Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announces $1 million Kenton County waterline grant

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced Sunday plans to design and construct a new $1 million waterline project in Kenton County.

The project will provide public water service to residents who currently depend on cisterns and wells that are vulnerable to contamination.

“Modern, quality infrastructure is an imperative to helping our Kentucky communities grow and thrive,” Gov. Beshear said in a press release. “Thanks to this new waterline project in Kenton County, residents who have never had access to public water service have the opportunity to get guaranteed safe drinking water in their homes for the first time.”

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) will go to the Northern Kentucky Water District via the Kenton County Fiscal Court for the design and construction of 6.74 miles of waterlines, fire hydrants and related appurtenances. 

Once implemented, the project will provide water service to 135 households and reduce each household’s water rate cost in the following areas: Cruises Creek, Decoursey Pike, Lakeview Drive, as well as Fontana, Rich, Rouse and Camp roads.

Water tests recently conducted in the area found 12 bad wells and cisterns, and 13 instances of contamination, including the E. coli bacteria. A considerable number of residents in this area purchase and use bottled water for drinking in order to avoid safety risks, according to the press release.

“I am grateful to the Governor for his efforts to make sure our community has funding to improve critical infrastructure needs,” said Sen. Damon Thayer who was at Piner Baptist Church in Morning View Saturday to present the grant check to Kenton County.

“It is vital to the health of our citizens to have access to water that is safe and reliable, and this support will now make that a reality for my constituents in south Kenton County.”

The state’s CDBG program is administered by Department for Local Government and funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).