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Volunteer group Waterways Lex forms, recommended for city stormwater incentive grant to fund 2026 summit and outreach
Summary
Waterways Lex, a new volunteer watershed advocacy group organized from existing watershed groups in Fayette County, described its mission and four planned activities after being recommended for a city stormwater incentive grant; organizers said a notice to proceed will determine timing for a 2026 Bluegrass Watershed Summit.
Waterways Lex, a new volunteer watershed advocacy group for Fayette County waterways, introduced itself to the Stormwater Stakeholder Advisory Committee on Sept. (date not specified), saying it has been recommended for a city water quality/stormwater incentive grant to support four action items, including staging a 2026 Bluegrass Watershed Summit.
The group’s first public pitch came from John Pike, president of Waterways Lex and a member of the Hickman Creek Conservancy. "Waterways Lex is a new volunteer watershed advocacy group for all the watersheds in Fayette County," Pike said, describing the group’s effort to coordinate several existing watershed organizations and to expand volunteer stewardship countywide.
The recommended grant would fund four actions: (1) host the 2026 Bluegrass Watershed Summit, (2) perform education and outreach at local events, (3) host stream restoration walks and cleanups and evaluate/monitor three existing restoration projects, and (4) form a Waterways Lex steering committee open to members and volunteers. Pike said planning would begin once the group receives a notice to proceed on the incentive grant and that timing could shift into 2026 depending on that notice.
Why it matters: organizers described gaps in countywide watershed coordination and said the summit and a steering committee would help build shared projects and funding applications. Pike told the committee that a first Bluegrass Watershed Summit on April 5, 2025, drew about 70 professionals and produced technical exchange and project brainstorming that may have led to later incentive-grant applications.
Details and context: Pike said officers include Kelly Taylor (vice president; identified in the meeting as president of Hickman Creek Conservancy), Pace Evans (secretary), Ken Cook (past president), and Heather Stevanek (treasurer). He thanked "Frank and Bailey" for assistance with the city incentive-grant process and invited committee members to volunteer, suggest monitoring projects or invite Waterways Lex to tabling opportunities. Pike provided an email contact and business cards for follow-up.
Organizers emphasized that the grant recommendation is not yet a final city contract: "planning for all this will get started once we get the notice to proceed on that incentive grant," Pike said. The committee did not take a formal vote on the presentation; the item was presented for information and to solicit collaboration from stormwater stakeholders.
Next steps: Pike said Waterways Lex will convene a steering committee and begin summit planning after the notice to proceed. He urged stormwater stakeholders to contact the group to suggest projects or to participate in event planning.
