Gov. Andy Beshear says that two water infrastructure projects have been completed in eastern Kentucky.
Beshear said a $1.7 million project in Breathitt County replaced more than a mile of water line serving 950 households. The area was damaged in the 2022 floods.
During his Team Kentucky Update, the governor said another project on the Knott-Perry county line replaces several miles of water line along KY 80 that serves 2,500 households. That project cost $8.25 million.
“As you can imagine, the terrain in eastern Kentucky can be a challenge to both build and maintain adequate water lines,” he said. “Many were hit hard by flood after flood after flood, and many of our systems are older, in need of repair.”
The projects are supported by the Water Supply Replacement Program, funded through the federal Abandoned Mine Land program.
Some of that funding was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Joe Biden signed in 2022.
“These projects are important to the health and wellbeing of our families,” Beshear said. “Clean, safe, reliable drinking water should not be in question for anyone.”
The law, which had the support of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, and Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, included an additional $11 billion for the AML program, which helps with economic development and infrastructure projects in coalfield communities.
The rest of Kentucky’s congressional delegation voted against the bill.
