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March 11, 2007

State approves design for Somerset Water's modified intake plan

By TRICIA NEAL, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Sun Mar 11, 2007, 04:41 AM EDT

Somerset — Somerset Water Service Manager Charlie Dick and City Engineer Alex Godsey got to work quickly when they learned there was a possibility that Lake Cumberland’s levels could be lowered to a point that the water company would not be able to continue its operations.

In reaction to their fast reaction time, Gov. Ernie Fletcher also moved quickly to offer assistance at the state level.

Gov. Fletcher announced last week that the Kentucky Division of Water has approved the Somerset Water Service’s plans to modify its water intakes.

Dick says the city has also received verbal confirmation that financial assistance is on its way for the estimated $1.2 million undertaking.

The city applied for a grant in the amount of $565,000. Fletcher has said the Governor’s Office for Local Development (GOLD) is working on a state grant to repay Somerset for some of the project costs.

“The Governor’s Office for Local Development, along with the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority, is working diligently to locate available funding resources to address concerns related to the relocation of water intakes that serve more than 200,000 Kentucky citizens,” said Fletcher.

With the water intake modification plan in place, work on the project can begin as soon as the funding is received.

The water department’s engineers devised a modification in which three to four barges will serve as floating platforms for pipes that will extend 1,000 feet from the shore into the lake pool. Each barge will carry a pump to force lake water through the pipes to existing intakes. From that point, the water treatment procedure will continue as usual.

The modification will enable Somerset to continue to draw raw water if the Army Corps of Engineers decides to lower the lake even further during repairs to its impoundment, Wolf Creek Dam.

The Corps of Engineers anticipates the project to repair the leaking dam could take up to seven years.

Governor Fletcher has directed his administration to do everything possible to help communities in the Lake Cumberland area with issues related to the drawdown.

The Corps lowered the lake to 680 feet above sea level — 43 feet below normal and perilously close to water intake levels for Somerset and six other water systems that collectively supply 203,000 people in Adair, Clinton, Cumberland, Lincoln, McCreary, Monroe, Pulaski, Russell, and Wayne counties.

The Corps has advised local water systems that a lowering to 650 feet above sea level is a “real possibility.”

Dick said in-house preparation of the modification plan saved the city money and time.

“We are fortunate to have the technical expertise in our city engineer, Alex Godsey, and our plant superintendent, Kenneth Brinson, to put this plan together,” Dick said.

“We saved a lot of money doing this whole thing ourselves, and we’ve learned a lot along the way. I also appreciate all the help we’ve gotten from the Division of Water and Governor Fletcher’s administration. They’ve been very helpful working with us, and the whole thing has gone smoothly.”

Somerset’s plans were submitted to the Division of Water for review on Feb. 21, and were approved March 5.

“I commend the city of Somerset and the Division of Water for moving quickly to meet this emergency,” Fletcher said.

Division of Water Director David Morgan said Somerset is to be commended for its proactive approach to the issues facing the water plant as a result of the Corps of Engineers’ Wolf Creek Dam project.

“Thousands of residents in the Lake Cumberland area depend on the drinking water provided by the Somerset Water Service,” said Morgan.

“Their engineers and public officials have worked hard to come up with a practical plan that will allow them to continue to provide plentiful clean water well into the future.”

The Somerset plant provides water to a total population of 100,700. In addition to the 29,218 residents of the city of Somerset, the plant sells water to the Southeast Water Association of Tateville, the Southeast Water Association of Nelson Valley, Science Hill, the Western Pulaski Water District, and the city of Eubank. Eubank, in turn, sells water to a portion of the McKinney Water District.

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Pulaski carries Girdler to win

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, it was impossible to miss the colorful signs dotting nearly every Pulaski roadway. The names in the race for the 15th State Senatorial District seat popped out: A.C. Donahue. Chris Girdler. Mark Polston.

Once citizens hit the ballots, however, the results mirrored the dimensions of the signs themselves: Chris Girdler stood the tallest.

Girdler, deputy district director for Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, ran away with the votes inside Pulaski County’s borders, earning 3,926 votes for 62.05 percent of the total number cast.

That number more than doubled the next highest vote-getter, businessman Mark Polston, who raked in 1,624 votes for 25.67 percent.

However, Polston — who owns Classic Carpet, a home-flooring business located just off the southern 914 bypass — can claim a moral victory ... three of them, in fact. In all three counties in the district other than Pulaski — those being Adair, Casey, and Russell Counties — Polston actually edged out Girdler.

In Adair, Polston beat Girdler 629 to 394. In Casey County, it was 538 to 417, and in Russell, it was 1,862 to 1,038.

Polston said he just “couldn’t pull it out with the numbers” and that “the machine worked for” Girdler in Pulaski County.

“I think that was their strategy — I think they had a Pulaski County strategy all along,” said Polston. “They played the political game well.”

Polston said the difference between his and Girdler’s campaigns was that “mine was a very, very grass roots campaign,” he said. “I did not have a political machine behind me. I understand how this process works, and in this instance, he prevailed.”

As for why Girdler didn’t take three of four counties, the winning candidate — since there are no Democrats in the race, winning the Republican primary was effectively a final victory for Girdler — said he didn’t have an answer for that.

However, “I believe things happen for a reason and I hope the long and strenuous campaign will only heighten my desire to move beyond the bitterness and partisanship of the recent past,” said Girdler.

“Regionalism is a goal of mine, and I look forward to helping all four counties,” he added, noting that he campaigned heavily in each of them.

Sen. Vernie McGaha, the long-time state senator whose seat the candidates were vying for, actually supported Polston after Liberty’s Todd Hoskins dropped out of the race earlier this month.

Donahue, a local attorney, got 556 votes in Pulaski County, 8.79 percent of the vote. He only received 145 votes in Russell County, 74 in Adair County, and 75 in Casey County, where hometown candidate Hoskins almost matched him with 71 votes despite no longer being officially in the race.

Polston said he’s “still digesting” what happened, and though “the process has been a very good experience for me,” he wouldn’t commit to running again in the future. “I wouldn’t shut the door to anything, but I’m not opening any doors either.”

Still, “I think I got a lot of people involved in the process that had not been involved before and would not have been otherwise,” he said. “A lot of people got out and worked really hard, got motivated to talk to friends and neighbors. I think a lot of people became involved through this campaign that are going to be involved for a long time.”

Girdler stressed his “positive message” and said that Rogers is a “mentor and good friend” that he would turn to for advice in dealing with a frequently combative legislative body in Frankfort, one for which Girdler hopes to help change the culture.

Girdler said that he was “confident and optimistic” during the day Tuesday because he’d “worked extremely hard.” Nevertheless, the realization that he’d won gave him “chill bumps,” he said.

“I’m absolutely honored,” said Girdler. “The position of state senator is more than an honor, more than an office. It’s a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

“I pledge to be the people’s state senator,” he added. “I look forward to working with everyone to move this region forward.”

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