This page answers a variety of questions, including: (1) Where water occurs in Kentucky, (2) how many miles and acres of water there are in the state, (3) how the water is used, (4) how many miles and acres are affected by water pollution and how it is controlled, (5) how flooding is controlled.  This overview of Kentucky's water is based upon Division of Water data available in 2004.

WATER RESOURCES

Average annual rainfall                40 - 50 inches
Maximum                              winter and spring
Minimum                          late summer and fall

WHERE THE WATER OCCURS

State surface area            40,409
Major drainage basins             13

On the surface
Miles of rivers and streams	89,431
Miles of rivers bordering other states	849
Acres of wetlands	637,000
Number of reservoirs more than 1,000 acres in size	18
Acres of publicly owned lakes and reservoirs	228,385
(NOTE: The number of miles of streams varies depending on the scale of the maps used and how detailed they are.  See this information from EPA's 1998 Report to Congress on Water Quality  which provides an estimate of river miles for all states.)
Under the ground
Percent of Kentucky land underlain by karst topography	55
Percent of rural Kentucky population that is self-supplied who rely on groundwater	90
Number of private domestic water wells since July 1985	35,070
Approximate number of people who rely on private sources of groundwater (wells or springs)	400,000
Number of public water supplies that depend on groundwater	226
Population served by public systems supplied by groundwater	1.2 million+

WATER USE

Water use estimates in million gallons per day

Withdrawals	2001 Amounts
Water suppliers	529.36
Mining	23.35
Industrial (self-supplied)	317.23
Commercial (self-supplied)	16.306
Aquaculture	27.771
TOTAL*	914.02
*This total does not include amounts of water used for power production. Hydroelectric power uses 83 billion gallons per day; virtually all of it is returned. Thermoelectric power production withdraws 3.4 billion gallons per day, of which 203 million gallons are consumed.
The community served
State population (2003 estimate)	4,003,036
Number of counties	120
Number of incorporated cities	435
Number of public water systems (PWS)	572
Number of community PWSs	435
Population served by community PWSs	3,677,877
Population self-supplied (not on public systems)	363,892
See this Overview of Drinking Water Systems for definitions and descriptions of the different types of public water systems. See the Kentucky Annual Public Water System Compliance Reports for more information.

WATER POLLUTION CONTROL

Substances that harm plant or animal life in an ecosystem are considered to be pollutants. Pollutants may be natural, such as soil, minerals or animal wastes, or manmade, such as PCBs or pesticides. A substance is not considered a pollutant until the concentration is great enough to harm plants and animals in the ecosystem.

Point sources of pollution

Point source water pollution comes from a distinct location or point, such as a sewer or factory pipe. Most common point sources are municipal wastewater treatment works and industries.

Point sources	River miles affected
Municipal point sources	347.3
Industrial	211.2
Combined sewer overflows	17.3
Collection system failure	35.2

Preventing point sources of pollution

The Division of Water regulates point source discharges through a permit program called the Kentucky Pollutant Discharge Elimination (KPDES). Anyone who discharges wastewater to the waters of the Commonwealth must have a KPDES permit that limits the amounts and concentration of pollutants in wastewater.

Point sources with KPDES permit (as of August 2004)

Municipal
Total number of municipal sources	256
Phase I Municipal Storm Water individual permits	2 permits, covering Lexington and Louisville
Phase II Municipal Storm Water general permit	43 coverages for 98 communities
POTWs (publicly owned treatment works) with required pretreatment programs (active)	66
POTWs with required pretreatmend programs (inactive)	10
Total number of SIUs under pretreatment program	700+
POTWs with Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)	17 (290 active CSO outfalls)
KIMOPs	36
Industrial
Total number of individual permits and general permits	7,156
Individual permits	764
Coal mining general permits	1,972
Noncoal mining general permits	211
Water treatment plant general permits	151
KYA	23
KYC	1
Highway maintenance general permits	127
Groundwater remediation general permits	66
Storm water general permits	3,841
Total number of Industrial KNDOPs (Ky. No Discharge Operating Permits	1,667
Agricultural	1,507
Industrial	160
Total number of oil and gas registrations	10,192
Private/Commercial
Total number of individual and general permits	2,284
Individual permits	816
General permits (individual residence)	1,468
Total number of KNDOPs	359
TOTALS
Individual permits	1,837
General permits (excludes KIMOPs and KYC)	7,902
KNDOPs	2,026
Oil and gas registrations	10,192
Pretreatment programs (66 active; 10 inactive)	76 (w/700+ SIUs)

Nonpoint sources of pollution

Nonpoint source water pollution comes from a variety of areas rather than from one specific point. Sources listed below are from the Kentucky Division of Water 2004 Report to Congress on Water Quality (305[b] Report): 

Nonpoint sources	River miles affected
Agriculture	1477.2
Resource extraction	924.7
Urban runoff/storm sewers	721.3
Habitat modification	1059.2
Hydromodification	403.2
Inappropriate waste disposal/Wildcat dumping	44.7
Septic disposal	8.7
Construction/development	197
Silviculture	156.8
Unknown sources	1631
Spills	10.3
Natural sources	45.2

Preventing nonpoint source pollution

Polluted water from a point source can be collected and treated. Nonpoint source pollution is controlled through individual choices with regard to pollution sources such as use of fertilizers, pesticides, construction site sediment control and the disposal of human and animal wastes. Through the voluntary adoption of practical and cost-effective land management practices, or best management practices (BMPs), runoff from sediment, nutrients, pesticides and impervious cover can be reduced or prevented. BMPs preserve water quality while maintaining the economic value of Kentucky's land resources.

Kentucky receives funding from Section 319(h) of the federal Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 through the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for priority watershed and statewide nonpoint source pollution control projects. The Kentucky Division of Water has received a total of $21.7 million in federal assistance. The grants, which are competitive and require matching, non-federal funds of 40 percent, have funded a variety of statewide and local nonpoint source projects.

Funded projects have incorporated an appropriate combination of the following programs or strategies:

• Education programs and public outreach
• Technical assistance
• Financial assistance
• Monitoring
• Training of professionals
• BMP implementation and technology transfer
• Watershed demonstration projects
• Enforcement
  
  For detailed information on the nonpoint source pollution control grants, see this site.

Education for pollution prevention

Water Watch, Watershed Watch, PRIDE Clean Streams

Water Watch is a citizen volunteer program administered by the Division of Water. Its objectives include:

• Promoting individual responsibility for a common resource by fostering a public role in drawing attention to specific problem situations.
• Enhancing citizen understanding and support through a strong program of public education.
• Communicating the value of environmental quality in attracting industry and tourism to the state.
• This program is heavily entwined with the Watershed Watch and PRIDE Clean Streams programs.  Volunteers often take part in more than one program, and activities also cross over.

Since 1998, 150 workshops have been conducted.   There are currently700 active monitoring sites located across the state.  In cooperation with PRIDE, more than 300 science teachers were trained in 2001.

Quarterly unified sampling events are conducted covering pesticides, bacteria, water chemistry, nutrients and metals.  Results are posted on the Web.

FLOOD PREVENTION

Floodplain Management Program

Number of flood-prone communities identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency	105 counties; 213 cities
Number of communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)	100 counties; 205 cities
Total number of visits since 1984	692
Presidential flood declarations since 1970	29

Dam Safety Program

Number of dams
Low hazard dams	652
Moderate hazard dams	211
High hazard dams	175
(These numbers do not include federal dams or dams on active surface mining areas.)