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Governor Steve Beshear's Communications Office
Gov. Beshear Announces $300,000 Flood Control Grant for Richmond
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Governor Steve Beshear today announced a $300,000 flood control matching grant to the city of Richmond in Madison County.
The grant, administered through the Department for Local Government (DLG), will help upgrade the current, dilapidated Water Street Sewer system in Richmond. The system traverses throughout the area, from Eastern Kentucky University through various residential and commercial neighborhoods to downtown Richmond, and then drains into the Dreaming Creek.
“As we have seen with recent severe storms, it is vital for our communities to be prepared with adequate infrastructure to prevent flooding that can cause serious damage”, said Gov. Beshear. “These funds will help protect Richmond homes and businesses from future flood damage as well as increase safety for local citizens.”
The current sewer system, approximately 2,900 feet in length, is composed of decaying steel tanker cars, wet stone masonry, corrugated steel pipes and concrete structures. Parts of the system are several decades old and undersized to convey storm weather, which makes the area it serves prone to flooding and sanitary overflows, even during small storms. The grant will help fund demolition of the current system and construction of a new, proposed trunk storm sewer system that will prevent flooding. Additionally, funds will go to assist channel improvement of Dreaming Creek.
“Local governments are on the front line when it comes to dealing with severe weather events, and DLG is pleased to lend our support to Richmond,” said DLG Commissioner Tony Wilder. “By assisting in the mitigation of their flood prone area of downtown, we not only are making it safer and protecting property but we are also preserving the economic vitality of the commercial district.”
“With the increased amounts of rainfall and storms Kentucky has experienced recently, it is imperative to have an adequate drain system in place,” said Rep. Rita Smart of Richmond. “In order to service Eastern Kentucky, our neighborhoods and business district all the way to Dreaming Creek at the highest level, the current system must be overhauled. I’m grateful to the governor and the Department of Local Government for recognizing Richmond’s need and providing the funding for the project.”
"I would like to thank Governor Beshear's office and the Department of Local Government for awarding the city of Richmond this $300,000 grant,” said Richmond Mayor Jim Barnes. “This grant will not only provide the city protection by the controlling flood water, it will also provide protection for our citizens."
The state’s Flood Control Matching Grant Program uses state bond funds as grants to help meet cost-share match requirements associated with projects funded by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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