When Caney Creek rose during deadly flooding in 2022, Alice Lloyd College in Knott County was largely spared from significant damage. But further downstream, an aging wastewater treatment plant that services the campus was inundated.
Motors burned out, electrical panels were damaged and silt clogged the treatment basin. After using a $2 million loan from a local bank, federal relief funding and money the utility set aside for repairs to get it operational, Knott County Water and Sewer District CEO Jared Salmons still worries about how long the 1960s-era plant can last. It can’t handle more sewage, a limitation for Alice Lloyd College, which Salmons sees as an economic “bright spot” for the…
