Louisville Water can now deliver up to seven million gallons of drinking water daily to the city of Shelbyville. This was made possible through the completion of Louisville Water’s two-year pipeline extension project to Shelby County. Shelbyville Municipal Water & Sewer Commission (Shelbyville Water) began service with Louisville Water on Dec. 3.
“We are so excited that we have begun using Louisville Water in our service area south of Interstate 64,” said Tom Doyle, Manager of Shelbyville Water. “By reaching this milestone, we will now be able to serve those who we couldn’t serve before this project was completed. The supply of water from Louisville will also allow us to continue the economic growth along the Interstate 64 corridor from Louisville to Frankfort.”
Louisville Water installed approximately 10 miles of 24-inch-diameter water main along the highway from the Jefferson/Shelby County line to connect with Shelbyville Water near Highway 55 in Shelby County. Louisville Water already provides water to two utilities in Shelby County, West Shelby Water District and North Shelby Water Company, through purchase agreements. This pipeline extension also increases water capacity for West Shelby, as this is their second connection to Louisville Water.
“The amount of water we are capable of taking now has increased, which could be extremely valuable if we are ever in a drought situation,” said Lisa Didier, Office Manager for West Shelby. “Another thing that will help West Shelby’s overall costs is eventually being able to only use our pump stations if needed in an emergency situation.”
This project represents a regional solution for delivering drinking water as it benefits the four water providers in Shelby County. Over the past several years, Louisville Water has worked with West Shelby and North Shelby along with Shelbyville Water and the U.S. 60 Water District on a solution that would give the county an additional water supply.
“Our goal is to provide our customers with safe and high-quality drinking water,” said Spencer Bruce, CEO & President of Louisville Water. “Regional solutions are key to supporting a community’s needs and planning ahead for growth. We have great partners in Shelby County, and this project will benefit the area for years to come. “
This project, which began in November 2017, cost more than $15 million, using Smith Contractors for the pipe install and HDR Engineering for the design. In addition to the water main installation, Louisville Water already had a large water main and an elevated storage tank near the Shelby County line, but as part of this project a pumping station was constructed to maintain optimal water pressure along the route.