MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott has been appointed by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer to help lead a newly launched effort to close the city’s racial wealth gap. Parrott and LG&E and KU Energy Chief Executive Officer Paul Thompson are co-chairs of the Equity in Contracting and Procurement Task Force the mayor created Wednesday by executive order.

MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott is one of 13 returning members of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB). Joining these returning members are the incumbent Chair and 19 newly appointed members.

Because of COVID-19, the 31st annual River Sweep scheduled for Sept. 12 has been canceled. Check back soon for information on how you can still organize and get support for small group cleanups.

Low-income households may qualify for a 10-percent sewer bill discount under a new Emergency Wastewater Rate Assistance Program (EWRAP) offered by MSD. Aimed at providing relief for households struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic, the EWRAP discount is effective August 1, 2020. It will run through July 31, 2021.

EWRAP applicants must be Jefferson County residents who are named MSD customers receiving metered water service to a property used solely as a principal noncommercial residence and are not receiving the MSD Senior Citizen Discount.

National praise continues to roll in for Louisville MSD’s innovative Shawnee Park Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Basin project. The project, also known as the Southwestern Parkway CSO Basin, was named last week as one of twelve new “Infrastructure Gamechangers” by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

“These latest Infrastructure Gamechangers showcase innovative solutions to complex problems and demonstrate some of the ways civil engineers are thinking creatively to modernize our nation’s infrastructure,” said ASCE President K.N. Gunalan.

Louisville MSD relaunches its Supplier Diversity Program with higher goals of inclusiveness for minority- and women-owned businesses based on results of a disparity study, which will improve the diversity of firms that receive MSD contracts and create community benefits in neighborhoods where MSD is working. 

Repair work is complete on the two previously broken sewer lines under Harrods Creek in Prospect. Both lines, along with a third installed during the repair, are now in operation.

At its May 26 board meeting, MSD proposed an Emergency Wastewater Rate Assistance Program (EWRAP) for customers who need help paying sewer bills. The program is in response to a proposed rate increase of $2.98 per month on the average MSD bill that, if approved, would take effect August 1, 2020.

Prospect sewer line repair update:

Despite numerous setbacks, including flooding of the repair site on four different occasions, repairs of the two broken sewer lines under Harrods Creek in Prospect are nearing completion.

Crews entered the 42-inch gravity pipe last week to apply a final sealant coating. The testing of this pipe was also performed. The original force main is back in service, along with the new force main that was installed alongside it during this lengthy repair.