Kentucky Rural Water Association holds conference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - For the past 45 years, the Kentucky Rural Water Association has been meeting up for their annual conference for as they put it “food fellowship, and an exchange of ideas.”

“This conference will entail over 900 water professionals from all across the Commonwealth,” said Scott Young, the executive director of the Kentucky Rural Water Association. “There is a lot that goes on where they are furthering their professional development in all that encompasses water and wastewater.”

The conference will host fun events like the Best Tasting Water Competition, a raffle and a Meter competition.

One utility company is even honored with the Wooden Bucket Award, celebrating their efforts in meeting community demands.

The theme for the conference is “Changes Ahead” with the promise of tackling the challenges in the water and wastewater industry.

“We gotta make sure that our water treatment plants and our wastewater treatment plants have the capacity to meet the future needs of communities, the future needs of growth in Kentucky. We have to be dynamic in our model of where we are going and not static and get left behind,” said Young.

Two of the educational tracks available for people in attendance will be wastewater and drinking water, both of which have been of high concern in Eastern Kentucky this past year.

Young said it’s about getting regulators like the Kentucky and US EPA in the same room as the utility companies.

“Our motto is we help utilities help themselves and so that’s what we are. We are that support for them. Whether, it’s technical assistance, whether it’s boots on the ground during disaster recovery or mercy response. Often, when a utility is struggling, and they need assistance, we fill that gap,” said Young.

It’s that dynamic support between organizations that leaders are hoping to continue to build, thanks to educational events like the conference this week.

“People often tend to neglect water until you go to the faucet and turn it and it doesn’t come on. So, there is a lot more that goes in than being reactive. It’s the proactive that we try to teach utilities,” said Young.

The final day of the conference will be Wednesday at the Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.