Jackson Purchase News

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will allocate $5,315,000 to the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) to overhaul the city’s aging flood prevention infrastructure.

Louisville MSD will use this federal funding, included within USACE’s Fiscal Year 2024 Work Plan, to continue upgrading the city’s flood protection system. Senator McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked closely with Louisville MSD to secure resources for addressing the city’s flood control system.

In 2018, as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act, Senator McConnell helped fund a feasibility study to identify necessary repairs for improving the city’s flood infrastructure and preventing flood-related damage. In 2020, he secured a provision in America’s Water Infrastructure Act requiring the Secretary of the Army to expedite USACE’s report, making this project eligible for federal funding.

“Severe weather in my hometown of Louisville continues to strain the city’s infrastructure and damage homes, schools, and businesses throughout the region. Today’s funding will support important work underway to reinforce Louisville’s flood protection system. As in years past, I’ve been proud to partner with Louisville MSD to ensure Kentucky’s largest city has the resources it needs to protect the community and prevent devastation from flooding in the future,” said Senator McConnell.

“The excellent news of this work plan funding for the Flood Protection System in Louisville is the culmination of years of study, hard work, and perseverance by Senator McConnell, USACE, Louisville MSD, and all of the elected officials that work each and every day to secure every resource available for the health and safety of our community. This project will leave a legacy that we should all be proud of – one that will protect human life and property for future generations. We at MSD are ready to do our part to make this project successful as we open this exciting next chapter,” said Louisville MSD Executive Director Tony Parrott.