LEXINGTON, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear announced a new project this week to replace nearly 20,000 feet of water lines and funding to improve the water infrastructure in Floyd County. WaterStep, a nonprofit based in Louisville, knows how important it is to get clean water to communities in need.
What You Need To Know
- WaterStep is a nonprofit in Louisville helping people get access to clean water
- The organization is set up in different counties affected by floods in eastern Kentucky
- Gov. Beshear announced major funding to repair the water infrastructure in eastern Kentucky
- Beshear said the state will replace nearly 20,000 feet of water lines
For over 27 years, Mark Hogg, CEO of WaterStep, has been helping people get access to clean water.
“The need for water is not just an issue somewhere else in the world. We all need access to safe water,” Hogg said.
And when the flood waters hit Eastern Kentucky, Hogg said it was no question to help his fellow Kentuckians.
“We were able to set up these four or five bases where we had two very large, 5,000 gallon silo water tanks that we could fill with boil advisory water, and then we could treat that,” Hogg said.
The tanks are in areas within Hazard, Buckhorn and Whitesburg, and based on the damages, Hogg expects them to be there for months.
“Many of them, if they were lucky enough to have boil advisory water, at least they had water. Maybe for toilets and other types of use. Many of them, their water access points were ripped away as the roads were ripped away,” Hogg said.
Thousands of waterlines were affected that Gov. Beshear hopes to fix. Thankfully, there’s a pending project with $2.6 million in funding to improve the water infrastructure in Floyd County, one of the many counties affected by the flooding.
“This is the need when you’re in a situation like this that surprises you because then you start really seeing all the different places that I need water,” Hogg said.
A need, Hogg said, that has improved over the last few weeks.
“When I think about improvement, I just think about a team that’s doing great and a well-oiled machine. And that’s what we’ve been able to do to be a part of this incredible team,” Hogg said.
But Hogg said his nonprofit wouldn’t be as impactful without the help of volunteers and others in these communities, and is inspired by the way Kentuckians come together during these tough times.
WaterStep is collecting donations for their nonprofit to continue the relief efforts in eastern Kentucky. Anything that is not used will go to fund other emergency assistance.