MSD’s Wastewater and 
Operations Capital Program

MSD’s Wastewater and Operations Capital Program was prepared to give customers, elected officials, and others interested in the program an opportunity to have up-to-date information on specific projects and to get that information in a clear, concise and accurate way.

If you are interested in a specific project by Project Name, you can find it by clicking on Alphabetical Index to the left. Every project is listed there in alphabetical order. Once a particular project has been identified by Project Name click on the link to bring up its corresponding project sheet.

If you are interested in a specific project by MSD ID Number, you can find it by clicking on MSD ID Number Index to the left. Every project is listed there in numeric order. Once a particular project has been identified by MSD ID Number click on the link to bring up its corresponding project sheet.

If you are interested in finding a project by its location, click on one of the following: Metro Council District, Area Team,  KY House District, KY Senate District, or Watershed Index. From the desired index, click on an area in the Jefferson County Map to zoom to a list of projects within that area. Identify the project you are interested in from the list. Once a particular project has been identified click on the link to bring up its corresponding project sheet.

MSD’s goal is to make this information as accurate, up-to-date, and helpful as possible. Please let MSD know if there are any ways for improvement or if you want to know if a specific area will be a part of an MSD project, contact MSD’s Customer Service Department at (502) 587-0603. 

The Wastewater and Operations Capital Program has two major parts:

1. The first part of the program focuses on wastewater projects. These  include all projects related to the collection and treatment of wastewater.  Examples of wastewater projects include sanitary sewer assessment projects, interceptors, pump stations, force mains, inflow-infiltration projects, wastewater treatment plant modifications and improvements, combined sewer overflow (CSO) projects, and backflow valve program.

2. The second part of the program includes operations projects. Examples of these projects include an assortment of capital construction projects, such as remodeling and rehabilitation of MSD-owned buildings or other facilities, energy conservation projects, and other miscellaneous projects.

Each project in the Wastewater and Operations Capital Program addresses at least one of the following issues or needs:

• Planning for future wastewater facilities to address population growth while maintaining existing facilities.

• Replacing, repairing or improving overloaded wastewater treatment plants.

• Accommodating neighborhoods using on-site disposal systems (for example, septic tanks, seepage pits, and lateral fields) that request a connection to MSD’s sanitary sewer system.

• Taking remedial action in older neighborhoods where the existing sewers and other drainage facilities cannot handle the combined flow of both wastewater and stormwater.

• Improving the operations of existing wastewater treatment plants and pump stations.

• Protecting the quality of our local streams, waterways, and other natural habitats.

• Ensuring that growth and development happen in a way that reflects the community’s concern for the environment and proper planning.

MSD’s interest in wastewater issues is triggered in several ways. For example, for the past several years, MSD has studied the 11 major watersheds that drain the city of Louisville and Jefferson County. The watersheds are grouped into service areas that include the city of Louisville and five regional wastewater treatment service areas for suburban Jefferson County.

A study was developed for each of the five service areas. The studies - - called action plans - - examine factors such as relevant wastewater disposal systems, location of existing sanitary sewers, and condition of treatment facilities. The action plans also examine existing water quality and present population while projecting population growth. Five expansion action plans have been developed as part of the program covering the North County, Pond Creek, Cedar Creek, Mill Creek and Floyds Fork service areas.

The staff and board of MSD review any expansion action plan, present it to the public, and listen to what customers and others interested in the plan have to say. From there, specific projects are developed.

The expansion action plans recommend four general kinds of projects:

1. Collector projects that replace individual on-site disposal systems with sanitary sewer collection systems.

2. Interceptor sewer projects that eliminate small wastewater treatment plants and provide outlets for sanitary sewer collector projects.

3. Subregional wastewater treatment plants that receive flow from interceptors and force mains.

4. Regional pump station and force main projects that transfer wastewater flow from sanitary sewer interceptors to treatment facilities.

Other related sewer projects become a part of the MSD Capital Program by various methods. MSD’s Action Plan for the 90’s identifies projects at the Morris Forman Wastewater Treatment Plant for inclusion in the capital program. Operations and sewer rehabilitation projects are currently placed in the capital program as the need arises. However, MSD is preparing an inventory of necessary sewer rehabilitation projects for the capital program. A long-term control plan is being prepared to address combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on a system-wide basis. The control plan will specify CSO projects for the capital program. MSD is also in the early stages of developing an Inflow-Infiltration (I/I) Abatement Program which will identify I/I reduction projects for the capital program.

Here are definitions of some of the terms used to describe the projects in the Wastewater and Operations Capital Program:

• Sanitary sewer interceptors are sanitary sewer lines (larger than 8-inch diameter) that carry wastewater from a collector sewer to a treatment facility or pump station.

• Sanitary sewer assessment projects provide collector sewers to neighborhoods that are using on-site disposal systems (usually a septic tank and lateral field). MSD establishes a guaranteed maximum amount that each property owner must contribute to the cost of construction. The property owners then vote on whether MSD will proceed with the construction of the project.

• Pump stations are designed and built to pump wastewater from a lower elevation to a higher elevation.

• Force mains are pipes that carry wastewater under pressure from the discharge side of a pump station to a higher elevation.

• Inflow/infiltration projects identify sources of "clear" water (such as rainwater) that enter the sanitary sewer system from groundwater infiltration or inflow from downspouts, yard drains, sump pumps or broken sewer pipes.

• Combined sewer overflow (CSO) projects address the overloaded sewer pipes in areas where wastewater and stormwater drainage are collected in a combined system of sewers.

• Administrative projects address miscellaneous capital projects (for example, building renovations) that are included in the Wastewater and Operations Capital Program.

ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES

Interest in sanitary sewer service continues to grow in suburban Jefferson County. Projects are prioritized based on guidelines that consider costs and benefits to existing and new MSD customers and the public health issues associated with failing on-site disposal systems.

The assessment process begins with a petition or request from customers to MSD to provide sanitary sewer service to their neighborhood. MSD reviews the proposed project area and produces a plan to serve the area. Included in the plan is a cost estimate for the project. A guaranteed maximum assessment (GMA) for individual property owners is calculated by MSD based on the cost estimate.

The neighborhood residents are notified of the GMA and then allowed to vote on the possibility of MSD sanitary sewer service. If the majority of residents who vote are in favor of sewers, the project is initiated by MSD’s Board. 

Priorities for scheduling projects are determined by public health concerns, regulatory requirements, and access to existing facilities.

The following are top priority projects for MSD:

• Morris Forman Treatment Plant Improvements. This is MSD’s oldest wastewater plant which serves the city of Louisville and parts of Jefferson County. It is being improved to comply with new federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards.

• Package wastewater treatment plants. All treatment plants have a life expectancy. Each must be maintained or upgraded until the plants can be eliminated due to the extension of the sanitary sewer system.

• On-site disposal systems. Septic tanks, lateral fields, and seepage pits are not suitable wastewater disposal options for densely populated neighborhoods and may pose a health risk. Assessment projects provide a collection system that eliminates the need for on-site disposal systems.

• Subregional wastewater treatment plants, sanitary sewer interceptors, pump stations and force main projects. These projects provide the "backbone" of the sanitary sewer system, to transport and treat wastewater flows.

These priorities are applied to help schedule projects. Projects are also assessed for their cost-effectiveness, with a higher priority going to projects that stretch the dollars available and that offer the most service at the lowest cost.

MSD uses program guidelines and sets priorities for projects as a way to responsibly serve the community. Other considerations include:

• Engineering design review. Projects are reviewed at both the preliminary and final design stages to save costs and minimize disruption to MSD’s customers.

• Constructability review. Each project is reviewed to assure that the designed project can be built efficiently and effectively.

• Value engineering review. This allows MSD a final opportunity to eliminate excess project costs without cutting corners by having other professionals take a critical look at the project.

• Utility coordination. MSD works with other utilities to eliminate duplication and other construction conflicts. For example, if the Louisville Water Company plans improvements in a neighborhood, MSD tries to coordinate any construction projects in the same area to save dollars and minimize disruption.

• Stormwater projects coordination. MSD planners try to coordinate storm drainage improvement projects in areas scheduled for new wastewater projects.

• Wastewater program planning. MSD uses engineering area team consultants to help identify priority projects. They help MSD staff look at what can realistically be accomplished in any five-year period. The five-year period moves forward each year. This is called a rolling budget and it helps MSD manage projects according to the dollars available.

MSD manages several other programs that are important to the Wastewater and Operations Capital Program. The Drainage Improvement Program is a similar program that identifies over 200 individual stormwater projects in Jefferson County.

The CSO Program is an MSD effort in which the Wastewater and Operations Capital Program and the Drainage Improvement Program overlap. New sanitary sewers are constructed by MSD where it is cost-effective to separate the sanitary flow from the storm flow. MSD is also looking at alternative ways to accommodate the existing combined sanitary and storm flows, such as flood retention basins for the storage of excess stormwater.

MSD’s Greenways Program also overlaps with the Wastewater and Operations Capital Program. If a wastewater project involves a natural stream, MSD looks for ways to protect the quality of the water and the habitat the stream provides. MSD also determines, for example, whether it is appropriate to use the project as an opportunity for the community to incorporate other improvements such as bikeways or walking paths.