FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — A bill moving through the Capitol is raising alarms among clean water advocates. They worry Senate Bill 89 will dismantle long-standing water protections and potentially jeopardize access to clean water for many Kentuckians.
"If SB 89 goes through, all groundwater will lose pollution controls, imperiling 1.5 million Kentuckians’ drinking water supplies," warned Michael Washburn with the Kentucky Waterways Alliance. "It would also jeopardize the drinking supplies of the 416,000 Kentuckians who rely on wells and springs."
Kentucky's Energy and Environment Cabinet has also expressed concern about the proposed legislation. In a letter sent to lawmakers, the Cabinet writes "the bill threatens the water quality of many Kentucky rivers, streams, and tributaries and, as a result, would significantly compromise Kentucky’s groundwater, impacting the water quality of more than 31,000 private use wells and at least 156 public water systems.
Madison Mooney, who is from Martin County, provided a personal perspective on the issue, reflecting on her community's history of contaminated water resources.
"Growing up in eastern Kentucky, I was taught not to drink the tap water or play in the creeks," she said.
Mooney warned that relaxing water protections could lead to increased flooding, pollution, and higher water treatment costs.
"For Martin County, it raises the question of how much more we will have to pay for water that we can't drink or that people are afraid to cook with," she said.
Supporters of Senate Bill 89 argue that the legislation aims to reduce bureaucratic overreach that they believe is harming Kentucky businesses.
"This bill applies to coal, construction. I'm a farmer. It applies to agriculture," said Sen. Stephen West before the Senate voted on the bill. "The way it stands now, the heavy hand of government can roll into your farm, roll into your construction site at any time, and write you up because something went into that puddle or ditch."
