 The City of Burnside’s long-awaited municipal sewer system is under construction. When the project is complete one year from now, 257 homes and businesses in Burnside will be connected to the City of Somerset’s wastewater treatment plant.
U.S. Representative Hal Rogers (KY-05) joined local officials and students in a groundbreaking ceremony at Burnside Elementary School on March 13, 2006. Fourth-graders in the school’s PRIDE Club were on hand to witness the momentous occasion.
“Students, you can tell your grandchildren that you were there the day your community took a big step toward a better quality of life,” Rogers said. “Sewer service is essential to preserving public health and attracting new businesses and jobs. We are pursuing this project so you will have a better future. I trust that you will exceed our stewardship efforts because you are already learning to take pride in your community.”
“I’ve heard it said that the best thing that ever happened to Burnside was Cumberland Lake, and that’s probably true, but this surely must be the second best thing that happened to the city,” said Burnside Mayor Dean E. Lovins, who hosted the ceremony. “The city has worked on this project for 8 or 10 years. A lot of people helped get us where we are today, and I want to thank them for their commitment.”
Lovins accepted a ceremonial check in the amount of $473,000 from Steve Robertson, the commissioner of the Governor’s Office for Local Development, the most recent agency to provide funding for the sewer project. Representatives of the other funding agencies for the $6.4 million project also participated. They were Rural Development Community Programs Director Vernon Brown, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District Engineer Lt. Col. Steven Roemhildt, Kentucky Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet Deputy Secretary John Clay, and PRIDE Executive Director Richard Thomas.
The contractors for the project are Somerset’s K. Carrendar Construction Company and Smith Contractors from Lawrenceburg. The project plans were designed by Lexington-based GRW Engineers, Inc.
Bringing sewer service to Burnside has been a high priority for local leaders and residents, as well as public health and environmental officials. The area’s rocky, sloped terrain limits the effectiveness of septic systems. Under-treated sewage easily seeps through limestone into Lake Cumberland. A collection and transfer system that connects to Somerset’s sewer system was determined to be the most economical and environmentally sound way to treat the community’s wastewater.
Due to the steep, rocky terrain, some areas will require a low-pressure collection system, which pushes sewage through pipes instead of relying on gravity like traditional collection systems. In these areas, a grinder pump will connect the wastewater line of each home and business to the main sewer line.
Rogers secured most of the federal funds for the Burnside sewer project as part of the PRIDE initiative, an environmental improvement campaign serving 38 counties in southern and eastern Kentucky. Since 1997, more than $111 million in PRIDE-related funds have been invested to provide either septic systems or public sewer service to 26,000 homes in the region.
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