Resident warns fiscal court about karst geology, septic-system risks and long-term land-use consequences

During the public‑comment portion of the April 8 meeting, resident Lorraine Garkovich told the Woodford County Fiscal Court that county land‑use policy should explicitly account for the county’s karst geology and the risks it poses to groundwater and long‑term agricultural heritage.

Garkovich, who identified herself as a McCallons Ferry Road resident, urged officials to research local karst maps and to limit development patterns that will increase septic-system density in sensitive areas. She pointed meeting members to a karst terrain map that, she said, shows large portions of Woodford County as “intense” karst and warned that septic systems and certain forms of development can quickly transmit contaminants to groundwater in karst areas.

She recalled earlier local opposition to the Bluegrass Pipeline and said the county should exercise caution with land‑use decisions that have “intergenerational consequences.” She also described an historical example in Spencer County in the 1980s and 1990s, saying that widespread use of septic systems on karst led to contamination concerns and later required extension of sewer service after state and federal environmental authorities intervened. Garkovich cited the Kentucky Geological Survey’s discussion of karst terrain and its effects on water supplies and infrastructure.

Her comments were submitted for the record; the fiscal court did not take formal action on the issue at the meeting. Court members said they have continued discussions on related zoning and in‑family conveyance amendments and plan additional ordinance committee work and public outreach before bringing any new motion for a vote.