Quality Water. Quality of Life.

Every day, nearly one million people depend on Louisville Water Company to provide safe, high-quality drinking water.

We’re proud to deliver award-winning, fresh from the faucet Louisville Pure Tap®.

Our tap water is so good we’re the only utility in the country to give it a name!

We believe quality water is critical to a quality life.

That’s why we ensure our customers have easy access to drinking water that is among the highest ranked in the nation at rates that are among the lowest.

History

Louisville Water was chartered by a special act of the Kentucky State Legislature in 1854. The company began operations in 1860 as Kentucky’s first public water provider. In 1906, the city of Louisville became the sole stockholder, turning Louisville Water into a quasi-municipal corporation.

Louisville Water’s pioneering research in filtration in the late 1800s provided the foundation for basic water treatment practices used throughout the United States today.

The company continues to research innovations in water treatment with an ongoing commitment to meeting and exceeding state and federal water quality regulations.

Our two treatment plants, the Crescent Hill Water Treatment Plant and the B.E. Payne Water Treatment Plant, are two of the top 19 in North America.

With the Ohio River as our main source, our water is abundant and more affordable than many peer cities.

Today, Louisville Water supplies water and fire protection to communities in Louisville Metro and parts of Bullitt, Hardin, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, and Spencer counties.

In addition, we partner with the River Ridge Commerce Center to operate their water systems.

Infrastructure Sustainability 

Sustainability is about more than limiting waste and pollution. It’s also about taking proactive measures to leave things better than you found them.

At Louisville Water, that mission drives many of our practices, including our ongoing commitment to infrastructure revitalization.

Louisville Water’s Main Replacement and Rehabilitation Program (MRRP) started in the 1980s as an effort to proactively and strategically upgrade aging water mains.

MRRP remains a focus of our Strategic Business Plan; the program now uses advanced technology to identify potential leaks and weaknesses in the over 4,200 miles of pipes throughout our service area — often without shutting off the water flow.

This ongoing effort helps minimize water lost through leaks and main breaks, while also ensuring there’s always access to Louisville Pure Tap.

Other recent initiatives have also helped Louisville Water to “go green”. Digital systems have replaced 30+ year old procedures that were mostly paper driven.

In addition to going paperless, these systems allow Louisville Water crews to work more efficiently and locally, helping limit vehicle emissions and improve overall operations.

Louisville Water is a recipient of the Sustainable Water Utility Management Award — an honor recognizing water utilities that have made a commitment to management that achieves a balance of innovative and successful efforts in areas of economic, social, and environmental endeavors.

With an ongoing focus on innovation and education, Louisville Water aims to build on these sustainability initiatives in the years to come. 

Louisville Water is a proud member of the Louisville Sustainability Council.