WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Congressmen Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05), Andy Barr (KY-06), and James Comer (KY-01) announced today the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) awarded $1 million for Booneville, $500,000 for Whitesburg, $2.054 million for Campton, and $400,000 for Albany for water infrastructure upgrades.
The projects will be funded by an ARC program, established by Senator McConnell, for water and other infrastructure priorities in distressed counties throughout Central Appalachia. These communities have received more than $40 million from this ARC fund.
“State-of-the-art water infrastructure can greatly improve the quality of life for families in Kentucky. I’m proud the ARC program I established is investing in many of our Commonwealth’s rural communities,” said Senator McConnell. “The improved water lines, meters, and facilities can help cut costs for Kentucky families while providing vital, dependable services. With Congressmen Rogers, Barr, and Comer, I’m proud to continue delivering for Kentucky communities and local businesses.”
“We have made vast improvements to our water infrastructure in Eastern Kentucky in recent years, providing clean, reliable water for our families and businesses,” said Congressman Rogers. “Senator McConnell and I have rescued ARC funding time and again, because of the vital investments they make in our communities to boost job creation and improve our infrastructure. These new digital meters will provide officials with more accurate information when lines break, minimizing any disruption of service for the people of Booneville.”
“Improving water quality for residents and reducing infrastructure costs for the City of Campton is a win-win for residents and the municipality,” said Congressman Barr. “I am pleased that the city was approved for an ARC grant for these reasons and that this grant will make this proposal a reality for the city.”
“This federal investment in Clinton County’s infrastructure will provide much-needed improvements to water access in the Duvall Valley region, which has suffered from water shortages that have negatively affected local residents and businesses,” said Congressman Comer. “Access to a reliable water supply is critical to health and quality of life, and I applaud our local officials for working closely with the federal government to address this issue.”
The Kentucky communities received the ARC funding for the following projects:
- Booneville plans to use the funding to replace 1,160 commercial and household water meters. The existing meters are aging and can lead to inaccurate readings and costly billing errors.
- Whitesburg expects to improve water service to nearly 1,000 households and businesses by replacing its water storage tank and increasing capacity by 25,000 gallons.
- Campton applied for the federal funds to extend water service into South Valeria in Wolfe County. The additional infrastructure will provide new or improved water service to nearly 100 Kentucky households.
- To address frequent water shortages and low pressure in the Duvall Valley region, Albany intends to replace nearly 45,000 linear feet of water lines for increased capacity, replace a pump station and construct a 500,000-gallon elevated water storage tank. In addition to the ARC funding, Albany is expected to receive $3 million from the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Pilot Program to compete the project. Senator McConnell and Congressmen Rogers established the AML Pilot in 2015 to reinvest in coal country. To date, they’ve helped secure $130 million for communities across the region.
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