Kentucky American chooses water line route

Kentucky American Water has chosen to use the

southern route of three water lines it proposed for

a new plant. The proposed water line on the southern

route runs primarily through northern Franklin County.

It would be used by aproposed facility on the

Kentucky River in southern Owen County to

transport treated water from the plant to a facility in

Fayette County. Two other proposed routes ran through

parts of southwestern Owen County and were not chosen.
Kentucky American spokeswoman

Susan Lancho said the company went with the

southern route for several reasons, primarily citing cost and

environmental concerns. “It seemed like the best choice,

given all the factors,” she said. Lancho noted that the two sites

running through parts of Owen County would have

gone through more heavily woodedareas, and she said the

company seeks to be as minimally disruptive to the environment

as possible. “They were undisturbed areas and we wanted to

avoid that,” she said.Kentucky American also went with the

southern route because it is shorter, Lancho said, and would make

construction cheaper.   She said it was too early to address some

of the more specific concerns of people living near the proposed

route line, such as on which side of a road the line would run.
Lancho said the company will keep residents informed as decisions

are made, noting that many details would be determined closer to

construction.Kentucky American launched a new Web site last week

for interested persons to follow the process of the proposed plant.
The site, bluegrasswater.com, currently explains the company’s position

of why the plant is needed — to meet increasing water demands through

the year 2020 — and has sections set up explaining the process for the

proposed treatment site and giving tips for water conservation.
“We’ll be promoting that as it continues to evolve,” Lancho said.
The company expects to submit plans for the 20-to-30-million-gallons-per-day

water treatment plant to the state Public Service Commission by late March.
If approved, construction would begin by next year with a targeted finish

in the summer of 2010.