EKY county’s drinking water struggle dates back decades. It’s not alone
An Eastern Kentucky county with a long history of having one of Kentucky’s worst municipal water systems could get an influx of state grant money if it can demonstrate a greater need to improve aging and failing infrastructure than other rural mountain communities.
Martin County, often known as a “poster child” for expensive, poor-quality water ranks among the top 20 projects the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority has recommended for the legislature to fund in 2026.
Only $53.4 million remains available, and Martin County alone is seeking nearly $40 million, but county leaders believe if even a fraction of requested projects get funded, it could go a long way in addressing deep-rooted problems that have festered in the system.
“If you just fix this line or repair this pump, it never gives you the potential to really adequately attack the problem,” said Martin County Judge-Executive Lon Lafferty, who is also an Inez physician. “I look at it like I look at the body. You have to take a holistic approach.”
Martin County has more water and sewer projects on the list for recommended funding under the Kentucky Water and Wastewater Assistance for Troubled or Economically Restrained Systems program than any other utility in the state, securing the No. 2 to No. 7 spots and No. 16 to No. 20 top scores according to need and adjusted by median household income.
But Eastern Kentucky is disproportionately represented among the state’s most disadvantaged sewer and water systems, making up the lion’s share of requested funds.
Projects like a nearly $1 million new water treatment plant in Evarts and nearly $8.5 million for line replacements, debt service and infrastructure rehab in Floyd County could downgrade Martin County’s rankings.
Eastern Kentucky water infrastructure needs
Natural disasters and lax local management have left water infrastructure near the breaking point for many of the state’s easternmost municipalities, meaning advocates will have to make a case for why Martin County’s needs are greater than a whole host of other legislative pet projects.
“The recommendations really show how much greater the need is than the money that is available,” said Mary Cromer, deputy director of the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center. “In Eastern Kentucky especially, we have persistent poverty and a trajectory of decline of the coal industry over the last decade or two. That hurts local utilities.”
The decline in coal corresponds with fewer residents to pay into a system that faces increased costs for maintenance and regular service because of the unique geography Eastern Kentuckians call home, she added.
But Martin County’s longtime association with bad water is expected to hold credibility in Frankfort next year.
The county first earned what Lafferty called its “dubious honor” among the worst and costliest water systems in America just over 25 years ago when a coal slurry spill contaminated the area’s surface-water supply with cancer-causing disinfection byproducts and bacteria.
That disaster set off a public-health crisis in the community that has led to widespread and persistent distrust in the county’s drinking water supply and the people who manage it. Despite promises from federal agencies and researchers that their water is safe to drink, nearly 9 in 10 Martin County residents still use bottled water to drink, bathe and brush their teeth, according to a 2020 University of Kentucky study.
More recent problems, documented in social media posts depicting brown, acrid-smelling water in bathtubs and washing machines, are caused by an outdated, aging network of pipes and pumps delivering water to customers’ homes, McCoy said.
Leaks in the system allow dirt and mud to back up into the network, causing discolored water and settling. But it has proved nearly impossible to convince residents their dirty water is not the latest proof of rebounding coal runoff pollution.
“We have been able to improve with the help of our water management company to the point where we are not at the very brink of a crisis constantly,” McCoy said, “but we need every penny we can possibly get to hold this thing together.”
Only about eight of the county’s dozen or so funding requests are expected to be under real consideration, which the board has emphasized would be enough to make the major improvements necessary for full local control. But the KIA has ranked projects it recommends the General Assembly in a number of different ways, including by median household income, which could put Martin County at a disadvantage.
KIA used 2023 DATA USA figures, which put Martin County’s median household income at $45,837, despite U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty estimates that put the county nearly $10,000 lower and as the second most impoverished county in Kentucky.
The KIA did not respond to a list of Herald-Leader emailed questions.
