Governor Andy Beshear recently announced three Eastern Kentucky communities will receive federal grants from the Kentucky Department for Local Government. The money comes from the department’s Disaster Recovery Program, in which Congress allocates funds to be given to areas impacted by natural disasters.
Beshear said the grants will be used to improve stormwater systems in the communities that receive funding and to help people in those areas move forward.
“These are just a portion of eight different grants being announced today for a total of $21 million,” said Beshear.
The city of Jenkins will receive a federal grant of $5.2 million to conduct a study of stormwater. Jenkins will also receive $1.4 million to improve its wastewater treatment plant.
Todd DePriest, the mayor of Jenkins, said the city realized how outdated their stormwater systems were in 2022 and they are grateful to receive the money to update them.
“That’s going to be a study to be able to look at what’s needed, how can we put green infrastructure pieces into that, how can we increase the quality of water downstream from us, and how can we manage storms that we’re bound to get in the future,” said DePriest.
Jenkins was one of three recipients of Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding. The city of Jackson was given almost $8 million to conduct a study of stormwater movement and replace waterlines that were damaged by the floods. Letcher County received $4.2 million to replace pump stations and waterlines.
Congress provides additional funds to the Disaster Recovery Program in response to extraordinary impacts from disasters. This funding can be used for long-term recovery projects like housing, rebuilding local economies, and restoring infrastructure.