The Fayette County Commission voted to allocate up to $40,000 to pay for a temporary chemical treatment system intended to reduce sewage-related odors and bacterial load affecting Canton Hollow, a problem residents and officials linked to flood-related infrastructure damage from 2022.

Joey (last name not given), representing the public service district working the site, described a plan to dose prison outflow with a bleach-based disinfectant (hypochlorite) combined with a sulfur-removal chemical and to inject the chemicals into sewer lines rather than directly into the creek. “It’ll be pumped into their lines. It will not be pumped into the creek,” Joey said, adding the system is standard in municipal wastewater treatment and that the chemicals are used in facilities statewide.

Joey estimated the initial capital setup — two pumps (about $1,934 each) and a small building to house the equipment (about $5,000) — and said chemicals cost roughly $8 per gallon. He described an initial project cost in the $25,000–$32,000 range and recommended budgeting a year’s operation if needed; later discussion framed the county allocation as a not-to-exceed $40,000 initial investment.

Commissioners said they would ask the county administrator to transfer funds (including a separate NRG RDA offer of money) once the PSD presented quotes and invoices. The commission approved the motion authorizing the expenditure and directed the PSD to submit quotes and bills to the county administrator for payment and to return for further funding if the pilot requires more money.

Commissioners and PSD representatives discussed oversight and reporting: the PSD will present invoices to the county administrator and bring status updates back to the commission if the treatment is ineffective or additional funds are required. One commissioner asked that the PSD report back within 30 days if heat or other conditions cause the mitigation to fail; PSD staff said they would return earlier if results were insufficient.