MARTIN COUNTY, KY.–EKB News Reporter Shawn Allen begins a special investigative series on the troubled Martin County Water District.

The water woes of the resident s of Martin County have been well documented.  Residents frequently post videos on social media of discolored, undrinkable water as well as pictures of skin rashes allegedly caused by the water. Most recently thousands of Martin County Water District customers have been experiencing disruptions in their service, some days at a time. These problems didn’t just happen overnight, these problems have been years in the making. So what exactly has brought the Martin County water District into such disarray? Tonight we begin an investigative series in an attempt to answer that question.

Friday, members of the newly-appointed board for the Martin County Water District issued a statement on social media to inform the public of some of the problems they are facing and what they are doing about it.

The most concerning issue facing the Martin County Water District is the 831,000 in past due bills. The water district claims that they have more money going out than coming in with monthly expenses exceeding revenue by 40%.  Low revenue is putting a strain on repair efforts. A broken water pump that feeds raw water from the Tug River to the reservoir is being blamed for the recent water flow disruption. A pump was purchased, but the funds to pay for installation of the pump was not available. Another issue adding to that loss in revenue is the water loss rate. The water district now claim they are losing 50% of their clean water through pipe breaks, service line leaks and failing meters. That is an improvement from the previous 60% water loss rate previously reported.

Reported improvements made by the water district include becoming compliant with all EPA water standards. Loans are being sought to pay the water districts past due accounts. A 1.2 million dollar grant has been obtained from the Appalachian regional Commission. That money is planned to be used to replacing service lines and meters in several areas of the county. A 49% rate increase is currently being sought. The increase is expected to allow the district to start paying down the past due accounts and become debt free over a 5-year period.

The water district goes on to say that if conditions do not improve they fear that the Martin County Water District could fail and as a result the residents of Martin County. We will take a more in depth look at these issues and speak with county residents throughout the week.

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