FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — One walk through the pastures in western Frankfort and you will be met with a pungent smell.
And no, it's not the cows.
"It's the sewer, the smell. The gasses off of the sewer," says Linda May.
She is one of the residents living in Frankfort that say they've been dealing with sewage issues for years.
But recently, it's started to go beyond an unpleasant smell.
For farmer Donnie Bailey, he says contaminated water has seeped into the creek on his property, that he uses to feed his cattle.
"I mean, this is my income. It's a struggle and a worry. A big worry," he says.
Worried Bailey and May say they've spent the last few weeks contacting local officials about it.
"I've contacted this many people. And none of them have any answers," says Bailey.
The problem, Bailey says, starts at the sewage plant less than a mile from his home.
It's one of seven managed by the Farmsdale Sanitation District.
Chairman Charlie Barnett says this plant on Clearwater Lane is in need of major repairs.
And they said due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues, they've been waiting on the necessary parts to come in for over a year.
But assures residents the water is tested regularly and clean for consumption.
"If it has a smell, it's not clean," says May.
Barnett says the board has also secured more than $7 million in funding to take all seven sewer plants offline and build a central location with a working sewer system in the next three years.
But residents say they need answers right now.
"The sewage is still black today and don't look good," says Bailey.
