Perry County Officials Provide Update on Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant Construction

Perry County Judge-Executive Scott Alexander announced that construction crews could be on-site at the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant within six weeks, marking a tangible turning point for a project seven years in the making.

The City of Hazard accepted a bid for the plant, clearing the next administrative hurdle after a groundbreaking ceremony held in March brought together local and statewide leaders. Alexander said the full build-out will run two to three years.

"That will allow the project to move forward, and it's just exciting times," Alexander said. "It will probably be a two to three year project, you know, and then it's been six or seven years in the works to get to this point."

The plant will draw water from the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River, providing what Alexander called a new avenue of supply for the region. He tied the project directly to economic development at the Coalfields Regional Industrial Park. "To have that extra source of water to be able to feed your industrial park is just critical for job creation, job retention, and growth for a community," he said.

A nearly $10.7 million Economic Development Administration grant, secured in August 2024, is funding a transmission line connecting the proposed Buckhorn plant to the Coalfields Regional Industrial Park. Perry County grants coordinator Angie Hall said the upgrade will replace aging infrastructure that has long constrained the area's water capacity. "Currently the water line running to Buckhorn is a six- and eight-inch line. This will bump it up to 14- and 16-inch lines, which will allow us to maximize the water capacity that we can get to the industrial park," Hall said.

The reliability improvements extend beyond industrial users. Hall noted that residential customers in the Buckhorn community have faced extended outages in recent years. "In recent years, you know, we've had some water issues where their residential customers have been without water for several weeks at a time. And so, this will improve that water quality and solve some of those water issues that we've had," she said.

When fully operational, the plant is designed to process 2 million gallons per day and extend reliable service to 1,198 households and 19 businesses across the Coalfields Regional Industrial Park, the City of Buckhorn, and the Chavies community. Officials have projected the project will create hundreds of jobs and generate $13 million in private investment.

The total project cost stands at $40 million. With the EDA grant secured, officials are approximately $7 million short of that figure, leaving a funding gap still to be addressed before construction concludes.

Hazard Mayor Happy Mobelini said the federal grant allows the city to build the plant without taking on debt. Former Buckhorn Mayor Tom Burns was credited as instrumental in advancing the project, alongside Congressman Hal Rogers, whose office helped secure the federal funding. In September 2022, Rogers and Gov. Andy Beshear had presented an $8,893,200 ceremonial check to the cities of Hazard and Buckhorn for the plant's construction.

Alexander framed the project's long road as evidence that local government can deliver results. "You've got to have that first day of where you dream of something and you discuss it, and then you've got to find the funding, then you've got to build it," he said. "There is a process to government, but it is working here and the projects are happening here, and so it's another great project, another exciting day for this community in Appalachia.