Water Management

Who we are: The ADD Water Management Program works in conjunction with the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) in delivering planning and grant administrative services relating to water and wastewater infrastructure in the Purchase Area.

What we do: The water service coordinator provides assistance to local government and water and wastewater utilities, and, in turn, gathers and compiles system data for KIA and GIS information for the Water Resources Information System (WRIS).

KIA requires update of the water/wastewater non-spatial database throughout the year, which is intended to serve as a comprehensive summary of systems in the area. The information from this database, which includes contact information, number of customers, rates and general system information, is useful for coordinating services and planning for future infrastructure projects. A separate list of regional water and sewer rates is also updated at each system visit, and is available on request.

The Kentucky Infrastructure Authority also commissions the water service coordinator to update the WRIS, which is a detailed inventory of water and wastewater system features. This is performed through the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems). A detailed description of each water tower, liftstation, and section of line in the state of Kentucky can be attained by “clicking” on each feature. These features are updated throughout the year.

The water service coordinator also assists in conducting the Purchase Area Water Management Council. New water and wastewater projects are added by local officials and representatives of the 40 water systems and 29 sewer systems in the eight Purchase counties, and approved at the quarterly Water Management Council meeting held at the PADD. Hundreds of area water and wastewater projects that have been approved at council meetings are stored in the KIA project profile database.  Previous meeting minutes can be found at the following FTP address:

ftp://ftp.padd.ky.gov/public/GRANT/WMC_Minutes/

The council’s goal is to make potable water and wastewater services available to all residents of the Purchase Area. The Water Service Coordinator works with the council to encourage cooperation among agencies regarding the most efficient utilization of resources. The council also acts as a forum for speakers, news, and notification of water and wastewater events and training in the area, such as those offered by the Kentucky Water and Wastewater Operators' Association (KWWOA). The current water management council chairman is Paducah Water general manager Glen Anderson.

Various planning documents are also compiled by the PADD, including the area water and wastewater management plan. The Area Development Districts coordinate with KIA, the Division of Water (DOW), and the Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA) to complete these documents.