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Hardin County Water District No. 2 reports higher revenue, AMI rollout and large transmission proposal
Summary
Sean Yurovich, general manager for Hardin County Water District No. 2, reported stronger-than-expected revenue in 2024, an ongoing AMI meter-read rollout, major tank construction under way and a proposed $54 million regional transmission main needing outside funding.
Sean Yurovich, general manager of Hardin County Water District No. 2, told the Hardin County Fiscal Court the district finished 2024 with revenue above budget in both water and sewer divisions, advanced an automated meter infrastructure rollout and has major storage projects under construction.
Yurovich said sewer revenue finished the year higher than expected after a new large industrial discharge began operations; the district recorded roughly $800,000 in sewer revenue, above the original $206,000 estimate. For the water division, 2024 revenue came in near $19.0 million versus a $15 million estimate; the increase reflected higher water sales during a dry season and a grant reimbursement that raised other revenue.
The district's debt load includes four outstanding bonds and a purchase note with the city of Elizabethtown; Yurovich said outstanding debt is roughly $12 million.
Yurovich summarized a public-service-commission rate case completed last year. The PSC issued an order in July that did not grant the full requested increase but raised rates overall by about 16% in aggregate, he said; he gave examples including increases to the minimum bill and to an average-bill benchmark used in the study.
On customer counts, Yurovich said the district ended 2024 with about 31,000 active connections; using a Kentucky Division of Water population factor places the served population around 83,000, or roughly 70% of Hardin County residents. Meter sales for the year totaled 403 meters, which Yurovich said is a useful indicator of construction and growth.
The district has invested in AMI and billing technology to increase meter-read coverage and customer self-service. "We're currently able to bring in about 20,000 of the meter reads into the system," Yurovich said; he estimated current AMI coverage at about 60–70% and said the full project will take several more years and tens of millions in installed infrastructure, which the district is funding largely from its own resources.
Large capital projects under way include a 2.5-million-gallon hydration tank and a 750,000-gallon downtown tank; construction on both tanks had begun and foundation work was imminent, Yurovich said. The hydration tank project is approximately $9 million; the downtown tank and associated work has a separate contractor and a logo agreement with the school board for branding on the tank.
Yurovich described a regional transmission main study for Highway 313: the proposed project would create redundancy and add capacity by driving 30- and 24-inch mains up Highway 313 to Patriot Parkway, with spurs to Shepherdsville Road. Louisville Water is expanding a supply point in the Colesburg area; Yurovich said the district seeks a secondary feed and regional interconnection to relieve reliance on a single connection. The estimated cost of that regional transmission main is about $54 million; no funding sources have been secured.
On unserved roads, Yurovich said the district currently has roughly 34 miles in its territory without mains and is pursuing projects funded in part by county grants and in-house crews to extend service. He said current territory coverage is about 96.9%; planned projects this year will raise coverage to about 97.7% once completed.
The district has been pursuing the Southern Hardin County Sewer Study, which staff adopted in December and forwarded to the city of Elizabethtown; Yurovich said attorneys are negotiating an amendment for treatment terms and Strand is developing project profiles to submit for funding.
Yurovich highlighted workforce training and certifications: more than 40 employees hold state certifications across treatment and distribution, and the district is now a certified CDL training center.
He also summarized community outreach and awards, noting appearances at schools, rain-garden workshops and regional recognition for water quality in Kentucky.
Ending: Yurovich invited questions and the court acknowledged the staff and board for ongoing projects and awards.
