulationoflessthan5,000WaterAssets:· 213WaterTreatmentPlants(averageage36years)· 1,842WaterStorageTank(averageage26years)· 58,783totalmilesofWaterMain(averageage38years)· 11,697milesofWaterMainmorethanthan50yearsofage(19.9%)
Figure11.Kentucky'sPublicDrinkingWaterCoverage. Table1.KentuckyPublicWaterSystems.
PAGE|32
WaterratesinKentuckyarecompetitivewhencomparedwithnationalaverages.The2016Kentucky
WaterRateSurveyconductedbyCanonandCanonreportedanaveragemonthlywaterbillof$37.66
for5,000gallons.CircleofBluereportsanaveragemonthlywaterbillof$35.40forafamilyoffour
using200gallonsperday(6,000gallonspermonth)forthetop30U.S.cities.Largeurbanareas
typicallyhavelowerwaterratesthanruralareasduetoeconomiesofscaleandhighercustomer
density.SomewatersystemsinKentuckyarereluctanttoraiseratestocoverthefullcostofservice,
includingcostofoperations,depreciation,andcapitalinvestment.Proactiveinvestmentinreplacing
agingwaterinfrastructureisoftennotincludedinwaterrates.
Kentuckyneedsimprovementintheareaofwaterloss.TheKentuckyWRISreportsnon-revenuewater
lossatastatewideaverageof24percent,whichishigherthanboththenationalaverageof16percent
reportedin2013bytheEPAandthe15percentlimitofunaccounted-forwaterlossestablishedbythe
KentuckyPSC.Highwaterlosscanbeattributedtowatermainbreaksandleaks,waterlineflushing,
storagetankoverflowsandinaccuratemetersandisanindicatorofunderfundedinfrastructure
renewal.Figure12isamapofKentuckyshowingnon-revenuewaterlossbyarea.
Anothermaintenance-relatedchallengebeingexperiencedinKentuckyisthelossoflicensedplantand
distributionoperatorsduetoretirementsandacompetitivejobmarket.Licensedoperatorsare
neededtoassurehighqualitywaterdeliverytocustomers.
Figure12.KentuckyNon-RevenueWaterin2018.
PAGE|33
PUBLICHEALTH
TheKentuckyDivisionofWaterpublishesanannualDrinkingWaterComplianceReport,inwhich
drinkingwaterviolationsareidentifiedinthefollowingsixcategories:monitoring(MON);exceeding
maximumcontaminantlevel(MCL);reporting(RPT);publicnotification(PN);treatmenttechnique
(TT);andsanitarysurvey(SS).Figure13illustratesthecompliancehistoryofdrinkingwaterviolations
inKentuckysince2008.In2014,thenumberoftotalviolationsincreasedasaresultoffailureto
complywiththe2013Stage2DisinfectionByproductsRule(DBPR)inareasofmonitoring,public
health,andpublicnotification,asshowninFigure14.TheDBPRviolationsincludeconsecutivesystem
violationswherewaterissuppliedtoadjacentwatersystems.KentuckyhasfocusedonreducingDBPR
violations,withtechnicalassistancetosmallsystems,andin2017,DBPRviolationsdropped
significantly.
In2016,theKentuckyEnvironmentalProtectionCabinetcharteredaLeadinDrinkingWater
WorkgrouptoevaluatethestatusofcompliancewiththeEPA'sLeadandCopperRule(LCR)following
thepublichealthcrisisinFlint,Michigan.TheLeadWorkgrouppublisheditsrecommendationsin
March2018.Currently,allpublicwatersystemsinKentuckycomplywiththeEPALCRActionLevelof
15partsperbillion.Inaddition,asillustratedinFigure15,samplingdatasince2005(withover35,000
samplestested)indicatethevastmajorityofKentuckypublicwatersystemswillnothaveanissuein
thefutureifleadactionlevelsarereducedto10partsperbillion.
Figure13.KentuckyDrinkingWaterCompliance
Statistics,2008–2017.Figure14.KentuckyDisinfectionByproductRule.
Violations,2008–2017.
PAGE|34
Figure15.KentuckyLeadSamplingResults2005–2017.
MostKentuckywatersystemsdonothaveareliableinventoryofleadservicelinesduetothelackof
historicalservicelinerecords.LeadwasusedasaservicelinematerialinsomeKentuckycitiesthrough
1950.Inaddition,ruralwatersystemsthatformedafter1950generallydidnotuseleadasapiping
material.Louisvillehadthelargestinstalledinventoryof70,000leadservicelines,andthrough30-year
proactivereplacementhasreducedthenumbertofewerthan2,000by2018.Thisislessthan0.8
percentofallresidentialservicelines.Louisvillealsoinitiatedaproactivelead-testingprogramin
schoolsin2005andprovidesabestpracticeapproachforcorrosioncontroltreatment,replacementof
leadservicelines,andconsumereducationmaterials.
FUNDING
In2000,Kentuckyestablished15regionalwaterplanningandmanagementcouncils.Annually,each
regionalcouncilidentifiesdrinkingwatersystemneedsintheirarea.Projectsaredevelopedforthese
areasusinga20-yearplanninghorizon,andtheyareprioritizedonaregionalbasiswithinputfrom
waterprovidersandelectedofficials.KIAthendevelopsastatewideprioritylist,andprojectsare
selectedforfunding.
SinceFY2013-14,Kentuckyhasinvested$615.5millionindrinkingwaterprojectsfundedbygrants
andlow-interestloans.MajorfundingsourcesincludetheStateRevolvingFund(SRF)andRural
Development(RD)programs.BothSRFandRDprogramsprovidelowinterestloansandsomegrants
forwatersysteminfrastructureimprovements.Table2providesasummaryofdrinkingwatergrants
andlow-interestloansfromfederal/stateagenciesoverthepastfiveyears(FY2014-FY2018):
PAGE|35
Table2.KentuckyDrinkingWaterFundingFY2014-2018.
Inaddition,largerwatersystemsfinancewatersystemimprovementsthroughwaterrates,including
debt,depreciation,andinternallygeneratedfunds.
FUTURENEED
In2011,theEPA’sDrinkingWater
InfrastructureNeedsSurveyand
Assessmentreporteda$6.2billionfunding
needforKentucky’sdrinkingwater
infrastructure.Theupdated2018
assessmentreports(using2016survey
data)anestimated20-yearfundingneed
of$8.2billionforKentucky,which
representsa32percentincreaseover
2011.Themostsignificantneedin
Kentuckyisinvestmentfortransmission
anddistributionreplacement,upgrades,andextensions($6.3billion),followedbytreatment($929.7
million),andthenstorage($648.8million).Asummaryofthedrinkingwaterinfrastructureneedsfor
KentuckyisidentifiedinTable3.
WhiletheEPANeedsAssessmentismorecomprehensive,
theKentuckyWaterResourceInformationSystem(WRIS)
targetsonlydrinkingwaterprojectsthathaveappliedfor
stateorfederalfunding.AreviewofWRISidentifiesan
additional20-yeardrinkingwaterinfrastructureneedof
$1.9billion.Table4illustratestheestimatedWRISproject
fundingneedover20yearsasofJuly2018.Projectsfor
largermunicipalandfor-profitsystemsaretypicallyfunded
fromwaterrates,includingdepreciation,debt,orspecial
fees/surcharges.
RESILIENCEANDINNOVATION
InordertoassesstheCommonwealth'sresilienceto
drought,KentuckyisupdatingitsWaterSupplyDroughtRiskAssessmentin2018.Themostrecent
droughtperiodsinclude1988,1999,2007-08,2010,and2012.Kentuckyhassignificantlyreducedits
FundingSource FYPeriodKYFY2013-14
(Actual)(10/1/13-9/30/14)
KYFY2014-15
(Actual)(10/1/14-9/30/15)
KYFY2015-16
(Actual)(10/1/15-9/30/16)
KYFY2016-17
(Actual)(10/1/16-9/30/17)
KYFY2017-18
(FYAllocation)(10/1/17-9/30/18)
5YRTOTAL
AbandonMineLands(AML) July1toJune30 11,664,569$ 19,299,430$ 8,435,009$ 11,296,456$ 3,713,340$ 54,408,804$AppalachianRegionalCommission(ARC) July1toJune30 1,226,500$ 168,000$ 2,575,149$ 1,434,338$ 4,820,408$ 10,224,395$CommunityDevelopmentBlockGrant-Water July1toJune30 1,822,000$ 624,000$ 947,000$ 3,271,028$ 2,647,846$ 9,311,874$KIAStateRevolvingLoanFund(SRF) July1toJune30 $32,124,433 $27,425,379 $36,812,357 $39,916,945 $19,301,000 $155,580,114RuralDevelopment(RD) Oct1toSept30 76,292,000$ 70,135,250$ 41,809,000$ 50,792,000$ 146,937,000$ 385,965,250$
Total 123,129,502$ 117,652,059$ 90,578,515$ 106,710,767$ 177,419,594$ 615,490,437$
Area $Millions PercentTransmissionandDistribution 6,320.70$ 76.8%Treatment 929.70$ 11.3%Storage 648.80$ 7.9%Source 206.70$ 2.5%Other 126.20$ 1.5%
Total 8,232.10$ 100.0%Table3.KentuckyDrinkingWaterInfrastructureNeedsfrom
2016EPASurvey,published2018.
Timeframe
WRISProjectEstimate($Million)
0-2years $785.13-5years 893.1$6-10years 172.4$11-20years 59.2$
Total 1,909.8$Table4.KentuckyDrinkingWater
InfrastructureNeedsIdentifiedinKYWRIS
System.
PAGE|36
droughtvulnerabilitythroughadditionalsourcewatercapacity,treatmentcapacity,deliverysystems,
systemmergers,andsysteminterconnections.TheRiskAssessmentmap,showninFigure16,
illustratesthedegreeofvulnerabilityofKentucky’spublicwatersystemstoseveredrought.When
thesedroughtsoccur,areasofhighestriskarefoundpredominantlyinsoutheastKentucky,accounting
forlessthan1percentofKentucky’spopulation.
Simultaneoustoreducingdroughtvulnerability,theCommonwealthalsohasresourcestorespond
andrecovermorequicklyfromadrought.KYWARN,astatewideWater/WastewaterAgencyResponse
Network,provideswaterandwastewaterutilitieswithaMutualAidAgreementandaprocessfor
sharingemergencywaterresourcesstatewidewhenneeded.TheKentuckyMesoNet,anonline
weatherandclimatesystem,providesreal-timeweatherdatatoassistwithemergencyresponseand
resiliencyefforts.
Figure16.KentuckyWaterSupplyDroughtRiskAssessment.
Inanotheruniquepartnershipwithdrinkingwaterindustrystakeholders(regulatoryagencies,funding
agencies,waterutilities,andindustryassociations),theKentuckyDivisionofWaterformedaDrinking
WaterAdvisoryCouncil,whichmeetsquarterlytodiscussregulatorycomplianceandindustrybest
practices.Thiscollaborativeapproachhasledtoproactivedevelopmentofregulationsandbest
practicesforcapacitydevelopment,waterquality,leadcorrosioncontrol,permitting,operator
certification,anddesignstandards.
PAGE|37
Kentuckyalsocollaboratesthroughindustryassociations,includingAmericanCouncilofEngineering
CompaniesofKentucky(ACEC-KY),Kentucky/TennesseeAmericanWaterWorksAssociation(AWWA),
KentuckyMunicipalUtilitiesAssociation(KMUA),KentuckyRuralWaterAssociation(KRWA),andthe
KentuckyWaterandWastewaterOperatorsAssociation(KWWOA)toimprovethequality,quantity,
andservicelevelsofKentucky’sdrinkingwatersupply.TheUniversityofKentuckyWaterResource
ResearchInstituteandtheUniversityofLouisvilleCenterforInfrastructureResearchalsoprovide
supportforappliedresearchandbestpractices.
RECOMMENDATIONSFORDRINKINGWATERINFRASTRUCTURE
InordertocontinuetheprogressofimprovingKentucky’sdrinkingwatersystems,thefollowing
recommendationsaresupportedbyASCE:
Ü Continueregionalwaterplanningandcoordinationofdrinkingwaterinfrastructure.
Ü MaintainandenhancetheKentuckyWaterResourceInformationSystem(WRIS).
Ü Continueupdatesofthe20-yeardrinkingwaterinfrastructureneedsassessmenteverythreeto
fiveyears.
Ü Promotetheuseofcost-of-servicewaterratemethodsandfull-costpricingofwaterasdefinedin
AWWAM-1ManualonWaterRates,Fees,andCharges.Full-costpricingwillallowforwater
systemstobuild,operate,maintain,andreinvestintheirwatersystemsandprovidesafe,reliable
drinkingwatersupplytotheircommunity.
Ü ConductastatewideassessmentofwaterlossandpromotetheuseoftheAWWAM-36Water
AuditandLossControlmethodologytoreducewaterloss.
Ü Pursuewatersystemmergersandregionalsolutionswhereeconomicallybeneficial.
Ü Continuegrantandlow-interestloanprogramsofferedbyfederalandstatefundingagencies
(ARC,AML,CDBG,KIA,RD,SRF).
Ü Pursuenewsourcesofstateandlocalfundingforwaterinfrastructuretobridgethefundingneeds
gapandleveragefederalandprivateinvestmentinwaterinfrastructure.
Ü Monitorthedevelopmentofregulationsforemergingcontaminants(pharmaceuticals,personal
careproducts,herbicides,andpesticides)indrinkingwaterandidentifytheinfrastructure
improvementsneededtocomplywithfutureregulations.
Ü Promotetheuseofbestpracticesinwatertreatmentandoptimizationofdisinfectionmethodsto
reducebyproductsofdisinfection.
Ü Conductastate-wideinventoryofpublicleadservicelinesandpromotebestpracticesfor
corrosioncontrol,leadservicelinereplacement,andpubliceducationonleadindrinkingwater.
Ü Developastate-wideprogramforvoluntarytestingofleadinpublicschoolsthroughapartnership
withtheKentuckyEnvironmentalProtectionCabinet,DepartmentofPublicHealth,Departmentof
Education,anddrinkingwaterproviders.
Ü Developproactiveprogramsforrecruitingandretainingplantanddistributionoperators.
PAGE|38
DEFINITIONS/KEYTERMS
ACEC-KY–AmericanCouncilofEngineeringCompaniesofKentucky
AML–AbandonMineLands
ARC–AppalachianRegionalCommission
ASCE–AmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers
AWWA–AmericanWaterWorksAssociation
DBPR–U.S.EPADisinfectionByproductsRule
CDBG–CommunityDevelopmentBlockGrant
CWS–CommunityWaterSystem
EPA–UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency
FY–FiscalYear
GIS–GeographicInformationSystem
KIA–KentuckyInfrastructureAuthority
KRWA–KentuckyRuralWaterAssociation
KWWOA–KentuckyWater/WastewaterOperatorsAssociation
LCR–U.S.EPALeadandCopperRule
PSC–PublicServiceCommission
PWS–PublicWaterSystem
RD–RuralDevelopment
SDWA–SafeDrinkingWaterAct
SRF–StateRevolvingFundprogram
WRIS–WaterResourceInformationSystem
SOURCES
1. KentuckyDivisionofWater,PublicWaterSystemStatistics(water.ky.gov)
2. KentuckyWaterResourceInformationSystem(www.kia.kentucky.gov/WRIS)
3. 2016KentuckyWaterRateSurvey,CanonandCanon
4. CircleofBlue2018WaterRateSurvey(www.circleofblue.org/waterpricing/)
5. 2013USEPAWaterLossReport(www.epa.gov)
6. 2017DrinkingWaterAnnualComplianceReport(www.water.ky.gov)
7. UpdateonKentuckyLeadWorkgroupActivities,KY-TNSectionAWWAStraightfromtheTap,
Spring2018(www.kytnawwa.org)
8. KentuckyStateandFederalFundingforDrinkingWaterfromKIA,AML,andRDAgencies
9. 2015EPADrinkingWaterInfrastructureNeedsSurveyandAssessment(www.epa.gov)
10. 2018KentuckyWaterSupplyDroughtRiskAssessment,KentuckyDivisionofWater
(www.water.ky.gov)
PAGE|39
11. KYWARN–KentuckyWater/WastewaterAgencyResponseNetwork(www.kywarn.org)
12. KentuckyMesoNet(www.kymesonet.org)
13. AWWAM-1ManualonWaterRates,FeesandCharges(www.awwa.org)
14. AWWAM-36WaterAuditandLossControl(www.awwa.org)
PAGE|40
SUMMARYTheCommonwealthofKentucky,withtwomajorcoalfieldslocatedwithinthestate,hashistoricallyenjoyedthebenefitsoflow-costelectricity.Thecloseproximityofthecoalfieldshaskepttransportationcostslow,whichhasbenefittedthestate’seconomicdevelopmentefforts.TheaveragepriceofelectricityasreportedbytheKentuckyOfficeofEnergyPolicyis8.26centsperkWh,whichisthesixthlowestintheUnitedStates.LowenergycostshavehelpedKentuckyattractmanufacturingandotherkeyindustrialandcommercialenterprises,whichisanimportantpartofthestate'seconomy.Similartoindustriesacrossthecountry,inthepastdecadeKentuckyindustrieshavereducedoutput,withsomecompaniesclosingorleavingthestate.TotalenergydemandinKentuckyhasstillnotreboundedtopre-recessionlevels—electricitygenerationdroppedbyone-fifth,from2014to2017alone.Thisreductioninelectricalloadhasalleviatedprevioustransmissioncapacityissues;however,thesharpdecreaseindemandforenergyalsopresentsachallengewithasubsequentdecreaseinfundingfortheinfrastructuresystemneededtodeliverenergyacrossthestate.TocontinuetomeettheCommonwealth'senergydemandsandmaintainlowenergycosts,Kentuckymustcontinuetodevelopandmaintainadiverseenergyportfoliothatincludescoal,naturalgas,andadditionalsustainableresources.Kentuckymustalsoanswerthechallengeofhowtofund continuedimprovementstothetransmissionanddistributioninfrastructure.
CONDITIONANDCAPACITYEnergyanditstransmissioninfrastructureareanimportantpartofKentucky'seconomy,asthelargestpercentageoftheenergyconsumedintheCommonwealthisforcommercialandmanufacturingoperations.Kentuckyisabletoofferlow-costelectricitytoenergy-intensivemanufacturers,whichisthelargestsourceofrevenueandaleadingsourceofemploymentinthestate.Withanabundantsourceofcoal,KentuckyhasbeenabletomaintainthelowestindustrialelectricityrateseastoftheMississippiRiver,whichiscriticaltothestate'seconomicgrowth.
CoalhasbeenKentucky'sprimaryenergyresourceformorethantwohundredyears,withupto94percentofthestate'selectricitybeingproducedfromcoal-firedgenerationasrecentlyas2008.
Aboutadecadelater,coalstillaccountsfor83percentofKentucky'selectricityportfolio,comparedwith31percentnationwide,asillustratedinFigures17and18below.AlthoughcoalisKentucky's
Figure17.KentuckyElectricityGenerationbyFuel,2016.
Figure18.UnitedStatesElectricityGenerationbyFuel,2016.
PAGE|41
primaryenergysource,theCommonwealthalsoproducessmallamountsofoilandnatural gas butthe developed resources are not adequate to meet the growing needs for electricity generation.Kentuckyalsohaslimitedbut growingrenewableenergyresources.
ElectricityinKentuckyissuppliedby160individualelectricity-generatingunitsat46powerplantsacrossthestate.Theaverageageofpowerplantsis38years,withtheoldesthydroelectricstationbeingbuiltin1925.
Theelectricity-generatingcapacityinKentucky,orthetotalamountofelectricitythatcanbeproducedatanyonemoment,is20gigawattsofelectricity,whichismorethanenoughtopowerthehomes,businesses,andindustriesinthestate.Asaresultofthedownturnintheeconomyduetotherecessionof2008andimprovementsinenergyefficiency,energyuseisdownoverallinKentuckycomparedwithpreviousdecades;therefore,capacityisnotacurrentconcern.
ElectricityusagegrewrapidlyinKentuckyinthelate1960stotheearly1970sandagainfromthelate1980stotheearly1990s,withaboominmanufacturinginthestate.
Figure19.Kentuckyannualgrowthrateforelectricityconsumption,KentuckyEnergyDatabase,2016.
However,therecessionof2008causedmanyinthecommercialandindustrialsectorstoshutdownorcurtailoutput,whichconsequentlyhadasignificantimpactontheelectricalloadforthestate.Total
PAGE|42
electricitygenerationdroppedbyone-fifth,fromnearly90.9millionmegawatthoursin2014to72.1millionmegawatthoursin2017.Thisreductioninelectricalloadhasalleviatedthetransmissioncapacityissuesthatwereidentifiedinpreviousreportcards.Totalenergydemandhasnotreboundedtopre-recessionlevels,andforthisreason,Kentuckyhasnotneededtobuildinfrastructureforadditionalcapacity.
Acombinationofaffordablenaturalgasandstricterenvironmentalregulations—primarilymercuryandairtoxics—hasresultedintheutilitiesofKentuckybeginning to transition awayfromcoaltonatu-ralgasas theprimaryfuelforelectricitygeneration.Morethanadozenoldercoal-firedplantshavebeenretired since2014,sincethecostofcomplyingwiththesefederalregulations,alongwiththere-duceddemand forelectricity,provednottobefinanciallyviable.Kentuckyutilitieshaveinsteadbeenbuildingnew transmissionsystemsfornaturalgassincesupplyisabundantandpricesarecurrentlycheaperthan coal.
Figure20.ConsumptionforelectricitygenerationforallsectorsinKentucky.
OPERATIONANDMAINTENANCE
TheCommonwealthofKentuckyisdividedintocertifiedelectricserviceterritories,whicharedeterminedbytheKentuckyPublicServiceCommission(PSC).Providersofelectricityincludethreeinvestor-ownedutilities(IOUs),whereownershipismadeupofstockholders;twogenerationand
PAGE|43
transmissioncooperatives,whicharemadeupofmemberswhogenerateandtransmittheirownpower;19distributioncooperatives,withmemberswhobuildandmaintaintheirowndistributionlines;20municipalutilities;andtheTennesseeValleyAuthority(TVA),whichhasaserviceterritoryalongthesouthernborderofKentucky.ThemunicipalutilitiesandTVAdistributorsarenotsubjecttoregulationbythePSC,buttheremainderoftheretailelectricitymarketinthestateisregulatedbythePSC.
Alltransmissionofelectricity,naturalgas,andoilisregulatedbytheFederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission(FERC).Thereareseveralregionaltransmissionorganizations(RTOs)thatcoordinatethemovementofwholesaleelectricitythroughoutKentucky:
Ü PJMInterconnection—anRTOthatincludesDukeEnergy,AEP/KentuckyPowerCompany,andEastKentuckyPowerCooperativeasmembers.PJMoperatesthetransmissionsystemsoftheseutilitiesanddispatchesenergytotheeasternhalfofKentucky.
Ü MidcontinentISO(MISO)—anRTOthatextendsfromtheCanadianbordertoLouisiana.InKentucky,theBigRiversElectricCooperativeisamemberofMISO,covering22countiesinwesternKentucky.
Ü TennesseeValleyAuthority(TVA)—afederalagencythatownsandoperatesonehydroelectricdam,eightcombustionturbines,twocoal-firedpowerplants,andonecombinedcyclegasplanttoservice28countiesinwesternandsouth-centralKentucky.
Ü LouisvilleGas&Electric/KentuckyUtilitiesserveastheirowncontrolareas,generatinganddispatchingtheirownenergyandoperatingtheirowntransmissionassetsforsevencountiesinnorth-centralKentuckyaswellascitiesthroughoutthestate.
WiththeexceptionofLG&E/KUandTVA,thetransmissionassetsofenergyinfrastructureinKentuckyareoperatedbyeitherMISOorPJM.Memberutilitiesbidtheirgenerationintotheirrespectivemarketandinturnpurchasetheirelectricityneedsfromthatsamemarket.Theregulationsofbothoftheseagencieshaveverytightcontroloveranyissuesrelatingtotheoperationandmaintenanceofthetransmissionofenergyinthestate.
PUBLICSAFETYANDRESILIENCEKentucky'senergyinfrastructureisgenerallyresilientandabletomeettheneedsofthecitizensoftheCommonwealth.Themajorriskstothesecurityofthenetworkareassociatedwithweather-relatedevents,animal-causedoutages,orsimilarcatastrophicactsofnature.Thereislittlethatautilitycandotoshieldabove-groundassetsfromincreasingmajorstormevents.However,identifyingcontingenciesandpreparingforfailurescanmaketheenergysectormoreresilient.Inaddition,researchanddeploymentofadvancedtechnologiesareimportanttoresiliency of the electric infrastructure.
Anotherenergyissuerelatedtopublicsafetyisthatofcarbonemissions.In2015,theEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)unveiledtheCleanPowerPlan,whichaimedtolowertheamountofcarbondioxideemittedbypowerplants.However,theagencyhasrecentlyintroducedregulationsthatwillmodifythispolicytorequirestatestoself-regulateCO2emissions.DependingonthestrictnessoftheregulationsimposedbyKentucky,thismethodofregulationcouldallowcoal to gain market sharewithin the state.Itisunclear,however,ifcoal-generated electricitywould actuallyincreasesincethewholesalemarketisnowbasedonthepriceofnaturalgas,the lowercostfuel.
PAGE|44
INNOVATIONKentuckyhasnotyetenactedrequirementsforrenewableenergy;however,thereisinterestfromtheprivatesectorindevelopingsustainableenergysourcessuchassolar,wind(notasignificantresource),bioenergy,andhydroelectricity.Twoutilitieshaveconstructedsolarenergyfarms.LG&E/KUhavedevelopeda10megawattsolargenerationfacilityattheE.W.BrownGeneratingStation,andEastKentuckyPowerhasdevelopedan8.5megawattsolarfarmatitsheadquartersfacilitynearWinchester,Kentucky.Itwasrecentlyannouncedthatin2022,an86megawattsolarfarmwillbebuiltinwesternKentucky.ThepowerfromthisfarmwillbeusedbytheKentuckyMunicipalEnergyAgencyandOwensboroMunicipalUtilities.SolarfarmshadneverpreviouslygainedtractioninKentuckysincethecostofcoalwassolow.Butnow,costsofsolarenergyhavecomedownandcanbetter competewith coal generations.
Becauseelectricitymustbeusedorstoredasitisgenerated,energystoragesolutionsforrenewablesources,suchassolarandwind,willbekeytowideradoption.LG&E/KUispartneringwiththeElectricPowerResearchInstitutetotesttheviabilityofanewstoragetechnologynearHarrodsburg,Kentucky.Inaddition,withlargequantitiesofcoalstillavailableinKentucky,researchisongoingattheCommonwealth'suniversitiestofindnewtechnologiesthatwillmitigatetheenvironmentaleffectsassociatedwithburningcoal.These"cleancoal"technologieshavethepromiseofkeepingcoalattheforefrontofinnovationsinprovidingenergytoKentucky.MorefundingforresearchwillhelpKentuckyadoptmoresustainablecleanenergysolutions.
FUNDINGANDFUTURENEEDEnergyislargelypaidforbytheconsumerswhouseit,whichincludesresidential,commercial,andindustrialcustomers.In2016,theaveragepriceofelectricityacrossalleconomicsectorswas8.26centsperkilowatt-hour.ThisputsKentuckypricesatthesixthlowestinthecountry.Since1970,theaveragepriceofelectricityinKentuckyhasbeenwellbelowthenationalaverage.
Forthemostpart,energyinfrastructurecostsarealsofundedthroughtheper-kilowatt-hourusagefees.Whilethismayseemlikealogicalapproach,aproblemhassurfacedinrecentyearswhenenergyusagehasdroppeddramatically.Withlessenergyusage,thereislessincome,whichconsequentlymeansthereislessfundingformaintenanceoftheinfrastructuresystemneededtodeliverelectricitytoallcustomers.
PAGE|45
Inaddition,althoughtheenergypricesinKentuckyareamongthelowestinthenation,thereisatrendwithintheindustrialsectortodeveloponsiterenewablegeneration.ManynationalcorporationswithbusinessesinKentuckyhaveinternalsustainabilitygoalsrequiringindividualfacilitiestoself-produceallpowerfromrenewableresources.Severalofthesefacilitiesarebuildingtheirownsolar/windfarmstoprovidetheirownpower;however,theyarekeepingtheexistinginfrastructureinplacefortraditionalenergysourcesasabackup.Withthecurrentratestructureofchargingfeesbasedonusage,these"strandedassets,"astheyareknown,willrequireanewbusinessmodelforfundingtomaintaintheconventionalenergyinfrastructureifitisrequiredorrequested.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
ThefollowingrecommendationsareprovidedtohelptheCommonwealthraisethegrade:
Ü Maintainlowenergycostsforcustomers,keepinginmindthisisakeybenefitforattractingnewmanufacturingcompaniestoconsiderlocatinginKentucky.
Ü Continuetosupportandpromoteresearch/developmentofnewenergytechnologiesbyprovidingfundingandincentivesforresearch,especially"cleancoal"technologiesinordertopromotetheabundanceofcoalintheCommonwealthwithoutharmingtheenvironment.
Ü Supporttheresearchofenergystoragesolutionsforrenewableenergysources,suchassolarandwind,inordertomakewideradoptionfeasible.
Ü Supportresearchtoimprovetheefficiencyofsolartechnologieswhichwillimprovetheeconomicsforthedeploymentofthetechnology.
Ü Continuetoimprovegeneration,transmission,anddistributioninfrastructuretoensuresafetyandreliability,whileresearchingnewbusinessmodelsforfundinginfrastructuremaintenance.
Ü Maintainpublicsafetybyimprovingresiliencyagainstsevereweather-relatedevents,catastrophicnaturaldisasters,andcybersecuritythreats.
Ü Supportresearchandtechnologiestoprotecttheresiliencyofthegrid.
Figure21.KYElectricityConsumptionbySector,2016
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KEYTERMSEPA–EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyFERC–FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommissionIOU–Investor-OwnedUtilitiesPSC–KentuckyPublicServiceCommissionRTO–RegionalTransmissionOrganizationStrandedAssets–infrastructureassetsthatarenolongerabletoearnaneconomicreturnTVA–TennesseeValleyAuthority(TVA)
RESOURCES1. KentuckyEnergyandEnvironmentCabinet,OfficeofEnergyPolicy:energy.ky.gov/2. KentuckyEnergyProfile,KentuckyEnergyandEnvironmentCabinet,6thEdition,20173. Kentucky'sCoalFacts,KentuckyEnergyandEnvironmentCabinet,17thEdition,20174. AGuidetoEIAElectricPowerData,U.S.DepartmentofEnergy,March20185. FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommissionwebsite,https://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/mkt-
electric/overview.asp6. TennesseeValleyAuthoritywebsite:https://www.tva.gov/About-TVA/TVA-in-Kentucky
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SUMMARYInKentucky,hazardouswasteistrackedfromthepointofgenerationuntilitisproperlydisposedortreated.Withmorethan3,000entitiesgeneratinghazardouswasteinKentucky,propermanagementisessentialtoprotectinghumanhealthandtheenvironment.Thereare30treatment,storage,anddisposalfacilitiesinthestatethatcanaccepthazardouswaste,andthisnumberappearstobesufficientforthestate'sneeds,astherehavebeennonewrecentrequestsforapermittedmanagementfacility.Asidefromnewlygeneratedhazardouswasteneeds,thereare62environmentallydamagedsitesstillundergoingcorrectiveactiontoday,andthestatehas20SuperfundsitesontheNationalPrioritiesList,whichisonparwiththenationalaverageofroughly26perstate.Inaddition,therearehundredsofoldorabandonedwastesitesthatstillposethreatstotheenvironmentandpublichealth.However,fundingisnotavailabletoaddresscleanupofallofthesesites.Kentuckyhasprojected$1.6billioninremedialcosts,butwithanannualbudgetof$450,000,itisclearthattheCommonwealthisatriskofnotbeingabletomeetitsstatutoryobligationstoprotecthumanhealthandtheenvironment.
CAPACITY,OPERATIONS,ANDMAINTENANCE
ManyindustriesinKentuckygeneratehazardouswaste,suchashospitals,construction,andevendrycleaning.ThetopgeneratorsofhazardouswasteinKentuckyarechemical,metal,andplasticmanufacturingfacilities.Hazardouswastesaredefinedasanyliquids,solids,containedgases,orsludgesthatposeaseriousthreattohumanhealthandtheenvironment.ThelatestdataonrecordshowsthatKentuckygenerated146,779tonsofthistypeofwastein2016.TheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)beganregulatingthesehazardouswastesundertheResourceConservationandRecoveryAct(RCRA)in1976.ThetermRCRAisoftenusedinterchangeablytorefertothelaw,regulations,andEPApolicyandguidance.RCRAdealswithnewlygeneratedmaterialsthatarecurrentlydestinedfordisposalorrecycling.
TheComprehensiveEnvironmentalResponse,Compensation,andLiabilityAct,alsoknownasCERCLAorSuperfund,isarelatedstatutefrom1980thatdealswithcleaningupinactiveandabandonedhazardouswastesites.TheprimarymissionoftheCERCLAlawwastocreatea"Superfund"topayfortheclean-upandremediationofclosedandabandonedhazardouswastesites.
Kentuckybeganregulatinghazardouswastein1979.TheKentuckyDivisionofWasteManagement(DWM)istheprincipalregulatoryagencyinthestate,responsibleforensuringthathazardouswastesareproperlymanagedanddisposed.TheHazardousWasteBranchoftheDWMisresponsibleformonitoringandpermittinghazardouswastesitesfornewlygeneratedmaterials,andtheSuperfundBranchworkstoensurethathistoriccontaminatedsitesareevaluatedandcleanedupinatimelymannertoreduceriskstohumanhealthandtheenvironment.Usuallythisisaccomplishedbyoverseeingcompaniesorindividualswhohavetakenresponsibilityforcleaningupcontaminationfoundontheirproperty;however,incaseswherearesponsiblepartycannotbefoundorisunabletoact,theSuperfundBranchmaytakeadirectroleincleaningupasite.
TheHazardousWasteBranchoverseesthemanagementofhazardouswastefromgenerationtodisposal,or"cradletograve."Thisinvolvesissuingpermitstonewfacilities,correctiveaction(cleanup)ofcurrentsites,andregisteringthe3,000+entitiesthatgeneratehazardouswasteinKentucky.Thebranchiscurrentlyoverseeing62facilitiesthatweredeterminedbytheEPAtobeinneedofcorrectiveaction.Facilitiesonthislist—the2005GovernmentPerformanceandResultsAct(GPRA)
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CorrectiveActionBaseline—wereidentifiedintheearly1990sasthehighestprioritysiteswhereearlycleanupwouldbeappropriate.Forty-threeofthesesiteshaveattained"remedyconstructed"status,whichmeansthatrestorativemeasureshavebeenimplementedtoaddresscontaminationatthesite.
Inadditiontooverseeingcorrectiveactionoftheseexistingsites,theHazardousWasteBranchgrantspermitsfornewhazardouswastefacilities.IntheCommonwealth,thereare30treatment,storage,anddisposalfacilities(TSDFs)thataccepthazardouswastewithaRCRAPartBoperatingpermitand/orapost-closurepermit.ThisnumberhasincreasedsincethetimeofthelastASCEKentuckySectionreviewwhentherewere14facilitiesinthestate;however,demandhasremainedflat,astherehavebeennonewrequestsforapermittedmanagementfacility.
TheSuperfundBranchoftheDWMoversees20sitesinKentuckythatareontheNationalPrioritiesList(NPL),alistcreatedbytheEPAofthemostseriousthreatsofhazardoussubstances,pollutants,orcontaminantsthroughouttheUnitedStates.AsseeninFigure22,therearecurrently13sitesthatareintheremedialdesign/remedialactionphase(labeled"Active"",andsevensitesthathaveacertificateofcompletion(labeled"Deleted").Therearenoothersitesbeingconsideredforadditiontothislist.
Figure22.TotalSuperfundSitesonNationalPriorityList.
TheSuperfundBranchoftheDWMisresponsibleforalargenumberofsitesthatessentiallydonotfallunderotherprograms’regulatoryauthority.Becausethesesitesareotherwiseabandonedanddonothaveaviableresponsibleparty,theSuperfundBranchtakesonfinancialliability.Asfundingdwindles,andasthenumberofsites,costsofremediation,andlong-termoversightcontinuetoincrease,thefinancialcapacityoftheSuperfundBranchtoaddresscontaminatedsiteshassteadilydeclined.
InadditiontotheRCRA-permittedfacilitiesandtheSuperfundsites,thereisathirdtypeofhazardouswastesiteknownas"brownfields."Brownfieldsareabandoned,closed,orunder-usedindustrialor
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commercialfacilities,suchasashutteredfactoryinthemiddleoftownoraclosedcommercialwarehouseinasuburbansetting.Brownfieldscanbelocatedanywhereandcanbequitesmall,suchasadry-cleaningestablishmentoraclosedgasstation.PartoftheCERCLAlegislationof1980madethepurchaserofanysuchpropertyliableforanyhazardoussubstancesfoundontheland,whichiswhyanenvironmentalsiteassessment(ESA)isapracticalnecessityforanypotentialbuyeroftheproperty.Withanestimated8,000brownfieldsacrossthestateandonly14siteassessmentsdoneinFiscalYear2017,thebrownfieldredevelopmenteffortwilltakehundredsofyearstoassessallbrownfieldsites.Somefacilitiessuchasdrycleanersare"momandpop"typeoperationswithlittlefinancialbackingbythetimetheygooutofbusiness,andalthoughtheyaretheresponsibleparty,theydonothavefundstocleanupthesite.Anypotentialnewbuyerofthepropertydoesnotwanttheliabilityforthesite,andtheCommonwealthdoesn’thavethefundstocleanupsuchproperties.Onewaytoaddressthisparticulartypeofwastesiteistocreateataxondrycleaning.Otherstateshavesetupsuchataxtocreateafundthatwilladdresssuchissues.
FUNDING&FUTURENEEDFundingforKentucky'shazardouswastefacilitiescomesfromseveralsources.Someprogramsarecompletelysupportedbyfederalfunds,whileothersareonlypartiallysupportedornotsupportedbyfederalfundsatall.Currently,DWMreceivesfundingfromatotalof14federalgrantsandcooperativeagreements,includingthefollowing:
Ü ThereisgrantfundingfromtheEPAthatcoversapproximately65%ofcoststotheDWMforactiveoversightof62facilitiesneedingcorrectiveaction.Therearealsosite-specificgrantsforfacilitiessuchasThePaducahGaseousDiffusionPlantandTheBlueGrassArmyDepot.
Ü TheFive-YearReviewCooperativeAgreement(FYR)providesfundingfromtheEPAtotheSuperfundProgramtoperformfive-yearreviewsofremedialactionatNationalPriorityListsitesinKentucky.Thepurposeofafive-yearreviewistodeterminewhetherasite’songoingorcompletedremedialactionswillremainprotectiveofhumanhealthandtheenvironment.
Ü UndertheCERCLAAct,theEPAprovidesfinancialsupporttotheBrownfieldRedevelopmentProgramtoaddresstheassessment,cleanup,andredevelopmentofbrownfieldsites.Inaddition,theBrownfieldsAssessmentandCleanupGrant(BAG)fromtheEPAprovidesfundingtoKentuckycommunitiesthatwishtoaddressbrownfieldpropertiesinordertoprotectandorimprovewaterresources.Thisgrantwasdesignedtotargetruralareasimpactedbycoalmining,butitmayalsobeusedtoassessapprovedsitesthroughouttheCommonwealth.
Ü TheLeakingUndergroundStorageTank(LUST)CleanupCooperativeAgreementwiththeEPAprovidesfinancialassistancetotheUndergroundStorageTank(UST)programtooverseethecleanupofleakingundergroundstoragetanksbyresponsiblepartiesandtoensurethecleanupatsiteswhereanowneroroperatorisunwillingorunabletotakenecessarycorrectiveaction.
Inadditiontofederalfundingsources,KentuckyhasaHazardousWasteManagementFund(HWMF)toprovidetheEnergyandEnvironmentCabinetwiththefundsnecessarytoprotectthehealthofthecitizensandenvironmentoftheCommonwealthfromthreatsassociatedwithreleasesofhazardoussubstances,pollutants,andcontaminants.TheHWMFisthesolesourceoffundingforemergencyresponseandstate-ledremediation,anditistheCommonwealth'sonlyfail-safeforcontaminatedsiteswherethereisnoresponsibleorviablepartytotakeaction,suchasSuperfundsites.
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Presently,theannualHWMFbudgetallocatedtotheSuperfundBranchfordiscretionaryspendingisapproximately$450,000.Thisfundinglevelisnotsufficienttoaddresssingle,small-to-mediumsiteeventsandlargeemergencies.Figure2illustratesanassessmentbytheSuperfundBranchtoprojectthestate’sexisting,nearfuture,andlong-termpotentialliabilitycosts.Ateventhebest-casescenario,with$1.6billioninremedialcosts,itisclearthatwithanannualbudgetof$450,000,theHWMFcannolongermeetitsstatutoryobligationstoprotecthumanhealthandtheenvironment.
Figure23.KentuckySuperfundPotentialLiabilities.
Figure23isacomparisonoftheamountoffundingavailabletotheestimatedannualprogramneed.TheamountoffundingavailableisbasedontheanticipatedassessmentfeesandfundtransfersfromotherareasofthebudgettotheHWMF.Theestimatedannualprogramneedisbasedonaverageexpendituresforemergencyresponsesandstate-ledsitecleanupsoverthelasttwoyears.Theavailablefundingonanannualbasiswillnotbesufficienttomeetthebaselineneedsfortheprogrammovingforward.
TheHazardousWasteBranchofDWMreceivesapproximately$300,000inpermitreviewfeesthatareappliedtotheprogramcosts.StategeneralfundsmakeupthebalanceofthefundingneededtoruntheHazardousWastePrograminKentucky.
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PUBLICSAFETY&RESILIENCEPublicsafetyistheutmostprioritybehindallhazardouswastelawsandregulationsinKentucky.Traditionalhazardouswasteremediationandland-usemanagementhelpprotecttheCommonwealth’sdrinkingwater,humanhealth,andothernaturalresources.
EachoperatingRCRAPartBTSDFisrequiredtohaveawasteminimizationplaninplacetoreducethewastegeneratedathazardouswastesites.Inaddition,theDWMencouragesfacilitiestominimizehazardouswastewheneverpossible.
Kentuckywouldliketolookatinnovativemeansforriskmanagementpracticesorpoliciesonsustainability,butthestateislackingfundstocarrythisout.Examplesofriskmanagementactionsincludedecidinghowmuchofasubstanceacompanymaydischargeintoariver;decidingwhichsubstancesmaybestoredatahazardouswastedisposalfacility;decidingtowhatextentahazardouswastesitemustbecleanedup;settingpermitlevelsfordischarge,storage,ortransport;establishingnationalambientairqualitystandards;anddeterminingallowablelevelsofcontaminationindrinkingwater.
Riskassessmentprovidesinformationonpotentialhealthorecologicalrisks,andriskmanagementistheactiontakenbasedonconsiderationofthatandotherinformation,asfollows:
Ü Scientificfactorsprovidethebasisfortheriskassessment,includinginformationdrawnfromtoxicology,chemistry,epidemiology,ecology,andstatistics,tonameafew.
Ü Economicfactorsinformthemanageronthecostofrisksandthebenefitsofreducingthem,aswellasthecostsofriskmitigationorremediationoptionsandthedistributionaleffects.
Ü Lawsandlegaldecisionsarefactorsthatdefinethebasisforriskassessments,managementdecisions,and,insomeinstances,theschedule,level,ormethodsforriskreduction.
Ü Socialfactors,suchasincomelevel,ethnicbackground,communityvalues,landuse,zoning,availabilityofhealthcare,lifestyle,andpsychologicalconditionoftheaffectedpopulations,mayaffectthesusceptibilityofanindividualoradefinablegrouptorisksfromaparticularstressor.
Ü Technologicalfactorsincludethefeasibility,impacts,andrangeofriskmanagementoptions.Ü Politicalfactorsarebasedontheinteractionsamongbranchesofthefederalgovernment,with
otherfederal,state,andlocalgovernmententities,andevenwithforeigngovernments;thesemayrangefrompracticesdefinedbypolicyandpoliticaladministrationsthroughinquiriesfrommembersofCongress,specialinterestgroups,orconcernedcitizens.
Ü Publicvaluesreflectthebroadattitudesofsocietyaboutenvironmentalrisksandriskmanagement.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
TheKentuckysectionoftheAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers(ASCE)recommendsthefollowingmeasuresbetakenforthehazardouswasteinfrastructureoftheCommonwealth:
Ü Continuetoensurethatadequatetreatmentanddisposalofhazardouswasteisconsistentwithstateandfederalrules.
Ü Increasestatefundingtomeetneedforhazardouswasteoversightandclean-up.Ü Improvepartnershipswiththestate'shazardouswastefacilities.
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Ü IncreasefundingforSuperfundsiteremediations.Ü Promoteadrycleaningfund,whichexistsinneighboringstates,tohelpmitigatecostofhazardous
wastecleanupsthattypicallyexceedthefinancialcapabilityoffacilityowners.Ü Renewemphasisonbrownfielddevelopment;increasefundingfromthestatetoaugmentfederal
funding.Ü Raisepublicawarenessofhazardouswasteissues.Ü Promoterecyclingofhazardouswastetorecoverusableproducts,suchasregenerationofspent
solventsorburningforenergyrecovery.
DEFINITIONSBAG–BrownfieldsAssessmentandCleanupGrantCERCLA–ComprehensiveEnvironmentalResponse,Compensation,andLiabilityAct,alsoknownas"Superfund"DWM–DivisionofWasteManagementEPA–U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyESA–EnvironmentalSiteAssessmentFYR–Five-YearReviewHWMF–HazardousWasteManagementFundLUST–LeakingUndergroundStorageTankNPL–NationalPrioritiesListRCRA–ResourceConservationandRecoveryActTSDF–Treatment,Storage,andDisposalFacilityUST–UndergroundStorageTank
SOURCES1. DivisionofWasteManagement,FiscalYear2017AnnualReport2. HazardousWasteManagementFund,AReporttotheGeneralAssembly,20143. ASCESuperfundInformalBriefing,2018 4. EnergyandEnvironmentCabinet,DivisionofWasteManagement,HazardousWasteProgram:
http://waste.ky.gov/HWB/Pages/default.aspx5. EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,ListofSuperfundSitesinKentucky:
https://www.epa.gov/ky/list-superfund-sites-kentucky
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SUMMARY
LeveesystemsareanimportantpartofKentucky'slandscape,becausetheriversandwaterwaysthat
provideneededtransportationandwatersupplyalsohaveahistoryofdevastatingfloods.The
Commonwealthlearnedtheimportanceofbuildingfloodprotectionafterthehistoricfloodof1937.
Sincethattime,Kentuckyhasbuiltanetworkofleveesacrossthestate,nowprotectingmorethan
306,000livesand$46.6billioninproperty.However,nearlyhalfofthestate'sinventoryofleveesare
50yearsoldormore,whichisbeyondtheirexpecteddesignlife.Manymechanicalandelectrical
componentsofthesesystemswerebuiltinthe1940sand1950s,andassuch,manyleveesystemsare
deteriorating,andanincreaseinoverallmaintenanceisrequired.Inaddition,twoleveesystemsare
classifiedasaleveltwoor"HighRisk,"whichmeansthatinundationduetobreachand/orsystem
failurewouldverylikelyresultinlossoflife,largeeconomiclosses,and/ordevastatingenvironmental
consequences.Sustainedactionsareneededinordertomitigatetheserisks.Remediationofthese
systemswillneedfunding,andthecostofinactionisalargethreattopublicsafety.
CAPACITYANDCONDITION
FloodriskreductionisimportantinKentucky,asthestate'sentirenorthernborderisformedbythe
OhioRiver,anditswesternborderbytheMississippiRiver.Majorcitiesthatdependonthestate's
leveesystemsforprotectionincludeCovington,Louisville,Newport,andPaducah,alongwithmany
morecommunitiesandcitizensthroughoutthestate.
MostleveesinKentuckyareearthenembankmentsdesignedandconstructedforthepurposeof
containing,controlling,ordivertingtheflowofwatertoreducetheriskofflooding.Leveesystemscan
alsoincludeconcretefloodwalls,removablestreetclosures,floodgates,andfloodpumpstationsthat
worktogethertoprovideriskreductionfrompotentiallydevastatingfloodwaters.
Figure24belowshowsdatafromtheNationalLeveeDatabase(NLD),anonlineresourcecreatedby
theU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers(USACE).Thisdatabaseshowsatotalof34leveesystemsin
Kentucky,consistingof101totalmiles.FiveoftheseleveesareUSACEfederallyconstructedand
operated;28areUSACEfederallyconstructedbuthavebeenturnedovertopublicsponsorsfor
operationsandmaintenance;andoneislocallyconstructedandlocallyoperated/maintained.Together,allofKentucky'sleveesareprotectingmorethan306,000livesand$46.6billioninproperty,
includinghospitals,universities,majormanufacturingfacilities,criticalutilities(electricpower,water,
wastewaterplants,etc.),anddenselypopulatedmetropolitanareas.
Theaverageageofleveesinthestateis49years,whichisnearingtheendoftheirprojecteddesign
lifeof50years.Nearlyhalfofthestate'sinventoryoflevees,15of34,werebuiltinorbefore1968,
puttingmanyoftheircomponentsattheendoftheirlifeexpectancy.Manypartsofthesesystems,
suchaspumpingstations,wereconstructedinthe1940sand1950s,andrepairtothemechanical
and/orelectricalsystemsmaynotbepossiblesinceoftenreplacementpartsarenolongeravailable,
orthepartsareextremelycostly.Whenrepairsarenotpossible,thecostofreplacingtheseassets
ishigh.
Duetotherisksassociatedwithleveefailureorovertopping,theUSACEcharacterizeseachleveewith
anactionclasstoassessandmanagetheriskstopeople,property,andtheenvironment.Ofthe34
leveesinKentucky,30havebeenassessed,andtheremainingfourhavenotyetbeenscreened.
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Figure24.LeveesinKentucky,NationalLeveeDatabase.
TheUSACELeveeSafetyActionClassification(LSAC)riskcategoriesare:(1)VeryHigh,(2)High,
(3)Moderate,(4)Low,and(5)VeryLow.ThemajorityofKentucky'slevees,24outof34,areratedas
LSACLevel4,whichmeansthereisrelativelylowriskofinundationoffloodwaters,androutinesafety
activitiesshouldbecontinued.FourKentuckyleveesareratedasLevel3or"Moderate,"wherethere
isapotentialriskforleveefailure,andactionsarewarrantedinordertoreducetherisk.Twolevee
systemsinKentuckyareclassifiedasLevel2or"High,"whichmeansthatsustainedactionsareneeded
inordertoreducetheriskoflossoflifeandeconomicorenvironmentalconsequences.Thetwo
systemsratedas"High"are:
Louisville–Thisleveesystemprovidesflood-riskreductionagainsttheOhioRiverforthecityof
LouisvilleandportionsofJeffersonandBullittCounties.Theleveesystemhasatotallengthof25.92
milesandconsistsofearthenlevees,concretewalls,16pumpingstations,over60removableclosures,
andmorethan150floodgates.Thissystemisconsideredtobea"High"riskbasedonuncertain
performanceandtheassociatedconsequencesofpotentiallyhighlossoflife(216,825peopleatrisk)
andextremelyhighpropertydamage(projectedat$33.8billion).Thissystemhasalimitedloading
history,andthereisuncertaintyconcerningthefloodwallperformanceattheupstreamendofthe
segmentifitwereloadedtothetop.Analysesshowthatsomeareasoftheconcretefloodwalldonot
meettheminimumfactor-of-safetyifwaterwerewithinfourfeetofthetop.However,afloodofthis
magnitudehasaverylowprobabilityofhappening,anditdoesnotmeanthefloodwallwould
automaticallyfailevenifwatergotthishigh.Althoughpotentialforovertoppingisinfrequent,
evacuationeffectivenessisalsoaconcernbasedonthehighpopulation.Thisisoffset,however,bythe
OhioRiverbeingaslow-risingfloodsourcewiththepotentialforsignificantwarningtimeinthecase
ofovertopping.
Hickman-ObionRiverSystem–Thisleveesystemprovidesflood-riskprotectionforportionsof
southwestKentuckyandnorthwestTennessee.(Leveesystemsarenotconfinedwithinstatelines.)
Thissystemcontains62.2milesofleveetoprotectfloodingfromtheMississippiRiver.Significant
investmentintheleveeinrecentyearshashelpeddecreasebuthasnoteliminatedfloodingrisk.The
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potentialexistsforfloodeventstooccurthatcouldleadtoovertoppingorbreachoftheleveeor
floodwall.Ifsucheventsoccurredoriftherewereafailureofthesystem,theareasbehindthelevee
wouldexperiencehighdamagesandpotentiallossoflife.Leveesponsors,localcommunities,and
USACEaretakingactiontoreduceriskassociatedwiththisleveesystem.
The"High"riskcategorizationforbothoftheseleveesystemsiscurrentlyundergoingreviewandmay
beupdatedinthefuture.
TherearenoleveesystemsinKentuckyratedasLevel1or"VeryHigh"risk.
OPERATIONANDMAINTENANCE
Whilesomeleveesarestationaryearthenembankmentsthatdonotrequireoperation,someportions
ofthesystemsrequireactivemechanicaloperationsofpumpsandgates,forexample,whichneedto
betestedperiodicallytokeepthemingoodworkingorder.Allleveesrequireregularmaintenanceand
periodicrepairs,replacements,orupgradestoretaintheirlevelofprotection.
TheUSACEdesignedandbuilt33ofKentucky's34leveesystems,theninmanycasesturnedover
operationsandmaintenancetoalocalsponsor.Alocalsponsorisusuallyalegallyconstitutedpublic
entity—suchasacity,town,publicutility,orthestateitself—thatwilloperateandmaintainthelevee
toensureitwillfunctionasdesignedtopreventormitigateflooddamages.Localsponsorsare
responsibleforoperatingmechanicalorelectricalsystemsregularlytomakesuretheyareinworking
order,inspectingtheleveesonaregularschedule,andkeepingrecordsofalloperationsand
maintenance.
LocalsponsorssharesomeofthisdatawithUSACE,whokeepsdetailedrecordsofmostofthelevees
intheUnitedStatesintheNationalLeveeDatabase.TheNLDwascreatedandismaintainedbythe
USACEasanauthoritativeresourceforinformationaboutleveesincludingdataoninspections,flood
plainmanagement,andriskassessment.
TheUSACEalsoperformsperiodicinspectionsofleveesandleveesystemsandprovidesaratingthat
canhelpfederaloperatorsandlocalsponsorsprioritizerepairsormaintenance.AsshowninFigure25,
onlytwoofKentucky'sleveesystemscurrentlyhavean"acceptable"rating,twohavingan
"unacceptable"rating,andthelargemajority,29systems,or88%,havebeennamed"minimally
acceptable."
Figure25.InspectionRatingsbyUSACE,NLDwebsite.
FUNDINGANDFUTURENEED
FundingforKentucky'sleveesdependsonwhoisresponsiblefortheiroperation.Federalfundingis
availableforthefiveUSACE-ownedandoperatedlevees.Thereisonelocallyownedandoperated
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levee,whichisfundedbytheCityofFrankfort.AndthemajorityofKentucky'slevees,whichare
operatedbypublicsponsors,arefundedbythoseentities,includingcities,municipalities,orother
localpublicentities,manyofwhichhavelimitedbudgetsforrepairsormaintenance.
USACEalsohassomeprogramsavailableforlocalentitieswhomayapplyforfundingofsmallprojects.
Theseprogramsareusuallyallocatedtomaintenanceandreplacementprojects,withbudgetsof
underacouplemilliondollars.
PUBLICSAFETY,RESILIENCE,ANDINNOVATION
USACEestimatesthatmorethan306,000peopleareprotectedbyKentucky's34levees.Thesesystemsareprotectingmorethan123,000structuresand$46.6billioninproperty,includinghospitals,
universities,majormanufacturingfacilities,treatmentplants,powerplants,anddenselypopulated
metropolitanareas.WithsignificantfloodingeventsalongtheOhioRiverin2005,2008,2011,2015,
and2018,theCommonwealth'snetworkofleveesystemsdidtheirjob,andnoleveeswerebreached.
Becauseextremeraineventsareoccurringwithmoreregularityinrecentdecades,floodingisapublic
concern,andleveesplayanimportantroleinkeepingKentucky'scitizenssafefromthedevastating
effectsfloodscancause.
Floodawarenessandemergencypreparednessplayakeyroleinriskmanagementforindividualsand
communitieslivingbehindlevees.TheFederalEmergencyManagementAgency(FEMA)requiresthat
everyleveewithinitsprogramhaveanemergencyactionplan(EAP).Thesizeofthecommunitywithin
theleveedareawilldictatethecomplexityoftheEAP,i.e.,EAPsforlarger,moredenselypopulated
urbancommunities,suchasLouisville,willrequiremoredetailedevacuationroutemappinganda
broaderemergencycontactflowchartthanEAPsofsmallcommunities.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
TheKentuckysectionoftheAmericanSocietyofCivilEngineers(ASCE)recommendsthefollowing
measuresbetakenfortheleveeinfrastructureoftheCommonwealth:
Ü Exploreimmediatefundingforthetwoleveesystemsclassifiedas"HighRisk"bytheLSAC.These
leveesrequiresustainedactiontoreducetheriskoflossoflifeandeconomicorenvironmental
consequences.
Ü Establishastatewideleveesponsorprogramtoencouragesharingofemergencyplans,
education,bestpractices,trainings,andinspectiondata,soKentuckyleveeowners/operators
haveacentralrepositoryofinformation.
Ü Encourageallleveeownerstohaveemergencyactionplansinplaceandbekeptup-to-date.
Ü ExploreaprogramfornonfederalleveestorequiresafetyinspectionsandhaveEAPsinplace.
Ü Increasepublicoutreachtoeducatecommunitiesabouthowimportantleveesaretoprotecting
lives.
Ü Increasecitizenawarenessoftherisksrelatedtoleveesandeffectivemethodsforlivingsafely
withthem.
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DEFINITIONS
EAP–EmergencyActionPlan
FEMA–FederalEmergencyManagementAgency
LSAC–LeveeSafetyActionClassification
NLD–NationalLeveeDatabase
USACE–U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers
SOURCES
1. NationalLeveeDatabase,U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers:https://levees.sec.usace.army.mil/#/
2. U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,LeveePortfolioReport,March2018.
3. U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,LeveeSafetyProgram:https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-
Works/Levee-Safety-Program/
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SUMMARY
Kentuckiansdependonhavinganefficient,safe,andwell-maintainedtransportationnetworktoprovideeasyaccesstowork,school,medicaloffices,grocerystores,sportingevents,andotherlocations.ThestatehasrecentlyactedtoimprovetheroadwaynetworkbyenactingaHighwayPlanthatwillprovide$8.5billionforover1,400projectsacrossthestateoverthenextsixyears.Theconditionoftheroadsystemsisimproving;theKentuckyTransportationCabinet’s(KYTC)performancescoreforallroadsin2018was84.5,whichiswellabovethegoalof80andisthehighestscoregiventodate.Whilethisisencouraging,therecontinuestobeinadequatefundingforneededconstructionandsafetyinitiatives.TheKYTCrecentlyidentified$6billioninunfundedconstructionprojects,whichwouldrequireanadditional$490millionperyeartoaddress.Inadditiontocurrentneedsforroadmaintenanceandsafetyinitiatives,thestatemustalsoplanforfuturegrowth,astrafficvolumehasincreasedby5percentsince2013.
CONDITION&CAPACITY
IntheCommonwealthofKentucky,therearemorethan80,000milesofpublicroads.About20percentofthoseareinurbanareas,and80percentarerural.
AsshowninFigure26,abouthalfofallpublicroads(40,129miles)aremaintainedbyindividualcountygovernments,andaboutone-third(27,600miles)aremaintainedbythestate.Another13percent(10,723miles)aremaintainedbycity/municipalgovernments,andtheremaining2percentareownedandmaintainedbyotherfederal,state,andlocalagencies.
Figure26.MaintenanceofPublicRoadsinKentucky.
MilesofPublicRoadsinKentucky
MaintainedbytheState MaintainedbyCounties
MaintainedbyCities MaintainedbyFederal,State,andLocalAgencies
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Inordertobetterunderstandhowmuchtheroadwaysarebeingused,KYTCmonitorstrafficvolumeonallofKentucky'sroads.DatafromthecabinetshowsthatthenumberofvehiclemilestraveledintheCommonwealthcontinuestoriseeachyear.Anotherdataset,fromanationaltransportationresearchgroupcalledTRIP,statesintheirreport"KentuckyTransportationbytheNumbers,"thatvehicletravelinthestatetotaled49.5billionmilesin2016,whichisanincreaseof5percentsince2013.
Inadditiontomonitoringtrafficvolume,KYTCalsoassessestheconditionofKentucky'sroadseachyearbysurveyingroadsideconditionsandassigningatargetperformancelevelscore,onascaleof1to100.ThestatewidemaintenanceratingprogramlooksatvariouskeycategoriestoassesstheoverallstateofKentucky'sroadsideconditions.Inadditiontoroadwayitemssuchaspotholes,thisscorealsoaddressesitemslikeshoulderdrop-offs,signage,striping,guardrails,andtreeswithintherightofway.Theperformancescoreforallroadsin2018was84.5,whichiswellabovethegoalof80andisthehighestscoregiventodate.Figure27showsageneraltrendofimprovementinoverallroadconditionssince2007.Whileonthewholethisscoreisimproving,therearestillsubcategoriesofroadwayclassificationsandconditionsofindividualfeaturesthatscorebelowthetargetof80.
Figure27.KYTCMaintenanceRatingProgramScores,2007–2018.
Steadyimprovementshavebeenmadeintheareasofpotholeserviceandguardrailspecifications.Thecategoriesofverticalclearanceandshoulderdrop-offshavebeenimprovinginrecentyearsbuthadaslightdropin2018.Rutting—grooveswornintotheroadsurfacebywheels—hasincreasedonroadsstatewideoverthelastfouryears,reducingthescores.
77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
OverallRoadsideConditions
MaintenanceRatingProgram,OverallScores
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Figure28specificallyaddressestheconditionofKentucky'spavements.KYTCutilizesaslidingscalethatholdshigh-trafficroadwaystoahigherstandardofperformance,ratingtheroadwaysasgood,fair,orpoordependingupontheoveralllevelofdistressandthetotaltrafficvolume.Agoodpavementissmoothwithfewdefects,whileapoorconditionpavementischaracterizedbyaroughrideandmoderatetoseveredistresses.
Itshouldbenotedthattheassessmentsystemchangedin2015,whichhadanimpactonratings.Atthattime,theOperationsandPavementManagementBranchofKYTCimplementedanewmethodologybasedonimproveddatasourcestomoreaccuratelyassessthedistinctionbetweenfairandgoodpavement.Asaresult,thepercentageoffairpavementincreasedandthepercentageofgoodpavementdecreasedbeginningin2015.
Figure28.StatewidePavementNetworkCondition,PavementConditionReport,2017
FUNDING
Kentuckyroadsarelargelypaidforbythosewhousethem,asabouthalfthefundingforroadsinfrastructurecomesfrommotorfuelstaxes.Inadditiontoafederalmotorfuelstax,Kentuckyassessesastatemotorfuelstaxof$0.26pergallonofgasolineand$0.23pergallonofdiesel.Approximately44.4percentoftherevenuefromthesetaxesisdedicatedtolocalagencies.Incomparison,thenationalaverageforastategastaxis$0.3372pergallonofgasand$0.3551pergallonofdiesel(pertheAmericanPetroleumInstitutewebsite).
Bylaw,theKentuckygastaxistiedtotheaveragewholesaleprice(AWP)ofagallonofgasoline.Currently,thetaxis9percentoftheAWP.Whenthewholesalepriceofgasdrops,theamountcollectedintaxesalsodrops,whichmeanslessmoneytofundroadmaintenance,forexample.In2015,theKentuckyGeneralAssemblylegislativelysetthefloorofthetaxequivalenttoawholesale
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priceof$2.177pergallontoensureaminimumamountcollectedtohelpfundtransportationinfrastructure.
TheKentuckylegislationalsorecentlyenacteda2018HighwayPlan,whichwillprioritizespendingonmorethan5,000milesofpavementimprovementsoverthenextsixyears.Morethan1,100projectswererankedquantitativelyandthenreviewedqualitatively,providingadata-drivenprocessfordecidingwhichprojectswouldreceivefundingundertheplan.Becausetheplanfocusedonactualavailablefundingandprioritizedspendingonassetmanagement,therearestill$6billioninunfundedprojects.Inordertofundallidentifiedprojects,anadditional$490millioninannualrevenuewouldbeneeded.
AspartoftheHighwayPlan,KYTCexpandedboththeavailablefundingandthetypesoftreatmentsperformedonpavements.Thestatewillspend$324millionoverthenexttwoyearsonthesepavementtreatments.Thisincreasedinvestmentwillpreventthepercentageofpoorpavementsfromcontinuingtogrow.However,itisnotsufficienttobringthepercentageofstate-maintainedroadsinpoorconditiondowntothetargetlevelof8percentofthetotalnetwork.
AdditionalsourcesofrevenueforroadsinKentuckycomefrommotorvehicleusagetaxes,weightdistancetaxes,motorvehiclelicensefees,motorvehicleoperatorlicensefees,andotherpermitsandfees.
FUTURENEED
InordertoassessKentucky'sfuturetransportationfundingneeds,KYTCjustcompleteditsfirststatewideTransportationAssetManagementPlan(TAMP).Thisplanassessesfutureroadwayprioritiesovera10-yearhorizon.Inaddition,thereisaseparateStrategicHighwaySafetyPlan(SHSP)thatlaysoutprogramstoaddresssafetyinitiatives.
Astate-basedprogramforprioritizingneeds,KYTC'sStrategicHighwayInvestmentFormulaforTomorrow(SHIFT),createdaformulaforevaluatingandscoringmorethan1,100projectsacrossthestate,includingmeasuresofcongestion,impacttoeconomicdevelopmentintheregion,safety,cost-benefitanalysis,andassetmanagementforfutureneed.Thisreflectsatriplebottomlineanalysistodeliverthe"best"projectstotheCommonwealthuponanalysis.Theseprojectswereincludedinthecapitalimprovementsportionofthesix-year2018HighwayPlanbutwereunderfundedduetothebacklogofassetmanagementneeds.
KYTChasidentified$6billioninunfundedconstructionprojectsandwouldneedanadditional$490millioneachyeartoaddressthem.Thecabinetrecentlyincreasedfundingforassetmanagementto$599millionannually,whichwillkeepthebacklogofpavementneedsfromgrowing;however,thisfundingwilldolittlemorethankeepoverallroadconditionsattheircurrentlevel.
KYTChasademonstratedneedforpavementpreservation,rehabilitation,andreplacementof$4.5billionoverthenext10years.However,atcurrentfundinglevels,only$3.2billionwillbeavailable.
OPERATIONSANDMAINTENANCE
TheOperationsandPavementManagementBranchofKYTCaddressesoperationsandmaintenanceofroadsinthestate.Thisbranchcollectsdatafromthe12highwaydistrictsinordertomeasuretheconditionofKYTCassets,reportsystemperformance,andanalyzemaintenancebudgetaryneeds.Programswithinthebranchincludepavementmanagement,operationsmanagement,anda
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maintenanceratingprogram.Inaddition,KYTChasestablishedapavementpreventivemaintenanceprogramthathasgrowneachyearinscopeandfundingtoprovideadditionalalternativestoaddresspavementneeds.WhileKYTCmanagesandmaintainsapproximately35percentofKentucky'sroadways,alargepercentageofthenetworkismaintainedbyindividualcountygovernmentsandcityormunicipalgovernments.
Regularoperationsandmaintenanceprogramsarefundedthroughthelegislativelyapprovedstatemaintenancebudget,whichispartoftheapprovedtransportationbudget.Whenthecabinetexperiencesanyshortfallinmaintenancefundingduetoextremeweatherresponseorotheremergencies,fundsaredivertedfromconstructionfundingtomeettheseextraordinarycircumstances,whichmayslowprogressonthoseneededconstructionprojects.
Duringthewintermonths,roadsandhighwaysaremaintainedinatimelyfashion,largelyduetoKYTCadoptingapolicyseveralyearsagoofpretreatingroadwaystoreducetheinitialimpactofwinterstorms.Manylocalagenciesfollowedsuitandadoptedsimilarpolicies.KYTChashadalong-standingpolicytohaveaone-hourturnaroundontreatinginterstatesonceastormhasstarted,andthecabinethasatieredsysteminplacetotreattherestofthenetworkinorderofpriority.
OneareathatisaparticularchallengetotheoperationsandmaintenanceofKentuckyroadwaysisthatofstaffing.KYTCisstrugglingtomaintainprofessional,paraprofessional,andskilledstaffingsufficienttoperformthedutiesneeded.Contractingworkhasincreasedoverthelastseveralyears,whichisexpectedtocontinue.
PUBLICSAFETY
Intheareaofpublicsafety,KentuckyadoptedtheFederalHighwayAdministration's(FHWA)"TowardZeroDeaths"safetystrategyin2010,withthegoalofreducinghighwaydeathseachyearuntilthenumberoffatalitiesreacheszero.Thisstrategyisbeingimplementedusingadata-drivenapproachthattargetsspecificareasforimprovementsusingprovencountermeasures.Kentucky’sfatalityratein2017was1.59deathsper100millionvehicle-milestraveled(VMT).Thisratehasrangedfromalowof1.36fatalities/100millionVMTin2013toahighof1.70fatalities/100millionVMTin2016.Nationally,thefatalityrateper100millionVMTdecreasedby2.5percentfrom1.19in2016to1.16in2017.
KYTCisalsofocusedonreducingcrashesduetoroadwaydeparture,whichisdefinedasanon-intersectioncrashthathappensafteravehiclecrossesanedgelineorcenterlineoftheroad.Thesecrashesaccountfor70percentofallfatalcrashesinKentucky,comparedwith53percentnationally.KYTChasbeenfocusedonreducingroadwaydeparturecrashesbyevaluatingroadwaysegmentsforvariousriskfactorsandfundingprojectsonthosesegmentswiththehighestrisks.Risksincludehorizontalcurves,embankments,andothergeometricconsiderations.Intheseareas,KYTCworkstoeliminatefatalitiesandinjuriesbyremovingfixedobjectsneartheedgeofpavement,installingbarriers,improvingsignsandpavementmarkings,installinghigh-frictionsurfacetreatments,andimprovingrecoveryareasforerrantvehicles.
RESILIENCE&INNOVATION
KYTCissupportingseveralinnovativetechnologiesthatarehelpingwiththeresilienceofthestate'stransportationnetwork.Newsurveyingtools,suchasLightDetectionandRanging(LiDAR),GroundPenetratingRadar(GPR),anddigitalterrainmodelsforconstructionwillprovidebetterdatatoallowforincreasedprecisionofroadmappingwithdecreasedexpendituresoftimeandmoney.Inaddition,
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KYTCisexploringtheuseofe-ticketsforconstructionmaterials,whichcanhelpreducetruckingcosts,optimizeconstructiondeliverytimes,andreducepaperwork.
KYTCwasalsoanearlypartnerwiththeWazeConnectedCitizensprogramtoexchangetrafficandroadwayinformationwithaglobalnavigationapp.ThiscommunicationhasbeenextendedtoincludeGPS-equippedsnowtrucks.
Kentuckyalsoparticipatesinanotherinnovativenationalprogram,theFederalHighwayAdministration’sEveryDayCounts.Toenhanceroadwaysafety,KYTChasbeenworkingonAutomatedSignalTrafficControllersandproactivelyapplyingHighFrictionSurfaceTreatmentusingcalcinedbauxiteforproblemcurveswheretherehavebeeneightormorewet-weathercrashesoverafive-yearperiod.
InanefforttomakeKentucky'stransportationsystemmoreresilient,KYTCrecentlycompletedavulnerabilityassessmentthatidentifiedthemostlikelyextremeweathertobeexperiencedbythestate.Thatinformationwasthenappliedtoexistingpavements,andthebiggestthreatsweremapped.Thisisanimportantfirststepindevelopingaresponseplantoextremeweatherevents.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADEÜ SupportthesubmittedTAMP,SHSP,andtheSHIFTformulausedinthedevelopmentofthesix-
year2018HighwayPlan.EachoftheseeffortsbyKYTCisintheinterestofoperatingthenetworkefficientlyandshouldbegiventimetobecomeeffective.
Ü Increasetransportationfundingthroughavarietyofrevenuesources.Ü Continuetoresearchandevaluatenewsourcesoffunding,particularlyasnewtechnologyand
higherefficiencyhaveanimpactonpreviousfundingmodels.
DEFINITIONS/KEYTERMSAWP–AverageWholesalePrice
FHWA–TheFederalHighwayAdministration
KYTC–KentuckyTransportationCabinet
SHIFT–StrategicHighwayInvestmentFormulaforTomorrow
SHSP–StrategicHighwaySafetyPlan
TAMP–TransportationAssetManagementPlan
SOURCES1. KentuckyTransportationCabinet,DivisionofPlanningwebsite:
https://transportation.ky.gov/Planning/Pages/default.aspx
2. KentuckyTransportationCabinet,MaintenanceRatingProgram:https://transportation.ky.gov/Maintenance/Pages/Maintenance-Rating-Program-(MRP).aspx
3. KentuckyTransportationCabinet,2018RecommendedHighwayPlan:https://transportation.ky.gov/Program-Management/Highway%20Plan/2018RecHighwayPlanAll.pdf
4. "KentuckyTransportationbytheNumbers,":http://www.tripnet.org/Kentucky_State_Info.php
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SUMMARY
In2017,Kentuckyresidentsgenerated7.2milliontonsofmunicipalsolidwaste(MSW),whichisanaverageof5.5poundsofwasteperperson,perday.Thisisabovethenationalaveragebyabout25percent.Ofthewastegenerated,about38percentisrecycled;Kentuckiansaredoingbetterthanthenationalaverageinthisarea.Fortheremainingwastethatisnotrecycled,Kentuckyhas50permittedsolidwastefacilities,whichprocessed4.7milliontonsofwastein2017.SincethetimeofthelastKentuckyInfrastructureReportCardin2011,theCommonwealthhasincreaseditsnumberofsolidwastefacilities.In2011,therewere29,whichincludedcontainedandconstructiondemolitiondebrislandfillstogetherasonefacility,andtherewerenoresiduallandfills,whichacceptwastefromspecificindustrialcategories.In2018,Kentuckyhad50solidwastefacilities,including29containedlandfills,eightsitesthataregreaterthanoneacreforconstruction/demolitiondebris,and13residualfacilities.ThishasincreasedtheavailablecapacityintheCommonwealth’slandfills.However,asthetotalpopulationhasincreased,sohasKentucky'swastegeneration,andmoreworkisneededtomaintainorimprovecapacitytomeetfutureneeds.UnderfundingofprogramsattheDivisionofWasteManagementisamajorimpedimenttofurtherprogressinKentucky.
CONDITIONANDCAPACITY
InKentucky,theSolidWasteBranch(SWB),withintheDivisionofWasteManagement(DWM),isresponsibleforthesolid(non-hazardous)wasteprogram.TheDWMRecyclingandLocalAssistanceBranchcoordinateswitheachcountytoensurethatsolidwasteismanagedthroughanintegratedsystemofwastecollection,reduction,andrecycling.
All120Kentuckycountiesofferasystemofuniversalwastecollection,whichmeansthatcollectionserviceisavailabletohouseholdseitherthroughcurbsidecollection,drop-offcollectioncenters,ortransferstations.Bystatelaw,wastehaulersarerequiredtoreportannuallythenumberofhouseholdsservicedandthemonthlycostofservice.Currently,86percentofKentuckiansparticipateinanapprovedwastecollectionprogram.Thisratehasremainedconsistentsince2006.
AsthetotalpopulationinKentuckyhasincreased,sohasitswastegeneration.In2017,Kentuckyresidentsgenerated7.2milliontonsofmunicipalsolidwaste(MSW).Ofthis,61.6percentwassenttolandfills,and38.4percentwasrecycled.Thisrepresentsaslightlyhigherrateofrecyclingwhencomparedwiththenationalrateof34.7percentforrecyclingandcompostingasof2015.Figure1showsthatwhilethemajorityofsolidwastegeneratedinKentuckyissenttoKentuckylandfills,therecyclingeffortintheCommonwealthcontinuestogrow.
IntheU.S.,thenationalaverageofMSWisapproximately4.44poundsperperson,perday.Atroughly5.5poundsperperson,perday,KentuckyisgeneratingmorewasteperpersonthantheaverageU.S.citizen.Afterseeingsteadydeclinesinthisnumberoverthelastdecade,thisratehascontinuedtoseesmallincreasesyearafteryearsince2014.
Todisposeofthiswaste,thereare50permittedlandfillsinKentucky.ThoughtheCommonwealthdoesnotdifferentiatebetweenclasses(somestatesdefinelandfillsaseitherClassIorClassII),landfillsinKentuckyaregenerallycategorizedbywhattypeofwasteisdisposedthere:(1)residual,(2)construction/demolitiondebris(CDD),(3)specialwaste,and(4)containedlandfills.Acontainedlandfillisonethathasabottomlinertokeeptrashandanyliquidsfromleachingintotheground.
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Figure29.MunicipalSolidWasteGeneratedinKentucky,DivisionofWasteManagement.
Ofthe50landfillsinKentucky,29arecontained(26haveoperatingpermitsandthreehavenotyetbeenconstructed),eightaregreaterthanoneacreCDDunits,and13areresiduallandfills.
Thetotalremainingairspacecapacityofthe50permittedlandfillsisapproximately313millioncubicyardsbasedon2017annualsurveys.Thismeetstherequirementofaminimumof20yearsofsolidwastedisposalcapacity.Therearecurrentlyatleastfourcontainedlandfillsthatareatornearcapacity;thesearelocatedineasternandcentralKentucky.
Allofthepermittedlandfillsareownedbyprivateentities,publiclytradedcompanies,ormunicipalities.
Thereare11materialrecoveryfacilities(MRF)inKentucky.MRFsarespecializedplantsthatreceive,separate,andpreparerecyclablematerialsformarketingtoend-usermanufacturers.
Thoughsomestatesburnaportionofmunicipalsolidwasteforcreatingenergy,thereisnoMSWbeingburnedinKentucky,althoughseverallandfillsintheCommonwealthuselandfillgasforenergyconversion.
OPERATION&MAINTENANCE
TheKentuckyDWMpermitsandregulateslandfills.TheSolidWasteBranchisresponsibleforreviewingtechnicalapplicationsandreportsforalltypesoflandfills,includingresidentialgarbage,constructiondebris,industrialwaste,sludge,andspecialwastesuchascoalash.Thisbranchalsoissuesordeniesconstructionandoperationpermitsandisalsoresponsibleforclosuresofabandonedhistoriclandfills.AllKentuckypermittedlandfillshaveclosureandmonitoringrequirements.
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ThepermittedlandfillsinKentuckyareoperatedbyprivateentities,publiclytradedcompanies,ormunicipalitieswhichareallself-fundedbywastecollectionanddisposalfees.TheaveragecostpermonthforhouseholdcurbsideMSWcollectionwas$15.79in2016.
AlllandfilloperatorsintheCommonwealthhaveplansforaddressingfuturecapacity.EachofKentucky’s120countiesisrequiredtofilefive-yearsolidwastemanagementplanswiththeDWM.Theseplansrequirecapacityassurancelettersfromlandfillsandwasteprojectionsfor20years.
Landfillsoftenincludespecificareasforsortingwasteandcontainingleachate,anyliquidthatpassesthroughthewasteanddrainsfromthelandfill.ThepermittedlandfillsinKentuckycollectleachateintanksorlagoonswithlinersystems,ifrequired.Theleachateissometimesrecirculatedincontainedlandfills.Leachatesaretypicallytreatedbydisposaleitherwithanon-siteoroff-sitewastewatertreatmentplant.
TheClosureSectionofDWMoverseestheHistoricLandfillsProgram,inwhich“orphan”landfillscanbemonitoredandclosed.Anorphanlandfillisonethatmaynothavebeenofficiallyclosedbutstoppedacceptingwastebefore1992,whentheEPAputmorestringentpoliciesandpenaltiesinplace.Thecurrenttotalnumberoflandfillsidentifiedinthisprogramis669with16currentlyactiveprojectsandoneprojectcompletedlastyear.Withverylimitedsourcesoffundingforthisprogram,therearelimitationstomonitoringandclosingthesesites,whichhavethepotentialforcausingadverseeffectsonhumanhealthandtheenvironmentduetoexposuretounknowntoxinsthatcanseepintothesoilandgroundwater.
FUNDING
BecausepermittedKentuckylandfillsareeitherprivatelyownedorpubliclyowned,theyareself-fundedthroughwastecollectionfees.Landfillschargeatippingfee,whichisthechargelevieduponagivenquantityofwastewhenitisemptiedor"tipped"outofthetruck.Kentucky’saveragetippingfeeisapproximately$39.91/ton.Basedon4,705,072tonsofMSWsenttolandfillsinKentuckyin2017,thetotaltippingfeeswouldbeapproximately$188million.Allofthisrevenuegoesdirectlytotheoperationsandmaintenanceoftheindividuallandfills.
Inordertoencouragecitizenstoreduce,reuse,andrecyclesolidwaste,Kentuckyoffersannualgrantsforthefollowingprograms:
Ü LitterAbatement
Ü IllegalOpenDumpRemediation
Ü WasteTireCollection
Ü CrumbRubberLandscaping
Ü Rubber-ModifiedAsphaltChipSealing
Ü RecyclingInfrastructure
Ü HouseholdHazardousWasteCollection
Ü Composting
InFiscalYear2017,73entitieswereawardedgrantstotalingmorethan$4.6million.Forty-fiverecyclinggrantswereawardedtocities,counties,anduniversities.Thesegrantshelpfundtheestablishmentorexpansionofrecyclingoperations.
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FUTURENEED
Withnearly700orphanlandfillsinKentucky,fundingisneededforadditionalfieldstafftoinspectandmonitorsitesthathavebeenrepairedbytheClosureSectionofDWM.Withcurrentfunding,theCommonwealthisonlyabletoaddressasmallnumberofprojectsintheHistoricLandfillsProgrameachyear.
KentuckyhasaRecyclingGrantProgramwithagoalofbuildingrecyclinginfrastructure,ofteninareaswherefewopportunitiesexistforcitizenstorecycletheirwaste.Thisprogramassistscities,counties,anduniversitiesinfundingtheestablishmentorexpansionofrecyclingoperations,withanemphasisonregionalcooperativeefforts.Evenwiththisfundingsourceinplace,thereistypicallylittlefinancialincentiveforindividualsorsmallbusinessestorecyclesolidwastematerials.Additionalseedcapitalfundsorsometypeoffinancialincentiveisneededtoencourageindividualsandsmallbusinessestorecyclesincealargeamountoftotalsolidwastecomesfromtheseareas.
AnotheropportunitythatneedsfundinginordertoberealizedistheexplorationofawastemanagementsystemthatrecognizesMSWasmoreofaresourcetobeutilizedthansimplywastetobedisposedof.Forexample,wastecanbeusedforenergyproduction,whereoldlandfillsmaybeminedasasourceofmetals,glass,andplasticsforrecycling.Additionalfundingforaprogramofthistypeisneededinordertoexploreinnovativewaysofhandlingsolidwaste.
PUBLICSAFETY&RESILIENCE
TheprimarymissionofKentucky'sDivisionofWasteManagementistoprotecthumanhealthandtheenvironment.TheCommonwealthcurrentlyhasstatutesandregulationsinplacetooverseemunicipalsolidwastelandfills,andtheseregulationsareinplacetoaddresscommonlandfillproblems,suchaslocationrestrictions,linerrequirements,leachatecollectionremovalsystems,groundwatermonitoringrequirements,andclosureandpost-closurecare.
WiththemajorityofKentucky'selectricitycomingfromcoal-firedplants,theCCRproducedduringthisprocessisanongoingconcernfortheCommonwealth.AsignificantportionofCCRisbeneficiallyreusedinvariousindustrialprocesses,includingcementandconcretemanufacturing,wallboardproduction,cosmetics,androofingshingles.CCRsthatarenotusedinindustrialprocessesarepresentlydisposedofinlandfills.Anew"CCRrule"fromtheEPAhasresultedinutilitiesclosingsomecoalashslurryponds,whichshouldyieldpositiveenvironmentalresultsforthecitizensoftheCommonwealth.Inthefuture,newCCRwillbedisposedofinexistingornewCCR-specificunits.TheCommonwealthofKentuckyhadaninitialprogramofdeferencetothefederalCCRrulethatwasoverturnedinalawsuit.KentuckyisnowintheprocessofestablishinganewstatepermittingprocessfortheconstructionofanynewCCRunits.Thisprocessneedstobeexpeditedtoaddressfuture,safedisposalneeds.
Kentuckydoesnothavestatedpoliciesonsustainability;however,alllandfilloperatorsintheCommonwealtharerequiredtosubmitfive-yearplansforaddressingfuturecapacity,aswellaswasteprojectionsfor20years.
DWMalsoconductsannualsolidwasteworkshopsandoffersanabundanceoftraining.
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INNOVATION
Kentuckyhassomeinnovativeprogramstorepurposewaste,includingafairlysophisticatedandhealthywastetireprogram.A$1pertirefeehasgeneratedabout$2.7millionperyear,whichhasbeenusedtofundseveralprograms,includingtheCrumbRubberandtheRubberModifiedAsphaltrecyclinggrants.Thefeewasincreasedto$2pertirestartingJuly1,2018.WithDWMestimatesofabout3.7millionwastepassengerandsmalltrucktiresbeinggeneratedannuallyinKentucky,thishasthepotentialtoprovidefundingforevenmoreinnovativeprograms,assumingthattheincreasedfeeismadeavailabletotheWasteTireTrustFund.Thedivision'sgoalistodiversifymarketsandcontinuetofindnewinnovations.
TheRecyclingandLocalAssistance(RLA)BranchoftheDWMrecentlyexpandedtheirrecyclingprogramtoalsooffergrantsforcomposting.Duringthe2016-17grantcycle,asuccessfulpilotprojectwasfundedinFranklinCounty,andfivenewcompostinggrantswereawardedinFiscalYear2017-18.Thereisanenormousopportunitytoachievehigherlandfilldiversionrateswithmorecomprehensivecomposting.Itisexpectedthatthisgrantwillincreaseinpopularityoverthenextfewyears.Dependingontheavailabilityoffunds,RLAplanstoexpandandincludemoregranteesinfuturegrantcycles.
Nationally,12.8percentofsolidwastewascombustedwithenergyrecoveryin2015.ThisisanareathatKentuckyneedstoexploreinpartnershipwithprivateandmunicipalutilities.
Residentialglassrecyclingremainsproblematicduetothecross-contaminationofmaterialsincurbsidecollection,whichgreatlydiminishesitsmarketvalue.However,Kentuckyisseeingsomesmall-scalesuccessinlocalre-useofpulverizedglassinroadbeds,landscapingmulch,anddecorativeartprojects.KDWMcontinuestolookforwaystodivertwastefromlandfillsandfindnewusesforoldmaterials.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADE
Ü IncreasefundingfortheHistoricLandfillsProgrambyraisinguserfeessothatmoreofthesesitescanbemonitoredandclosedsoonerratherthanlater,whichwouldreducethehealthandsafetyimpactstocommunitiesandtheenvironment.
Ü Increasefundingforrecyclinganddevelopingadditionalmarketsforrecyclablematerials.Kentuckyshouldmakerecyclingeconomicallyadvantageoustoallcitizens.
Ü IncreasefundingforadditionalpersonnelintheSolidWasteBranchoftheKentuckyDivisionofWasteManagementtoaddressanincreasingworkload,includingCCRRule-relatedpermitting.
Ü EncourageEnergyrecoverywithutilitycompaniesthroughsolidwastecombustion.
Ü Continuetheefforttoestablishastatepermittingprocessfornewcoalcombustionresidual(CCR)landfills.
DEFINITIONS
CCR–CoalCombustionResiduals
DWM–DivisionofWasteManagement
MRF–MaterialRecoveryFacility
MSW–MunicipalSolidWaste
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RLA–RecyclingandLocalAssistance
SWB–SolidWasteBranch
SOURCES
1. DepartmentforEnvironmentalProtection,DivisionofWasteManagementwebsite–http://waste.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx
2. DivisionofWasteManagementFiscalYear2017AnnualReport–http://waste.ky.gov/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx
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SUMMARYNearly20yearsago,thegovernorofKentuckyissuedanExecutiveOrdertoprovidewaterandwastewaterservicetoeveryKentuckianbytheyear2020.Inresponse,astrategicplanforwastewaterwasdevelopedinearly2000,whichprovidedrecommendationstobecarriedoutoverthenext20years.Manyoftheoriginalrecommendationshavealreadybeenimplemented,anditisimportanttorecognizetheimprovementsthathavebeenmadeoverthepasttwodecades.
However,theCommonwealthofKentuckyisfacedwithtreatmentfacilitiesthatareanaverageof36yearsold,aswellasagingpipelinesthatsendwastewatertothetreatmentplants.Someofthesepipesaremorethan70yearsold,andmanyofthemarelarge-diameterpipesthathavethegreatestimpactonacommunitywhentheyfail.Meanwhile,40percentofKentuckiansrelyonseptictanksorotherprivatesystems,theconditionofwhichisgenerallyunknown.The2012CleanWatershedsNeedsSurvey(CWNS)indicated$6.2billioninneedsforwastewaterprojectsinKentucky.Agingwastewaterinfrastructureandalackoffundingneededtoimplementallnecessaryimprovementsareofconcern.
CONDITIONANDCAPACITY
SixtypercentofKentucky's4.4millionresidentsareservicedbywastewatertreatmentplants(WWTPs).Thisisa5percentincreaseinthenumberofKentuckiansservedsincethe2011KentuckyInfrastructureReportCard.Kentucky’smunicipaltreatmentplantshaveacombinedcapacityof690milliongallonsperday.Basedon2012flowdata,theseplantshaveanaverageof40percentavailablecapacity.
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Waterandwastewaterinfrastructurecanbeexpectedtoprovideusefulservicefor20to100years.Someoftheseoldestpipesincludelarge-diametersewersthataresusceptibletocollapseandcave-insduetotheirdeterioratedcondition.Failureoftheselarge-diameterpipesoftenresultsinagreaterimpacttothecommunity.Thecollapsedsewerpipesdamageotherutilitiesinthevicinity,causingdisruptionofservicetocustomersandpotentialhealthhazardsbyreleasingwastewaterintothecommunity.Pipingandstoragesystemsshouldbeexpectedtolast75to100years,orlonger,ifproperlymaintained,andmanyofthesesystemsinKentuckyarereachingtheendoftheirdesignlife.
In17Kentuckycommunities,thesewercollectionsystemconveysrainwaterrunoff,domesticsewage,andindustrialwastewaterallinonepipeandtransportsittoaWWTPfortreatment.Duringdryweatherconditions,thiscombinedsewersystemconveysonlythedomesticsewageandindustrialwastewatertotreatmentfacilities.However,duringheavyrainevents,theadditionalvolumeofstormrunoffflowmixeswiththesewageandwastewater,exceedingcapacity,andcausinguntreatedsewagetooverflowintoreceivingwatersofstreams,rivers,orotherbodiesofwater,whichiscalleda“combinedseweroverflow.”
Thesecombinedseweroverflow(CSO)dischargeshavebeenidentifiedasasignificantthreattothewaterqualityofmuchofthecountry’sreceivingwaters.Removingstormwaterfromthesanitarysystemisrecommendedbecauseitfreesupcapacityinsewersandsavesmoneyonpumpingandtreatingstormwater.Atthetimeofthe2011reportcard,therewere17combinedsewersystems(CSSs)inKentucky,buttwoofthemhavesincecompletelyseparatedtheirwastewaterandstormwatersystems.Manycommunitiesfinditnotfeasibletoseparatetheircombinedsystems.
Theremaining15CSSshavebeenworkingtoreducethenumberofoverflowsthroughtargetedseparationandflow
equalization.ThesecommunitiesusetoolssuchasLongTermControlPlans(LTCP)andCapacity,Management,OperationandMaintenancePrograms(CMOMs)tocomplywiththeirconsentdecrees.Combined,these15communitieshavemorethan342overflowpoints.TheEPA’s2008CleanWaterNeedsSurveyindicatedthat$312millionwouldberequiredtocorrectCSO-relatedproblemsinKentucky.Ascommunitiesbegandevelopingtheactualprojectsrequiredtocomplywithconsentdecrees/orders,thecostsjumpedto$945millionby2012.Communitiesnowreportonly$65.5millionremainingincoststoreducetheoverflowstoregulatedstandards.Kentucky’sCSScommunitieshavedonesignificantworktotheirsewersystemstoreduceoverflows.Since2003,Kentuckyhaseliminated72CSOsandreducedannualoverflowvolumefrom5.84billiongallonsto3.10billiongallons.
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Rawsewagereleasesfromsanitarypipesarecalledsanitaryseweroverflows(SSOs).CommunitiesinKentuckyhavebeenworkingtoreduceSSOsbyaddingadditionalstorageandconveyancecapacityandbyfixinginflowandinfiltrationintoinfrastructure.However,SSOsarestillhappeningandcommunitiesshouldcontinuetoaddressthisconcern.
The40percentofKentuckiansnotservicedbypublicWWTPsandcollectionsystemsarehouseholdswithseptictanks,otherpermittedonsitesystemsor,insomeruralareas,straightpipestoareceivingstream.A"straightpipe"isdefinedasapipedraininghouseholdsewageandwastewaterstraightintocreeks,streams,orotherwaterways.Thoughthenumberofstraightpipeshasbeenreducedinrecentyears,useofthemcontinues,whichisbothillegalandarisktopublichealth.
OPERATION&MAINTENANCE
Routinemaintenanceisimportanttomaintaintheserviceabilityofthestate'ssewerinfrastructure,andeachWWTPisresponsibleforitsownoperationsandmaintenance.Astheageofinfrastructureincreases,utilitiesmustplanandpayforcostlyrepairs.Ingeneral,therehavebeenimprovementstoO&MpracticesthathaveoftenbeendrivenbytheconsentdecreesandagreementsandthroughStateRevolvingFund(SRF)requirements.Manycommunitiesareleftwithtightbudgetsforoperationsandmaintenanceneedsandadecreaseinskilledpersonnel.
Toeffectivelymanagebudgetsandensuretherightinvestmentsaremadeattherighttime,manypublicWWTPstracktheconditionoftheirassetsthroughorganizedassetmanagementprograms.Thistypeofsystemhelpsmunicipalitiesassignprioritytoprojectsbasedoncriticalityandcondition.Thistypeofmanagementisencouragedtoallowcommunitiestoplanprojectsinsteadofdealingwithproblemsonanemergencybasis.
InadditiontothefinancialresourcesrequiredforproperO&M,municipalitiesarestrugglingtomaintaintheskilledworkforcerequiredtooperateandmaintainsystemsthatareincreasingincomplexity.Electricians,mechanics,plumbers,andheavyequipmentoperatorsareallcurrentlyinshortsupplyastheeconomyexpands.
Theshortageoftheskilledworkforceispredictedtobealong-termconcernforutilities.Asignificantnumberofexperiencedworkershiredfrom1985to1995arenoweligibletoretire.Inaddition,nowthattheeconomyhasrecoveredfromthe2008recession,manyutilitiesarelosingyoungertalenttomarketcompetition.Asanexample,theKentuckyDivisionofWaterhaslostasignificantnumberofexperiencedemployeesoverthepastfiveyears.Wagesarenotcompetitiveforengineersandscientistsduetoarobusteconomy.Theonceattractivepensionsystemisnolongeravailableforneweremployees.Asaresult,retainingandattractingtalent(engineers,scientists,andthoseininformationtechnologyandtrades)isquicklybecomingatopissuefacingthewaterandwastewaterindustriesinKentucky.
FUNDINGThe2012CleanWatershedsNeedsSurvey(CWNS)indicated$6.2billioninneedsforwastewaterprojectsinKentucky.Communitieshavetogeneratethefundstopayfortheseneeds.
AcrosstheCommonwealth,theaveragesewerrateper4,000gallonsis$34.12.Thisrateis1percentofthemedianhouseholdincome,whichishalfthesuggestedpercentageestablishedbytheEPA'saffordabilityindex.Theaveragetimesincethemostrecentsewerrateadjustmentis4.1years.Many
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municipalitiesarestrugglingtopayfortheircapitalprojectsandhigherO&Mcostsduetoincreasesinthecostoffuel,labor,andotherresources,yettheyarenotraisingtheirrates.Thishesitancycanbeattributedtoanumberoffactors,includingpoliticalpressurenottoraiseratesandconcernsaboutaffordability,eventhoughincreaseduserfeesareconsideredtobethebestwaytoappropriatecosts.
Overthepast20years,residentialwaterconsumptionhasdeclined,resultingindecreasedrevenueforwastewaterutilities.Theresultofdecliningconsumptionessentiallymeanswater/wastewaterrateswillneedtorisemuchfasterthaninflationtomaintainthesamelevelofservice.
Inadditiontorevenueshortagesoverthelastsevenyears,manymunicipalbudgetshavebeentiedtotheeffortstoreduceoverflows.Althoughthisisanimportantstepinrepairingoursewersandmakingourwaterwayssafe,ithaspulledmoneyawayfromothertypesofnecessarysewerprojects.
Thecoalseverancetaxhashistoricallybeenoneofthelargestpoolsofeconomicdevelopmentresourcesintheregion.Coalproductionprovidedacoalseverancetaxtopartiallyfundsewerextensionsandotherinfrastructureprojects.In2012,coaltaxreceiptswere$298million,butin2016,duetodecreasedcoalproduction,receiptsdroppedto$120million,asignificantdecreaseinfundsforinfrastructureprojects.Manycommunitiespreviouslyusedthisfundingforeliminationofstraightpipes;however,withthissourceoffundingatasteepdecline,thestraightpipeinitiativeisonlybeingfocusedoninthreeKentuckycounties.
AnadditionalsourceoffundingforwastewaterprojectsinKentuckyistheCleanWaterStateRevolvingFund(CWSRF).TheCWSRFisa20-yearloanprogramforplanning,design,andconstructionofwastewaterinfrastructureprojects,stormwaterprojects,andnonpointsourceprojects.Since2011,yearlyprojectcommitmentdollarshaveaveraged$78million.In2018,theCWSRFreceivedthehighestfundinginnearlyadecade.Thefundhassuccessfullysustaineditsabilitytofundnecessarywastewaterprojects.
Inaddition,theWaterInfrastructureFinanceandInnovationAct(WIFIA)programprovideslong-term,low-costsupplementalloansforregionallyandnationallysignificantprojects.Todate,Kentuckyhasnothadsignificantparticipationinthisprogram.
Figure30.Failuresoflarge-diametersewerscreatehugeimpacts.Thiscave-inclosedseverallanesofabusyintersection.Communitiesneedtobeabletofundpreventivemaintenanceprojectstoaddressaginginfrastructure.
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Thesefundingsourcescouldbeanattractivealternativeforutilitiestoavoidtherisingcostofcapitalintheopenmarket.
FUTURENEEDIn2016,theKentuckyAssemblycreatedHouseJointResolution(HJR)56,whichdirectedtheDivisionofWatertocollectdataonall180small,privatelyoperatedwastewatertreatmentplants.Withapresenceinnearlyeverycounty,mostofthesesmallerplantsareolderthantheirdesignlifeandareapproachingcriticalservicejunctures,withsignificantinfrastructureinvestmentsneededtocontinueservice.TheEnergyandEnvironmentCabinethasofferedrecommendationsforoversightofthesesystems,whichincludesfacilitatingregionalizationorconsolidationandimprovingsystemoperationandoversight.Theserecommendationsareinneedoffundinginordertobeimplemented.
TheKentuckyInfrastructureAuthority's(KIA)ReportonCommunityNeedsreportedaneedsincreaseof3.1percentoverall,withashiftinprioritiesfromCSOcorrectionstoincreasedinvestmentsintreatmentplantsandcollectionsystems.Thiswouldincludefixingpipestopreventleaks,extensionstonewsystems,andconstructionofinterceptorprojects.
TheKentuckyWastewaterManagementPlan,publishedbyKIAinFebruary2015,statesthereare18newsewagetreatmentplantsproposedinthenexttenyears.Inaddition,theplanstatesthereare473milesofsewerlinerehabilitationneededand387milesofinterceptorlinesneededinthenext10years.Theestimatedfundingneedforprojectsinthefirstfiveyearsis$1.7billion,andtheestimatedfundingneedforprojectsfromYear6toYear10is$359million.
Usingtoday’saveragedailyflows,mostofKentucky’smunicipaltreatmentplantshaveavailablecapacity.But,32plantsarenearingcapacity.However,thisdoesnottakeintoaccountprojectedgrowthforcommunities.Animportantconsiderationthatmunicipalitiesshouldconsideristheneedofindustrialusers.Forexample,thebourbonindustryhascreatedaboomofdevelopmentinsomelocationsinlargeandsmallcommunitieswhichinitiatedtheneedforconstructionofnewsewersandupsizingofexistingsewers,pumpstations,andtreatment.Smallermunicipalitieswithalimitedcustomerbasemaystruggletopayforthecostofthisgrowth.
Anotherchallengeformunicipalplantsistheanticipatedfutureregulatoryrequirementstomeetadvancedtreatmentlevels,relatedtotheremovalofpharmaceuticalpollutionandnutrients.
Figure31.WastewaterTreatmentPlantsAcrossKentucky.
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PUBLICSAFETYTheKentuckyDivisionofWater(DOW)hasenteredinto15communitiesmandatingeliminationormanagementofCSOsandinsomecases,theeliminationofSSOs.Inaddition,twoutilities,MetropolitanSewerDistrict,MSD,inLouisvilleandSanitationDistrict1,SD1innorthernKentucky,enteredintojointfederalandKentuckyconsentdecreesforthesamepurpose.Reducingrawsewageoverflowsintowaterwayswillincreasewaterqualityandpublicsafety.
In2018,KentuckypassedHouseBill513toaddressadecliningcompliancerateforsmall,privatelyownedsewersystems.Thebillrequiresprivatelyownedtreatmentsystemstooperatewithimprovedmanagementpractices,includinghavinganassetmanagementplaninplace,holdinginsuranceontheirfacilities,conductingstructuralanalysisofstructuresifneeded,andotherfeaturesthatbetterprotectthepublicfrommismanagement.Italsoallowspublicagenciestoenterintooperationsandmanagementagreementswithotherentities,anditallowstheagencytoacquireorleasepropertyoutsideoftheirmunicipalorjurisdictionalboundaries.WhilethisisapositivesteptoenhancepublicsafetyforKentuckians,thesemeasuresonlyapplytosystemsreceivinganeworrenewedoperatingpermit.Becausepermitrenewalsareonlyrequiredeveryfiveyears,therewillcontinuetobemanyoftheseprivatelyownedsystemsnotoperatingundertheseimprovedpracticesforseveralyears.
RESILIENCE
Awarenessofweatherpatternshasincreasedinrecentyearswithgreaterunderstandingoftheeffectsofclimatechange.ChangesaredifficulttoquantifyinKentucky,butstormshavebothincreasedinseverityandinthenumberoflightningstrikes,resultinginmorefrequentfloodinganddisruptionstopower.Moretreatmentfacilitiesandpumpstationsareaddingback-upgeneratorsandportablegeneratorsinpreparationforbackinguppowersources.
KentuckyadoptedKYWARN(23),anationalmutualaidmodelforwaterandwastewaterutilitiestoassisteachotherduringnaturalorman-madedisasters.Theemergencyassistancecanbeintheformofequipment,supplies,andmanpowertohelputilitiesduringadisasteroremergency.KYWARNalso
Figure32.Constructionofa20million-gallonCSOstoragetankalongtheOhioRiver.Oncecompleted,thetankwillbehiddenundergroundand
usedtoprotecttheriverbypreventingcombinedsewer
overflows.
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coordinateswithlocalemergencymanagementauthorities,theKentuckyEmergencyManagementAgency,andFEMAforemergencyassistance.Over70water/wastewaterutilitiesparticipateinKYWARN,and24haveexecutedmutualaidagreements.
KIAhasaddedaSustainableInfrastructureInitiativeaspartoftheirfundingstrategy.Thegoalistoreducethefundinggapbetweenprojectedinvestmentneedsandthecurrentspendinglevelsatfederalandlocallevels.ThegoalisachievedthroughstronginfrastructureplanningandmanagementpracticessuchasAssetManagement,WaterandEnergyEfficiency,InfrastructureFinancing,PriceofWaterService,andAlternativeTechnologiesandAssessment.
CWSRFalsorequiresborrowerstofundarepairandreplacementreserveaccountequalto5percentoftheirloanover20years.Theborrower’sabilitytorepayitsloanshasadirecteffectontheresilienceoftheCWSRF.
INNOVATIONInKentucky,graywaterandotherprocess-reusealternativeshavebeenconsidered,buttheeconomicbenefitisdifficulttoachieveduetotherelativelylowcostofabundantwaterresourcesinmostofthestate.
Louisville'sMSDisintheprocessofissuingaRequestforProposalsforaSolidsHandlingProjectforallWQTCs.Theproposalwillhaveaself-imposedrequirementtoincludesustainabilityinanysuggestedalternatives.
TheNorthernKentuckySanitationDistrictNo.1implementedinnovativeenergymanagementplansin2014foreachoftheirwastewaterplants.Theseeffortsincludedreplacementofablowerwithamoreefficientmodel,automatingchemicalfeedsystems,anddownsizingpumpstoacapacitythatisneeded.Theseinnovationshavesavedthedistrictapproximately$200,000peryearbycontrollingandreducingchemicalandenergyuse.
Kentuckyisworkingtoprovideknowledgeandtoolstoensurethattheinvestmentsmadeinourwastewaterinfrastructurewillmoveustowardamoresustainablefooting.
RECOMMENDATIONSTORAISETHEGRADEThefollowingrecommendationsaresupportedbyASCEinordertoraisethegradeofKentucky'swastewaterinfrastructure:
Ü CommunitiesshouldcontinuetoeducatetheirusersaboutthevalueofwastewaterservicestoprotectthewaterresourcesoftheCommonwealth.
Ü Utilitiesshouldstriveforfullcostpricingoftheirwastewaterservicesinordertosupporttheoperations,maintenance,andcapitalcostsoftheinfrastructure.Thismayrequireraisingratesforsomeutilities.
Ü Stateregulatoryagenciesshouldencourageastatewideefforttoremovestraightpipesandrepairfailingsepticsystems.
Ü Wastewaterindustry,regulatoryagencies,andutilitiesshouldimplementinnovativerecruitmentandjobtrainingstrategiestodevelopasustained,skilledworkforce.Programswoulddeveloptalentneededinbothadministrationandoperationallevelstaff.
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Ü ContinueadvocacyandfundingforrenewingagingwastewaterinfrastructurethroughtheCleanWaterStateRevolvingFund(CWSRF)loanprogram,WaterInfrastructureFinanceInnovationAct(WIFIA),andotherviablefundingsourcesatthefederal,state,andlocallevels.
Ü Communitiesshouldeducatethemselvesonpotentialfundingsourcesandtheirrequirementsandbeginplanningforthefundingintheconceptualphasesofprojects.Developmentdistricts,industryassociations,orotheradvocacygroupscouldbetheirchampionsofthiseducation.
Ü Promoteandsupportfundingofappliedresearchanddevelopmentinareasofinnovativewastewatertechnology,sustainability,security,waterquality,andinfrastructureresiliency.
DEFINITIONS/KEYTERMSCMOM–Capacity,Management,Operations,andMaintenanceCSO–CombinedSewerOverflowCSS–CombinedSewerSystemsCWNS–CleanWatershedsNeedsSurveyCWSRF–CleanWaterStateRevolvingFundDOW–KentuckyDivisionofWaterLTCP-LongTermControlPlanSORP–SewerOverflowResponseProtocolsSRF–StateRevolvingFundSSO–SanitarySewerOverflowWQTC-WaterQualityTreatmentCenterWWTP–WastewaterTreatmentPlant
SOURCES1. KentuckyWaterIssuesbriefingpaper2. 2011KentuckyWastewaterIssueBrief3. 2012CleanWatershedNeedsSurvey4. ListofNPDESPermittedWastewaterTreatmentPlantsandDesignFlow5. KentuckyDivisionofWater,WetWeatherTeamwebsite6. CircleofBluenewsarticle,"StraightPipesFoulKentucky'sLongQuesttoCleanitsSoiledWaters"7. KentuckyInfrastructureAuthority'sWastewaterSystemRateList8. KentuckyWastewaterManagementPlanfromKentuckyInfrastructureAuthority,February20159. ReporttoKentuckyLegislativeResearchCommissiononHouseJointResolution56(2017)10. IntendedUsePlanCleanWaterStateRevolvingFund,KentuckyFiscalYear201811. KentuckyInfrastructureAuthority'sListofFundingneedsforKentuckyWastewaterSystems12. IntegratedReporttoCongressontheConditionofWaterResourcesinKentucky,2014,Volume113. Brookingsarticle,"Fivestepstopreparethenextgenerationofwaterworkers,"June29,2018.14. KentuckyHouseBill513