 On March 22, U.S. Representative Hal Rogers (KY-05) announced the 2006 recipients of $2.3 million for environmental improvement projects across southern and eastern Kentucky. Eleven counties will clean up large illegal dumps with PRIDE SuperGrant funding totaling $1,192,800. Through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 531 program, $1,134,193 was awarded for six projects to expand sewer service.
“These projects will make our region cleaner, healthier and more enjoyable,” said Rogers, who secured the federal funding as part of his PRIDE initiative. “The waterways that tie together our region will be cleaner when these filthy dumps are gone and when more wastewater is properly treated. Three schools, a drug rehabilitation center and more than 300 homes will gain reliable sewer service. We’re even helping out the endangered Black-Sided Dace with a dump cleanup in Knox County. Clearly, our region will benefit from this investment."
Rogers presented ceremonial checks to the grant recipients. He was joined by Colonel William E. Bulen and Lt. Colonel Steven J. Roemhildt, who command the Huntington and Nashville districts, respectively, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. To view photos of the check presentations, click here.
The 2006 PRIDE SuperGrant awards were as follows:- Bell County Fiscal Court received $100,000 to clean up the Henry Bowlin Gap illegal dump.
- Breathitt County Fiscal Court received $150,000 to clean up the Fishtrap Mountain illegal dump.
- Green County Fiscal Court received $107,500 to clean up the Gabe-Web Road illegal dump.
- Jackson County Fiscal Court received $100,000 to clean up the Lower Dry Fork illegal dump.
- Knox County Fiscal Court received $85,000 to clean up the Mill Branch illegal dump.
- Lee County Fiscal Court received $110,000 to clean up the Derrick Ridge Cliff illegal dump.
- Leslie County Fiscal Court received $80,000 to clean up the Causey Road illegal dump.
- Perry County Fiscal Court received $150,000 to clean up the Bee Hive illegal dump.
- The Pulaski County Solid Waste Board received $70,300 to clean up the Highway 328 illegal dump.
- Rockcastle County Fiscal Court received $150,000 to clean up the Burnt Ridge Road illegal dump.
- Wolfe County Fiscal Court received $90,000 to clean up the Parks Road illegal dump.
The projects funded through the Corps of Engineers Section 531 program in 2006 were as follows:- In Breathitt County, the nonprofit Kentucky Mountain Holiness Association was awarded $300,000 to install a packaged wastewater treatment plant on the Mount Carmel Schools campus.
- In Clay County, the City of Manchester was awarded $169,500 to install a packaged wastewater treatment plant at Chad's Hope Center.
- The Jackson County Public School System was awarded $200,250 to build an innovative wetland sewage treatment system at Tyner Elementary School.
- In Leslie County, the City of Hyden was awarded $187,500 to design a sewer line extension project to reach the Hurts, Muncy and Rockhouse Creek areas.
- In Morgan County, the City of West Liberty was awarded $198,750 to extend sewer lines to the new West Liberty Elementary School and surrounding homes.
- In Pike County, the Mountain Water District was awarded $78,193 to design a sewer line extension project to the Forest Hills area.
The PRIDE SuperGrant program removes large illegal dumps, such as the “old town dumps” that have been around for 40 or 50 years. Counties, cities and nonprofit organizations in PRIDE’s 38-county service area are eligible for the grants of up to $1 million. To date, 2,228 illegal dumps have been cleaned up with $23.8 million from this and other PRIDE grant programs.
The Corps of Engineers Section 531 program provides funding to counties, cities, utilities and nonprofit organizations to improve sewer service in rural areas. The award covers 75 percent of the project cost, and the local entity contributes the remaining 25 percent. Through this and other grant programs, PRIDE has invested more than $113 million in projects that will provide sanitary wastewater treatment service to 27,000 homes in the region.
Eastern Kentucky PRIDE — Personal Responsibility In a Desirable Environment — was created in 1997 by Rogers and the late General James Bickford, the former Kentucky Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. PRIDE links citizens with the resources of local, state and federal agencies to clean up the region’s waterways, end illegal trash dumps and promote environmental education and awareness.
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