WATER AND WASTEWATER PROJECTS
BEING RANKED FOR NEXT ASSEMBLY

The members of the Barren River Water Management Council will provide BRADD board members with rankings for the top project proposals for review at the October meeting. The final rankings will be given to Kentucky Infrastructure Authority and area members of the General Assembly

The review process began with the filing of updated Project Profiles, which include information on the scope of the project and the number of persons served. BRADD technology allows utility officials to file the project details, including maps, electronically. The Profiles are updated as engineering and other details are developed.

The Profiles are then given tentative point scores, following KIA guidelines. In early October, utility heads, leaders and planners in each county ranked top water and wastewater project as to their relative importance to the county. These scores, with the KIA point totals, will be reviewed for consistency and regional significance by the Council’s Planning and Review Committee. They will recommend bonus points for “regional impact.”  

On October 19, the Water Management Council will complete the ranking process and make the final recommendation to the BRADD Board of Directors Monday, October 23. The Board’s report will be sent to KIA for processing for the Governor and members of the General Assembly in January.

Water Management Council Chair Mike Buchanon says he hopes the prioritizing work of the Council and the Board will be helpful to area legislators in understanding what projects are of most importance to their respective districts.

Since 1999, the BRADD staff has maintained the KIA water and wastewater datasets. These datasets include maps of the water distribution and transmission lines, wastewater collection lines and components of the systems.

In addition to existing infrastructure, proposed project locations are mapped.  These proposed datasets are tied to the Project Profile database. Together, the map and Profile provide a basis for project funding considerations.  In the 2006 regular session of the General Assembly 31 water projects and 15 wastewater projects were funded.  The total amount awarded these 46 BRADD projects was more than $15 millions.