Department for Natural Resources
Division of Abandoned Mine Lands Announces Water Supply Extension for Perry County

The Department for Natural Resources’ Division of Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) announced today the Award of Contract and the start of construction for the Hazard Trunkline Water Supply Construction Project in Perry County, Kentucky.  The project has four contracts awarded totaling $4,966,023.80.  On-site construction is scheduled to begin early May.

This project will provide the city of Hazard with two 2-million gallon water storage tanks which will replace the existing water tank, add a booster pump station and approximately 6.7 miles of large diameter trunklines.  This additional water storage capacity and improved water distribution system will provide a larger volume of water for the public, especially in the outlying areas of Town Mountain, Grapevine/Chavies, Lost Creek, and Robinson – all areas with previous AML water supply projects.  AML funding for the project has been set at 46 percent of the total funding, based on the percentage of customers (2,717) served by the system whose original water supplies were impacted by past coal mining.

Upon completion of this project, the city’s municipal water treatment plant will be better able to recuperate from waterline breaks, sustain future sizable expansions of service, and distribute treated water to the community of Hazard.  Further, economic growth within the city of Hazard will no longer be limited due to an inability to adequately provide the area’s growing health care industry and other existing customers with a reliable potable water supply.

“The AML program has funded the expansion of municipal water supply systems in the coalfield counties where citizens’ existing water supplies were shown to be damaged by pre-law mining,” said DNR Commissioner Carl Campbell.  “To date, over 10,000 households have received municipal water service via AML funding.”

AML is authorized under KRS 350 to abate hazards to public health, safety, and the environment from abandoned coal mines.  AML has a water supply replacement program that extends waterlines into areas where well water has been contaminated by past coal mining.  AML funds a portion of the cost of these water replacement projects based on the mining impacts found in groundwater quality studies.

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