Section Supervisor: Jill Bertelson
Telephone: 502-564-3410, ext. 596

Responsibilities and Functions:

• The MPS is responsible for the planning of municipal wastewater collection and treatment systems, with emphasis on project implementability, environmental soundness and cost effectiveness.

Facilities plans prepared by the municipalities or sewer districts and an engineering consultant meet with MPS in a preplanning meeting to discuss the elements of the plan, project scope and timing, feasibility, alternatives and conceptual planning. When the plan arrives at MPS, a project engineer reviews it for compliance with regulation 401 KAR 5:006. The project engineer is responsible for seeking comments from various environmental agencies such as the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Kentucky Heritage Council and Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. The project engineer then drafts a State Planning and Environmental Assessment Report (SPEAR) or a Categorical Exclusion Determination and forwards it to the commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection for approval. SPEARs are then sent to the State Clearinghouse for review. On receiving comments from the clearinghouse, the project engineer prepares the final approval.

The applicant is required to give public notice of the facilities plan in the local area and invite public comment. For the convenience of municipalities, the public and consultants, a sample Notice of Public Hearing, Regional Facilities Plan Preparation Checklist and Kentucky Water/Wastewater Project Profile are available from this site. (PDF documents)

• The MPS also places sewer sanctions on those wastewater treatment plants that are at or above 90 or 95 percent of their hydraulic and/or organic capacity. This Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Program was devised to help municipalities avoid possible violations and fines by beginning planning on a timely basis to meet the community's economic and population growth. See the Sewer Sanction List and the Sewer Sanction Release List.You may also access the Sewer Sanction Exemption Request Form in PDF or Word. Contact Hamid Beykezadeh at 502-564-3410 or by e-mail at hamid.beykezadeh@ky.gov if you have questions about these documents.

• The MPS also estimates the funds public wastewater systems need to meet Clean Water Act requirements. The 2000 federal Clean Watersheds Needs Survey, as approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is available directly from their Web site at http://www.epa.gov/OWM/mtb/cwns/index.htm.
  
  The MPS prepares a priority list, ranking the order of wastewater improvement projects eligible to borrow money at a low interest rate from the state revolving fund.

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