Facilities Plan Oldham County Sewer District Chapter 2 – Planning Area Background Wastewater conveyance and treatment is currently provided by two public entities within Oldham County, the Oldham County Sewer District (OCSD) and the LaGrange Utilities Commission (LUC). The respective planning areas for these two entities are shown in Figure 2-1. Basically, the LUC area encompasses the City of LaGrange and the immediate surrounding area and OCSD is responsible for the remainder of the County. There are presently 24 permitted wastewater treatment facilities operating within Oldham County serving residential, institutional, municipal, industrial and commercial customers. Most of these facilities are located in the Crestwood (six), Buckner (five) and Goshen (five) areas. For the most part these facilities are beyond their useful life, and are at or near capacity. To achieve effective water quality management within the County it is essential that the number of package plants be reduced. The County needs to provide regional, publicly owned and properly operated wastewater treatment facilities to insure that the use of small package plants is minimized in the future. The Oldham County Sanitation District was initially established in 1996 by the Oldham County Fiscal Court to provide wastewater collection and treatment for the County with the exception of the LaGrange and Crestwood areas. The initial Board had three members, no staff and very few customers. The first employee was hired in 1999. In 1999, OCSD executed an interlocal agreement with the Louisville and Jefferson County Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to provide service to customers near the Oldham County/Jefferson County line. In 2000, OCSD borrowed $4 million to acquire and improve existing package plants and to construct the Buckner Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). This plant became operational in 2001 and resulted in the elimination of two existing package plants. In February 2004, the name of the district was officially changed to the Oldham County Sewer District. In 2005, OCSD negotiated a merger with the city of Crestwood to combine the two systems. With completion of the merger, the OCSD Board was expanded from three members to five. Also in 2005, OCSD borrowed $7.6 million to construct the Ohio River Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, eliminate the Trails End and Heather Hills WWTPs, construct sewers to serve the Buckner and Kamer Place areas and develop a countywide 201 Facilities Plan. As of today, OCSD’s accomplishments can be summarized as follows: •

Constructed the Buckner WWTP and eliminated two package plants.

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OCSD COUNTYWIDE FACILITIES PLAN

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Figure 2-1 Olham County Facilities Planning Areas

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Initiated construction of the 1.5 million gallon per day (MGD) Ohio River Regional WWTP that will immediately eliminate the Trails End and Cardinal Harbour WWTPs and will allow for the elimination of three additional package plants. The Ohio River WWTP is scheduled to become operational by June 2007 at a cost of approximately $4.0 million. Completed construction of the sewer and pump station project for the Buckner and Kamer Place areas at a cost of approximately $2 million. Recently received approval to take over operation and maintenance of the existing Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR) WWTP from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. OCSD currently has five Board members and nine staff. OCSD currently has approximately 6,500 customers and assets of approximately $34 million.

OCSD’s stated mission and goals is to develop regional wastewater solutions for the people of Oldham County that will improve water quality by eliminating package plants and on-site disposal systems; provide the Planning Commission and other regulators with alternatives that will support orderly growth and development in our community; and be implemented in a costeffective and timely manner. The 24 existing WWTPs within Oldham County serve a relatively small percentage of the County’s population. The remainder is currently served by on-site disposal systems. Many of these on-site systems malfunction and result in stream and groundwater pollution. Many areas have soil types or depths that are not suitable for an on-site disposal system. In other areas, topography is such that on-site disposal should not be permitted. Most septic tanks are located on single-family lots, typically one acre in size. There are a number of subdivisions and other clusters of septic tanks that function improperly and should be connected to regional wastewater treatment facilities. Usually, septic tank disposal systems are adequate for only the smallest commercial users. In most cases, commercial, institutional and industrial developments require sewers connected to a public or private WWTP. Studies conducted by the Kentucky Division of Water (KDOW) have indicated water quality problems in several streams located within Oldham County. Streams that have some degree of water quality impairment are Floyds Fork, Harrods Creek, Pond Creek and their tributaries. Impairment in stream water quality occurs when standards are not met for the streams designated use. A significant portion of stream pollution in these watersheds is caused by package WWTPs and/or malfunctioning on-site disposal systems. The demand for sewers is compounded by projected residential, commercial and industrial growth. Oldham County is projected to be one of

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the fastest growing counties in the Commonwealth over the next twenty years and development will most certainly occur. Wastewater generated from residential and commercial developments should not be managed with additional package plants or the continued use of on-site disposal systems. Sewers not only allow for the regionalization of treatment plants but also provide a way to deal with some of the environmental concerns associated with growth. Another benefit of sewers is the ability to serve business and industry which can moderate cost impacts and public service demands created by residential growth. Therefore, the goals of this countywide facilities plan can be summarized as follows: • • • • • •

Develop a comprehensive wastewater master plan to serve OCSD’s 20-year needs in a cost-effective and environmentally sound manner. Eliminate package WWTPs. Pursue regional solutions. Provide flexibility to serve existing and future needs. Solicit stakeholder input. Obtain grants and low-interest loans to minimize financial impact on OCSD customers.

Previous Planning Efforts The 1976 Oldham County Water District No. 1 201 Facilities Plan identified alternative regional wastewater treatment solutions to eliminate sources of water pollution in the Crestwood planning area. This facilities plan recommended that a regional wastewater treatment plant be constructed on Floyds Fork. This plan was not implemented and the City of Crestwood initiated an update in 1994. The 201 Facilities Plan Update reviewed regional treatment alternatives and concluded that the most cost-effective wastewater management alternative was to pump to MSD’s Hite Creek WWTP in Jefferson County, which was eventually implemented. At the request of the City of Pewee Valley, a study to determine preliminary construction costs for installation of sanitary sewers in that portion of the planning area was completed in December 1997. Results of the study indicated that a connection to the City of Crestwood sewer system was the most cost-effective interim solution for Pewee Valley residents over the 20year planning period. Another possibility identified was the acquisition and expansion of the existing Ash Avenue WWTP by OCSD. Today, neither of the above alternatives have been implemented and Pewee Valley continues to use

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on-site disposal for sewage treatment. As part of an agreement with OCSD they cannot be forced to install sewers and are not included in this countywide facilities planning effort. However, if they decide in the future to sewer the area, it will be accomplished by OCSD and they will become OCSD customers at that time. The Oldham County Action Plan (OCAP) was completed in March 1998. It was a wastewater planning document created to address wastewater needs in three distinct priority areas of Oldham County. The OCAP was a cooperative effort between MSD, OCSD and the Oldham County Fiscal Court. The priority areas addressed in the OCAP were as follows: • • •

Priority Area A – Goshen, Highway 42 corridor Priority Area B – Crestwood and Pewee Valley Priority Area C – Buckner, LaGrange and Centerfield

The OCAP evaluated several alternatives for wastewater collection and treatment for each of the priority areas. The recommended plan for each area is summarized below: •

Priority Area A – Construct a publicly-owned subregional wastewater treatment plant to serve the Goshen area with effluent discharge to the Ohio River. A system of interceptors and pump stations/force mains will eliminate five package plants.

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Priority Area B – Pump wastewater from the Crestwood and Pewee Valley area to the MSD Hite Creek WWTP. Numerous package plants can be eliminated.

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Priority Area C – Utilize the existing LaGrange Wastewater Treatment Plant as a subregional facility.

In June 1999 the Buckner Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan was completed. This plan recommended a different solution for the Buckner area than proposed by the OCAP. KDOW adjusted the facilities planning boundaries for LaGrange to exclude the Buckner area. Therefore, the Buckner Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan recommended the construction of a treatment facility on North Curry Fork to provide treatment for this area. This plan was subsequently implemented by OCSD. In January 2002, MSD and OCSD issued a joint facilities plan entitled MSD/OCSD Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan 2000-2020. This facilities plan dealt with three Oldham County Sewer Areas (OCSA) within the OCSD planning area and the recommendations of this plan are summarized as follows:

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•

OCSA 1 – Goshen Area. The selected plan is to construct a new 1.5 MGD Ohio River WWTP near the existing Cardinal Harbour WWTP with effluent discharge to the Ohio River. The plant will serve the entire area. The existing Trails End, Cardinal Harbour, River Bluff, Covered Bridge Farms and Paramont Estates package plants can be eliminated. Interceptor sewers are planned in the Harrods Creek, Pond Creek and Little Huckleberry Creek drainage basins.

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OCSA 2 – Crestwood/Pewee Valley Area. The selected plan is to collect and pump wastewater from the Crestwood and Pewee Valley area to the MSD Hite Creek WWTP. In this Alternative, the Willow Creek, Orchard Grass Hills, City of Park Lake, Friendship Manor, Ash Avenue and numerous other package plants in the Crestwood area can be eliminated. Sewer service to the Crestwood area has been completed.

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OCSA 3 – Brownsboro Area. The selected plan is to pump wastewater from the Brownsboro area to the Crestwood collection system and thus the Crestwood Regional Pump Station for conveyance to MSD’s Hite Creek WWTP in Jefferson County.

Planning Area Oldham County is situated within three watersheds; the Ohio River watershed, the Harrods Creek watershed and the Floyds Fork watershed. Each of these watersheds has documented water quality issues and two of them, Harrods Creek and Floyds Fork flow into Jefferson County and has the potential to impact their water quality. The Oldham County watersheds and subareas are depicted in Figure 2-2. The subareas correspond to the subareas used in the previous studies prepared for Oldham County. Oldham County has a total area of 126,008 acres. Of this total, 115,756 acres are included within the OCSD planning area and 10,256 acres comprises the LUC planning area. The following provides a description of the watersheds and the subareas that comprise each of the watersheds. Ohio River Watershed The Ohio River watershed is bounded on the west by the Oldham/Jefferson county line, the Ohio River on the north, the Oldham/ Trimble county line on the east and the U.S. Highway 42 corridor on the south (Harrods Creek watershed). The area includes the cities of Goshen and Westport and has a total area of 35,741 acres. The area contains 23 subareas that will be used as the basic planning area for alternatives. “Subwatersheds within the area include Bull Creek, Eighteenmile Creek, Garrett Branch, Sycamore Run, Caney Fork, Little Huckleberry Creek, Morris Branch, Pattons Branch, Organ Creek, Pond Creek and Taylor Creek.”

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OCSD COUNTYWIDE FACILITIES PLAN

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Harrods Creek Watershed The Harrods Creek watershed is bounded on the north by the U.S. Hwy. 42 corridor (Ohio River watershed), the Oldham/Jefferson county line on the west, the Oldham/Henry county line on the east and the KY 146 corridor on the south (Floyds Fork watershed). The area includes the cities of Crestwood, Pewee Valley, Orchard Grass, Brownsboro, part of Buckner and part of Lagrange and has a total area of 52,229 acres. The area contains 24 subareas that will be used as the basic planning area for alternatives development. Subwatersheds within the area include Darby Creek, South Fork of Darby Creek, Sinking Fork, Hite Creek, Berry Creek, Ash Run, Brush Creek, Cedar Creek, North Fork of Cedar Creek and South Fork of Cedar Creek. Floyds Fork Watershed The Floyds Fork watershed is bounded on the north by the KY 146 corridor (Harrods Creek watershed), on the east and south by the OldhamHenry-Shelby county lines, and on the west by the Oldham-Jefferson county line. The area includes the cities of Centerfield, Ballardsville, part of LaGrange and part of Buckner and has a total area of 37,978 acres. The area contains 15 subareas that will be used as the basic planning area for alternatives development. Subwatersheds within the area include Ashers Run, Currys Fork, North Currys Fork, South Currys Fork, Lick Fork, Junkins Run, Gathright Branch, North Fork of Floyds Fork and East Fork of Floyds Fork. Subareas Subareas were developed from the Subwatersheds comprising each of the major watersheds. The subareas will form the basic planning unit for the development of alternatives and are depicted in Figure 2-2. There are a total of 62 subareas that are wholly or partially contained within Oldham County. Population data was gathered and developed to coincide with the subarea boundaries. A summary of the Oldham County watersheds and subareas is presented in Table 2-1. The subarea boundaries are common to both the 1998 OCAP and the 2002 MSD/OCSD Regional Wastewater Facilities Plan.

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Table 2-1 Oldham County Watersheds and Subareas OCSD Facilities Plan Oldham County Watershed Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River

Service Area ID BC DH EC EC.1 EC.1.1 EC.1.1.1 EC.1.1.2 EC.1.2 EC.2 HU MB OH.1 OH.2 OH.3 OH.4 OH.5 PC PC.1 PC.1.1 PC.1.1.1 PC.1.1.2 PO TC

Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek

CC DC DC.1 DC.1.1 DC.1.2 DC.2 HC HC.1 HC.1.1 HC.1.2 HI NH NH.1 NH.1.1 NH.1.1.1 NH.1.1.1.1 NH.1.1.1.2 NH.1.1.2 NH.1.2 NH.2 NH.2.1 NH.2.2 SH SH.1

Receiving Stream Bull Creek Ohio River Eighteenmile Creek Eighteenmile Creek Eighteenmile Creek Eighteenmile Creek Garrett Branch Sycamore Run Caney Fork Little Huckleberry Creek Morris Branch Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Ohio River Pattons Branch Pattons Branch Pattons Branch Pattons Branch Organ Creek Pond Creek Taylor Creek Subtotals Harrods Creek Darby Creek South Fork of Darby Creek Darby Fork South Fork of Darby Creek Darby Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Sinking Fork Hite Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Harrods Creek Berry Creek Harrods Creek Ash Run Brush Creek Cedar Creek North Fork of Cedar Creek Cedar Creek South Fork of Harrods South Fork of Harrods Subtotals

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Total Area (Acres) 1,620.44 3,109.11 291.64 388.14 282.87 3,825.35 1,784.12 1,969.71 1,051.58 2,309.66 1,555.87 1,351.81 1,107.91 3,152.88 1,551.91 721.65 1,380.50 1,705.71 263.85 2,731.71 1,661.78 3,126.01 2,179.03 39,123.24 4,849.24 1,070.82 193.15 1,386.41 1,585.16 2,435.62 1,933.32 2,688.20 2,912.05 2,134.33 3,486.65 3,981.61 2,524.90 789.76 6,154.35 1,518.03 7,831.02 1,552.69 3,359.63 69.10 1,935.37 2,009.54 751.95 10,395.37 67,548.27

Area (Acres) Inside County 1,620.44 3,109.11 291.64 388.14 282.87 3,825.35 1,784.12 1,969.71 1,051.58 2,309.66 1,555.87 1,351.81 1,107.91 3,152.88 1,551.91 643.59 748.09 820.92 175.56 1,116.73 1,661.78 3,041.98 2,179.03 35,740.68 1,002.08 1,070.82 193.15 1,386.41 1,585.16 2,435.62 606.09 2,688.20 2,912.05 2,134.33 517.53 3,981.61 2,524.90 789.76 6,154.35 851.90 2,090.60 1,552.69 3,359.63 69.10 1,935.37 2,009.54 751.95 9,686.06 52,288.90

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Area (Acres) Outside County 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 78.06 632.41 884.79 88.29 1,614.98 0.00 84.03 0.00 3,382.56 3,847.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,327.23 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,969.12 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 666.13 5,740.42 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 709.31 15,259.37

Area (S.M.) 2.531 4.849 0.456 0.606 0.442 5.976 2.787 3.077 1.643 3.608 2.430 2.100 1.717 4.949 2.419 1.119 2.157 2.665 0.412 4.267 2.596 4.883 3.404 61.09 7.574 1.673 0.302 2.166 2.477 3.805 3.020 4.199 4.549 3.334 5.446 6.220 3.944 1.234 9.614 2.371 12.234 2.426 5.248 0.108 3.023 3.139 1.175 16.238 105.52

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Table 2-1 (continued) Oldham County Watersheds and Subareas OCSD Facilities Plan Oldham County Watershed Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork

Service Area ID AC AR CF CF.1 CF.2 FF FF.1 FF.1.1 FF.1.1.1 FF.1.1.2 FF.1.2 GR NF NF.1 NF.2

Receiving Stream Floyds Fork Ashers Run Currys Fork North Fork of Currys Fork South Fork of Currys Fork Currys Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Floyds Fork Lick Fork Junkins Run Gathright Branch Floyds Fork North Fork of Floyds Fork East Fork of Floyds Fork Subtotals Totals

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Total Area (Acres) 12,515.69 2,168.29 3,623.25 6,433.31 5,930.92 97.98 5,569.72 4,509.75 2,480.89 2,531.95 2,274.79 1,016.28 2,188.09 4,778.15 5,713.45 61,832.51 168,504.02

Area (Acres) Inside County 2,604.18 2,168.29 3,623.25 6,433.31 5,930.92 97.98 3,367.97 3,169.73 2,480.89 983.24 18.47 945.14 2,188.09 2,575.86 1,390.63 37,977.95 126,007.53

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Area (Acres) Outside County 9,911.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2,201.75 1,340.02 0.00 1,548.71 2,256.32 71.14 0.00 2,202.29 4,322.82 23,854.56 42,496.49

Area (S.M.) 19.550 3.387 5.660 10.050 9.265 0.153 8.701 7.045 3.876 3.955 3.554 1.588 3.418 7.465 8.926 96.59 263.21

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