Congressional budget blocks fees for using lake water source

May 4, 2017

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SOMERSET, Ky. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers has said that the budget Congress will vote on this week would bar the completion of a study that would result in cities paying to use Lake Cumberland as a water source.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports (http://bit.ly/2pB3tt3) Rogers said in a news release Tuesday that the budget would protect lake communities from unaffordable fees.

Six cities, one Russell County fish hatchery and four Pulaski County businesses currently use the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake as a source for their water systems free of charge, unlike users of other corps lakes. The corps is scheduled to complete a study by 2018 on allocating water-storage capacity to the users, which would have led to dam maintenance charges and a one-time usage fee.