The January 10 groundbreaking to the Waterway Protection Tunnel at 200 North 12th Street brought city officials and local stakeholders together to kick off a massive and innovative undertaking that will help maintain safe, clean waterways for Louisville and Jefferson County. The $200 million, 2.5-mile tunnel will be 18 stories underground and able to store up to 37 million gallons of combined rainwater and sewage. It is scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2020.

The MSD Board has voted to change the threshold for MSD’s Local Labor Preference for construction contracts to include contracts of $5 million or more. Previously, MSD procurement regulations required a Local Labor Preference for construction contracts of $10 million or more.

“Local labor” is defined as individuals who have a primary legal residence within Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties in Kentucky; and, Clark, Floyd, Harrison and Washington counties in Indiana.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Logan Street Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Basin on December 19 capped several years of work and community conversation that will now help maintain safer, cleaner waterways.

MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott said in opening remarks that the basin will capture 11 combined sewer overflow points that discharge 15,400,000 gallons of a mixture of sewage and rainwater in a typical rainfall year into the South Fork of Beargrass Creek. The basin will allow capture of these overflows.

A Louisville MSD effort to deal with homes in flood-prone areas in Jefferson County could now become part of a planned revitalization of West Louisville. MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott spoke Tuesday during a community meeting at the Chestnut Street Family YMCA focused on progress concerning the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA and Passport Health and Well-Being campus planned for West Louisville. 

An MSD construction project designed to reduce combined sewer overflows offered a surprising return as it unearthed a forgotten piece of Louisville history now to be used as a building block for a future project in the city.

Rainfall. Temperature. Man-made pollutants. Numerous factors can affect the life of a stream, which means Louisville MSD must utilize a variety of tools to understand stream health and water quality as part of its mission to ensure safe, clean waterways.

One such method is a scientific survey method known as electro-fishing, as part of its efforts to collect biological data about streams in the Louisville Metro area. Fish, along with other biological data, provides insight on local stream health. The process involves using electricity to stun fish before they are caught.

Press briefing:

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After months of study and community engagement, the Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District Board yesterday afternoon approved a preliminary rate resolution to fund its FY18 Operating and Capital Budget that includes a rate increase in wastewater and stormwater charges.

The rate increase will fund a 20-year, $4.3 billion Critical Repair and Reinvestment Plan (CRRP), necessary to protect the public health and safety of residents and businesses. It will raise the average monthly residential bill (based on 5,000 gallons per month) by about $10.49.

Louisville MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott gave his Point of View on Louisville's infrastructure issues, and the Critical Repair & Reinvestment Plan that has been developed to address it, to WDRB on Friday, May 19. 

You can watch his Guest POV here.