Albany gets another grant to boost water system upgrade in Duvall Valley, Bald Rock area

Posted October 6, 2020 at 1:38 pm

The City of Albany has received word from Washington that it is line to receive yet a second grant that will be used to upgrade the water system in the Duvall Valley area.

The announcement of this latest grant, in the amount of $400,000, came last week from the Washington offices of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Congressman James Comer (KY-01).

The latest grant will be awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in the amount of $400,000 for Albany for water infrastructure upgrades.

This grant follows an announcement made back in July of this year, when Albany Mayor Lyle Pierce announced to the Clinton County News that the City of Albany had received word it would be receiving a $3 million grant that would also be used to upgrade the water system in the Duvall Valley and Bald Rock areas of Clinton County.

That grant is expected to be made from the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Pilot Program to compete the project.

“State-of-the-art water infrastructure can greatly improve the quality of life for families in Kentucky. I’m proud the ARC program I established is investing in many of our Commonwealth’s rural communities,” said Senator McConnell. “The improved water lines, meters, and facilities can help cut costs for Kentucky families while providing vital, dependable services. With Congressman Comer, I’m proud to continue delivering for Kentucky communities and local businesses.”

“This federal investment in Clinton County’s infrastructure will provide much-needed improvements to water access in the Duvall Valley region, which has suffered from water shortages that have negatively affected local residents and businesses,” said Congressman Comer. “Access to a reliable water supply is critical to health and quality of life, and I applaud our local officials for working closely with the federal government to address this issue.”

To address frequent water shortages and low pressure in the Duvall Valley region, Albany intends to replace nearly 45,000 linear feet of water lines for increased capacity, replace a pump station and construct a 500,000 gallon elevated water storage tank.