MORGANFIELD, Ky. — At one western Kentucky water treatment plant, efforts are underway to ensure people’s drinking water is safe.
Morganfield Drinking Water Plant Superintendent David Tapp explained the process of how river water is made into drinking water. He started at the flocculation chambers.
“The water comes in here. It’s been mixed with chemicals. It’s where I say the magic happens,” he said.
Then he made his way over to the settling basin.
“Water comes in this side of the basin, and it takes about eight hours for it to flow to the far side,” he said.
Finally, Tapp made his way inside, where four filters use gravity to filter through gravel, sand and anthracite.
“And whenever it comes out the bottom, it’s clear, ready to drink,” he said.
As superintendent now for almost two years, Tapp said he knows trust is important when it comes to people’s water.
“Water is something everybody in their home uses. A lot of people don’t drink water straight from the tap, but they do use it to cook with. They use it to make Kool-aid, tea,” he said.
Something that threatens that health and safety are PFAs, or as they’re often called, “forever chemicals.”
“Anything we buy that is heat resistant, non-stick or water repellant generally has this family of chemicals on it,” Tapp said. “It’s been linked to everything from high cholesterol to kidney cancer.”
In 2019, tests for PFAs at the Morganfield plant showed levels just above what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says is safe, but they’ve since improved.
“The last year’s worth of tests we’ve done, our levels are within the guidelines of what the EPA says is safe, but they’re kind of at the upper end of the guidelines. It’s something the city of Morganfield is just trying to get ahead of,” Tapp said.
The city has secured a $7 million loan from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority to build a new filtration system using granular activated carbon to trap PFAs. The estimated $8.5 million project will be completed by April 2027, with surveyors already on-site and a kickoff meeting planned for next week.
Tapp said it feels good to be part of a project that will help keep people safe.
“Your family and friends are gonna be giving their baby a bath in this water. You want it to be as safe and as healthy as possible,” he said.
The city is also pursuing additional grants to minimize costs for residents and businesses, working closely with the Kentucky Division of Water to make this project a reality. Approximately 78% of the $7 million loan will be forgivable once the project is completed. About $1.5 million of it is a 20-year loan at 1.5% interest.
