The grant program was established to deliver clean drinking water and improved sewer and water systems. State officials estimate that the program will create approximately 3,800 jobs across the commonwealth.
Recent recipients include Anderson County (City of Lawrenceburg and South Anderson Water District), Franklin County (City of Frankfort), Harrison County (City of Cynthiana, Harrison County Sanitation District and Harrison County Water Association, Inc.) and Scott County (City of Georgetown).
During the 2021 legislative session, the General Assembly appropriated $250 million from state American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to fund clean drinking water and wastewater grants for projects across Kentucky. The Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA) is administering the funding across the Commonwealth.
Funding through the Cleaner Water Program is allocated in three ways:
$150 million: distributed based on each county’s share of the state’s population, which can be found here. Note that Jefferson County’s allocation is discounted by 50 percent because the county received a larger direct allocation from ARPA.
$50 million: allocated to provide drinking water services to unserved, rural customers or utilities under a federal decree.
$49.9 million: allocated to supplement project grants for project(s) with a cost in excess of a county’s allocation amount and other available grant sources.
Counties who have received funding through the Cleaner Water Program thus far include:
- Anderson County: $835,407 allocated to two recipients.
- Scott County: $2,093,531 allocated to one recipient.
- Harrison County: $693,608 allocated to five recipients.
- Franklin County: $1,972,698 allocated to one recipient.
- Johnson County: $814,877 allocated to one recipient.
- Magoffin County: $446,625 allocated to three recipients.
- Floyd County: $1,307,043 allocated to six recipients.
- Shelby County: $1,800,000 allocated to one recipient.
Recipients will be added to the list as more are announced.
