By Lilli Dubler, Building Kentucky
The business sector along I-65 South continues to grow. Expansion with bourbon distillers, BlueOval SK and supporting companies means there’s a need for additional water supply.
Working with the water providers in Bullitt, Nelson, Meade and Hardin counties, Louisville Water is supporting this growth with infrastructure that will deliver millions of gallons of water to the region.
On Friday, April 26, Bullitt County Judge Executive Jerry Summers and Louisville Water announced a $28 million investment in Bullitt County. Louisville Water will install four miles of large water main in the southeast part of the county. The work in Bullitt County is the first of a multi-phased project to bring more than 11 million gallons of Louisville Water to communities in Bullitt, Nelson, Hardin and Meade counties.
“Water is one of the basic ingredients that we need. If you don’t have an ample water supply, you can’t develop commercially,” Bullitt County Judge Executive Jerry Summers said. “We’ve been waiting for this; we need this as a region to grow. I can’t say enough good things about Louisville Water and how they’ve treated our community.”
Construction on the first phase begins in May and will take approximately a year and a half to complete. Part of the funding for the project in Bullitt County ($5 million) comes from an allocation from the General Assembly. In 2022, Louisville Water partnered with the city of Bardstown in addition to Bullitt, Hardin, Meade and Nelson Counties to secure $35 million to support the anticipated growth in the region. Louisville Water will invest an additional $24.8 million from its capital program for regional water infrastructure.
“This is a generational-type project. It’s exciting knowing you’re leaving your fingerprints on 160+ years of history,” Louisville Water Director of Engineering Jeremy Raney said. “Judge Summers has been a great partner. He truly has a passion for his constituents and wants to bring more economic growth and development to Bullitt County.”
Louisville Water’s work in the region is critical to support economic development. In addition to delivering water to all of Jefferson County, Louisville Water has contracts with water providers in Bullitt, Hardin, Nelson, Shelby and Spencer counties. Every day one in five Kentuckians rely on Louisville Water’s product.
