The eastern Kentucky city of Prestonsburg sits in a valley of the Appalachian foothills, and from there, the water utility’s pipes stretch out to surrounding areas and across county lines.
“We’re one of the biggest small-town utilities that I know of,” says Donald Compton, water and wastewater treatment manager. That, along with highly variable-quality source water, means daily challenges for the plant operations team.
The plant has seen three substantial upgrades since it opened in 1957. That includes the most recent plant expansion in 2005 to the current 5 mgd design capacity (average production is 2.5 mgd).
Far and wide
The Prestonsburg plant serves
