City of West Liberty Receives $1.2 Million Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) Grant for New Water Tank and Water Line Replacement
Project Will Improve Water Delivery Infrastructure in McClain Way Area
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 21, 2019) – The Department for Local Government (DLG) has announced a grant of $1.2 million to the City of West Liberty in Morgan County, funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), for the construction of a new water storage tank and the replacement of aging waterlines in sections of West Liberty.
This project will address a two-fold problem in the City of West Liberty: an unreliable supply of water in the McClain Way area and frequent service outages due to aging infrastructure in the downtown area. The project will construct a new 100,000-gallon steel ground storage tank to serve the households in the McClain Way area, which has been using the water from the tank that serves a nearby prison and is not owned by the City of West Liberty. The project will also replace approximately 5,450 linear feet of aging, undersized, and problematic waterlines through sections of West Liberty.
“Replacing aging water infrastructure with modern and reliable components, is essential to the health and safety of our communities and is a vital element to fostering economic growth,” said Gov. Matt Bevin. “We are grateful to the ARC and DLG for their partnership with us as we invest in Morgan County, and we commend the community for their work to complete this important project.”
The McClain Way area of West Liberty has been using the water from a tank constructed in 1989 by the Kentucky Department of Corrections to primarily serve a nearby prison. The tank is configured to allow the municipality to use water from the top one-third of the tank. Customers experience low water pressure and periodic outages, as well as poor water quality because the water in the tank doesn’t mix well. The new tank and pump will ensure a reliable, fresh supply of water to educational institutions, a hospital, a nursing home, various businesses, and households in this area of the city.
The cast iron pipes in the downtown area, in addition to being old and brittle, are undersized. One of the lines that will be replaced with a loop is currently a dead end, which required frequent flushing. The replacement of these pipes will ensure a reliable water supply by significantly reducing the incidents of water outages and eliminating the need for boil alerts.
“With this grant funding award, the City of West Liberty will make be able to significantly improve the quality of water delivery in the McClain Way area,” said DLG Commissioner Sandra Dunahoo. “I’m pleased that the DLG was able to secure funding for such an important project.”
“Critical infrastructure projects to improve the quality and reliability of water access for rural areas are one of the cornerstones of ARC development in this part of the region,” said ARC Federal Co-Chair Tim Thomas. “ARC is proud to announce this significant investment in this community, and I am pleased the City of West Liberty is working to ensure a modern water infrastructure for its residents and businesses."
“I’d like to thank Governor Bevin and DLG staff for their support and assistance throughout this process,” Senator Phillip Wheeler said. “I look forward to seeing quality of water and quality of life further improve for Morgan County residents.”
“Our water supply is so critical to our quality of life, so this is an important project for Morgan County. I’m thankful to Governor Bevin and the Department for Local Government for securing funding for these repairs,” said State Representative Bobby McCool.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission
The Appalachian Regional Commission is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC's mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
About the Department for Local Government
Funds are administered by DLG, an arm of the Office of the Governor dedicated to supporting local officials and communities. To learn more about the grant opportunities available through DLG, visit http://kydlgweb.ky.gov/.
###
