Kentucky American Water Restores Service After Flood

Kentucky American Water restored water service to about 200 homes served by Black Mountain Utility District in Harlan County, Kentucky, after a devastating flood, completing restoration within 50 hours. Company crews and contractors provided operational and technical assistance to Black Mountain Utility District to replace damaged water main, service lines and other water infrastructure after floodwaters disrupted service in the Ages and Brookside communities. Teams also moved several tons of mud and supplied bottled water to residents during the outage. The response supported Black Mountain Utility District and Harlan County officials after flash flooding earlier in the week.

Infrastructure Restored In 50 Hours

The work addressed water lines that had been ripped from the ground and broken in multiple locations. Harlan County Judge Executive Dan Mosley said Kentucky American Water crews were on the ground within hours and that service was restored faster than he had imagined.

Ronnie Williams, manager of Black Mountain Utility District, said:

“We appreciate all the help that American Water gave and how fast all the equipment and supplies and workers were here on site.”

Support For A Neighboring Utility

Harlan County Judge Executive Dan Mosley had been concerned, based on the damage he observed, that restoring water could take a week or longer. The completed response returned service to homes supplied by Black Mountain Utility District while providing emergency bottled water in the affected area.

Harlan County Judge Executive Dan Mosley said:

“The flash flooding event at Ages/Brookside earlier this week ripped water lines out of the ground and broke them in several different areas of those communities. Kentucky American Water crews were on the ground within hours to assist Black Mountain Utility District personnel. Based on the damage I observed, I was concerned that it may take a week or longer to restore water. However, due to the swift response, water service has been restored a lot faster than I would have ever imagined and we are appreciative of the collaboration during this crisis.”

Regional Emergency Response

The restoration highlights Kentucky American Water’s operational capacity to assist neighboring utilities during an emergency. The company provides water and wastewater services to approximately 550,000 people through a workforce of about 150 employees.

Rob Burton, president of Kentucky American Water, said:

“Kentucky American Water was pleased to support Black Mountain Utility District and Harlan County officials after this week's damaging flood. Our team of professionals is dedicated to the essential work they do to provide quality, reliable, water service for the Kentucky communities we serve around the state, and we're proud of the tremendous work they accomplished this week to assist a neighboring utility in need.”