‘Worse and worse.’ Time to address Eastern Kentucky’s water woes, officials say.

Jessica and Tim Taylor of Martin County, Kentucky collect rainwater to get by when their city water is turned off. That happens too often, they said, and they hope some state or federal agency will come and help during times without water.

By Will Wright | Alex Slitx | Marcus Dorsey

In Eastern Kentucky, dealing with an absence of reliable, clean drinking water has become a part of daily life for many families. A series of stories published by the Herald-Leader earlier this week, titled Stirring the Waters, featured a family in Martin County who are often forced to collect rainwater to get by during long outages. Other residents said they are afraid to drink the water that comes out the tap, leaving them to spend upwards of $50 a month on bottled water for drinking and cooking. Now, some state and local officials have called for increased regulation and accountability of water districts. “It’s a big issue and one that needs to be addressed,” said State Rep. Chris Harris, (D-Forest Hills), who represents Martin County and some of Pike County. “This problem has manifested itself in Martin County and a few other small districts across the state, but it’s going to get worse and worse.” Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article223048640.html#storylink=cpy