Central Kentucky has a serious water supply deficit. It’s real, it’s here now, and it must be corrected soon.

Kentucky American Water and other Central Kentucky water utilities invested extensive resources over 20 years to develop not just a solution, but the best solution.

That’s why we say with confidence that the best — the least expensive and most feasible — option for solving our water supply problem is to build a water treatment plant on

Kentucky River’s Pool 3 and bring treated water to our system through an underground water line.

It’s the best option for our customers in Fayette and nine other counties, and the Bluegrass Water Supply Commission (BWSC) selected it as best for customers in Berea, Cynthiana, Frankfort, Georgetown, Lancaster, Lexington, Nicholasville, Paris, Mt. Sterling and Winchester.

Two nationally recognized, independent engineering firms analyzed numerous alternatives in helping make this determination: buying treated water from utilities in Louisville, Northern Kentucky and from east of the region; rehabilitating the lock and dam system; and a number of other potential solutions. Evaluation factors included supply capacity, water quality, cost, feasibility, risk of delay, and flexibility.

Pains were taken to compare “apples to apples.” Proposals to BWSC, assessed by engineering firm O’Brien & Gere, clearly demonstrated that construction and production costs for Louisville’s bid, the closest cost-wise, would be at least 50 percent higher than the Kentucky River option.

That’s why plans are underway for a 25 million-gallon-per-day (mgd) treatment facility and 30.7-mile underground transmission line to be a joint equity project of Kentucky American Water and BWSC. We have filed an application with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to construct the line and a 20 mgd plant, which will be increased to 25 mgd once partnership details are complete.

This historic public/private collaboration, along with subsequent enhancements in the BWSC plan, will meet the water supply needs of nearly half-a-million residents andnumerous businesses in Central Kentucky well beyond 2030.

Our plan is complete, well documented, well researched and will stand up to the tough PSC review. In fact, the attorney general recently announced his agreement, a rarity for such a project, but even greater evidence of this plan’s merit.

The attorney general, the Bluegrass Area Development District, Kentucky River Authority and other supporters realize, with the changes that have occurred over the past eight years, that our plan is the most cost effective and feasible option. It beats all others, including bringing water from Louisville, which would require Central Kentuckians to pay the higher cost of already-treated water over many years to come.

This plan has been publicly discussed for years through extensive media coverage and BWSC’s efforts to involve the public. As we continue the regulatory process, we welcome questions and invite the public to visit bluegrasswater.com, where we have posted extensive information.

Time is of the essence. We and our BWSC partners are held accountable in meeting the water demands of our customers. While individual water use has decreased, overall demand is up.

Kentucky River’s Pool 3 is the answer to our water supply problems. It consistently contains more water than we need, even in drought conditions. Planned improvements will further increase its abundance. Together, Pools 9 and 3, which are quite distant from each other, will provide ample and safe raw water sources for years to come.

We’re also committed to protecting the environment, historic elements and private property. Most residents soon forget about underground water lines since grass, trees, landscaping, fencing and other enhancements are promptly replaced.

It requires a sizeable investment, but the $160-$170 million in construction costs will be offset by lower overall water costs than other alternatives. The planned partnership with BWSC provides even greater economies of scale and the water-line grid connecting the many cities will grant opportunities for enhanced system redundancies. The investment is a value when human health, economic viability and the impact on customer rates are considered.

So many facets of our lives depend on clean, fresh tap water in our homes and businesses that we are committed to promptly meeting the region’s water infrastructure challenges.

It is time to stop studying alternatives and build our future.

Linda Bridwell is an engineering manager for Kentucky American Water.

Aug 24, 2007