Hazard-Perry Chamber tackles water outages, solar growth and retail plans

Water outages that left many Perry County residents without service for days, and some for weeks, dominated the Hazard-Perry County Chamber of Commerce meeting at Hazard City Hall. The discussion put a basic daily need at the center of a business and civic gathering, with county and city leaders also talking through solar energy development and retail growth.

The scale of the problem made the conversation more than a routine update. Hazard’s water system serves about 29,730 residents and treats roughly 5 million gallons a day, a reminder that even a small run of breaks or pressure problems can reach thousands of homes, schools and businesses. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency beginning Jan. 24 because severe winter weather threatened public infrastructure and utility distribution systems, giving the outage problems a wider regional context.

Perry County has already been under water strain this winter. In January, nearly 400 residents in northern Perry County were without water because of overuse, not a break or frozen pipes. Earlier reports from Hazard also described more than a dozen leaks, breaks and outages after an arctic blast, showing how quickly cold weather can push an already stressed system toward failure.

The city’s water information lists Tony Eversole as water system manager and says water, sewer and gas issues are handled through City Hall. Hazard residents who run into a leak or outage are directed to call Hazard City Hall at 606-436-3171, and the city also posts a direct leak-report line for utility problems. That kind of contact point matters when service is intermittent, because every hour without water can disrupt cooking, bathing, school routines and the workday for local businesses.

Perry County officials said the county has grants earmarked for much-needed water and sewer improvements, but the chamber meeting suggested that the public wants more than broad assurances. The next public checkpoint will come when the chamber meets again at Hazard City Hall on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m., where residents will be watching for concrete repair plans, progress on utility upgrades and whether the region’s growth talk can outpace its water problems.