Central KY town will likely run out of water Monday due to flooding, officials say

Significant flooding means Mercer County will likely run out of water Monday night and be without it for up to three days, resulting in in-person learning at schools shutting down, Mercer County Schools Superintendent Jason Booher said Sunday night.

In a letter to parents, Booher shared plans for the week ahead due to the significant flooding and its impact on the community’s water supply.

“After meeting with our local emergency management team this evening, we’ve been informed that the pumps for the water treatment facility have been shut down. Our community currently has around 24 hours of backup water, and we expect to run out by Monday night,” Booher said in his letter.

Booher told the Herald-Leader in a Sunday night text, “This weather just will not let up. They expect the community to be without water for 1-3 days starting tomorrow evening.”

City officials said in a Facebook post that the water outage could last a week.

There will be traditional snow days for the school district on Monday and Tuesday, with no learning. Virtual learning is expected to start Wednesday.

“When we return to in-person learning, we will likely be under a boil water advisory. Water fountains will be taped off until it is safe to use them again. We will provide bottled water for students and staff,” Booher told parents.

Numerous Kentucky school districts are on spring break this coming week. Several others including Anderson and Bath counties also canceled classes Monday.

The city of Harrodsburg officials said in a post Sunday night that once the water treatment plant is shut down, the city will be operating on the City and County’s stored water supplies. Stored water supplies should provide water to residents for the next approximately twenty four hours.

City officials asked that people conserve water to the greatest extent possible.

“There should be no laundry, dishwashing, minimal showers, and as few toilet flushings as possible,” the post said.

“Once the stored water is depleted, Mercer County will be out of water and will remain so for up to one week based upon how long the Kentucky River remains at crested levels. Once water comes back online, the City and County will be under a boil water advisory,” officials said. “Mercer Emergency Management has ordered a semi of bottled water and updates regarding this will be provided once we have information on the delivery. “

This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 9:51 PM.