Water shortage situation remains critical in one Western Kentucky town

Michael Doyle, Henderson Gleaner
·3 min read

MARION, Ky. — A multi-pronged approach should help the town of Marion, Kentucky, deal with its water crisis in the short term, but the outlook for a long-term fix remains cloudy.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet this week detailed efforts to increase the water supply, including construction of a new mile-long line connecting to the Crittenden-Livingston Water District. Crittenden-Livingston is supplying about 15% of the water now for Marion, a town of about 6,000 people some 60 miles southwest of Evansville.

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In addition, a connection from the Webster County Water system has already yielded some results. Last Thursday, the city authorized design and construction of a new, three-mile long line connecting to the Caldwell County Water District in Princeton.

Connections to other municipal water systems is a critical part of the strategy officials have taken. However, City Administrator Adam Ledford noted in a prior update, the engineering work needed to make those connections is significant and will take time to get up to full capacity.

KYTC officials estimate the Crittenden-Livingston, Sturgis and Webster connections could yield around 215,000 gallons per day. Ledford said the city's water demands before conservation efforts began were around 500,000 gallons per day.

Other efforts include:

  • P&H Farms of Eddyville is joining forces with the National Guard on a water transportation convoy that should yield about 230,000 gallons per day in total, an increase of about 70,000 gallons per day.

  • A channel is being built which will send water from the upper part of Crooked Creek into Old City Lake. Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet is overseeing that project.

  • Sandbags are being placed at Old City Lake in hopes that potential rainwater that would normally be lost at an overflow weir can be saved and collected. About 2200 sandbags were filled over the weekend, with the hopes that "substantial rainfall" could provide a few extra days of water.

  • Use of the Lucille Mine aquifer as a water source has been approved on a preliminary basis, while methods to treat the water from this source are being explored.

  • Bottled water is being distributed at the Old National Guard Armory, 131 Rochester Avenue. With National Guard personnel being moved to other projects locally, the City of Marion is looking for volunteers to help hand out water to residents. The city is also accepting bottled water donations. If interested in donating or volunteering, call City Hall at 270-965-2266.

It is unclear how much water the town has left; on June 29 KYTC estimated 10 days worth, but that was before connections to other water systems were made. As of last Thursday, state agencies are now overseeing the problem.

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The water shortage began on April 27 when a levee on Lake George, the town's primary water source, was compromised. While a controlled breach of the levee contained the damage to the structure, 83 million gallons of water were lost. A relative lack of rain and high temperatures in the weeks since have exacerbated the shortage.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency on June 18. Marion is home to about 3,000 people.

This article originally appeared on Henderson Gleaner: Water shortage remains critical in Marion, Kentucky