Kentucky’s new WWATERS program was created for communities like Martin County—places where decades-old infrastructure, chronic underinvestment and limited local resources make safe, reliable water and wastewater service an everyday challenge. Yet last year, when Kentucky lawmakers awarded more $75 million to distressed utilities across the state, Martin County received nothing. Not one project. Not one dollar.
The failure was rooted in scoring errors, later uncovered by the Mountain Citizen, that pushed the county’s applications out of contention.
The consequences were real. Projects that should have moved forward stalled. Critical needs remained unfunded. And a county that meets every definition of “troubled or economically restrained” was forced to wait another year while others advanced.
This year Martin County Water District and Martin County Sanitation District submitted 12 projects totaling nearly $40 million. They cleared every eligibility requirement. They scored well. And by KIA’s own analysis, eight of the 12 fall within the amount of money left in the WWATERS fund.
But there is a new wrinkle.
For the first time, KIA produced three separate ranked lists, each of which will be handed to lawmakers to choose from. The difference between these lists is not minor.
Under the weighted-score list, the same method lawmakers relied on last year, eight Martin County projects receive funding. It is the same under the project-category list: eight Martin County projects also receive funding. Under the median-household-income list, Martin County receives nothing.
That stark swing hinges almost entirely on the median household income figure used to rank counties.
KIA cites $45,837 from Data USA. The U.S. Census Bureau’s official Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates places Martin County at $35,522.
The gap is significant and determinative.
A program created to prioritize distressed utilities should rely on the most accurate, official data available. When a county with one of the highest poverty rates and lowest MHIs (according to SAIPE) in Kentucky ranks as if it were in the middle of the pack, it undermines the entire purpose of the program.
Representative Bobby McCool attended the Nov. 20 KIA meeting in Frankfort and acknowledged that one of the three lists is “not good for Martin County.” That may be an understatement.
For a community shut out last year because of errors, the possibility of another shut-out because of a questionable data source should alarm every resident, utility customer and person who depends on clean drinking water.
The need is undeniable. The projects are eligible. The rankings, at least two of the three, show Martin County rising to the top. The only remaining question is whether lawmakers will act accordingly.
The General Assembly created WWATERS to support the state’s most distressed systems. Martin County is one of them. With only $53.4 million remaining for the 2026 cycle and twelve projects on the table, this county cannot afford another miss.
Frankfort has the authority. Watch closely to see if it shows the will.