WWATERS Program Eligibility Tightened
Summary
Kentucky amended KRS 224A.320 through HB651 to significantly tighten eligibility for the WWATERS Program, raising the threshold from meeting 1 criterion to 3 or more. The bill excludes projects expanding utility service, requires detailed project budgets and licensed engineer attestations, and adds new evaluation criteria including stormwater infiltration impairment, prior phase funding history, and cost comparability. Emergency legislation effective immediately upon passage.
What changed
Kentucky HB651 amends KRS 224A.320 to overhaul the WWATERS (Water and Wastewater Assistance for Troubled or Economically Restrained Systems) Program. The bill raises the eligibility threshold from meeting 1 criterion to 3 or more specified criteria, excludes projects that expand utility service, and requires applicants to include detailed project budgets and signed engineer attestations. The legislation removes current accounts payable turnover ratio and days' sales in accounts receivable ratio from evaluation criteria, removes the past-year violation notice requirement, and adds new criteria including stormwater inflow/groundwater infiltration impairment, prior program funding for project phases, and cost comparability to similar projects.
Local water and wastewater utilities, municipal governments, and regional authorities seeking WWATERS funding must now satisfy at least 3 eligibility criteria and adopt best management practices addressing performance deficiencies. Applications require professional engineer attestation and must demonstrate cost comparability. The Kentucky Infrastructure Authority board must separately score and rank all eligible projects, with priority for those providing or restoring safe water or wastewater service. As emergency legislation, the changes take effect immediately upon passage.
What to do next
- Review WWATERS Program eligibility criteria and confirm your utility meets 3 or more thresholds before applying
- Prepare detailed project budgets and obtain licensed professional engineer attestations for all future applications
- Ensure adoption of best management practices addressing identified performance deficiencies
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Kentucky / HB651 Passed HB651 House Bill Passed 2026-03-04
AN ACT relating to public water and wastewater systems and declaring an emergency.
Amend KRS 224A.320 to require that eligible funding recipients for the Kentucky Water and Wastewater Assistance for Troubled or Economically Restrained Systems (WWATERS) Program meet 3 or more of the specified eligibility criteria instead of 1; exclude projects that expand the utility service of funding applicants from the definition of "eligible project"; require that a funding application include a detailed budget for all proposed project expenses; allow the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority board to evaluate and score funding applications for proposed projects in phases; require that approved eligible funding recipients adopt best management practices that would address the performance deficiencies that made the applicant eligible for funding; remove the funding evaluation criteria categories of current accounts payable turnover ratio and current days' sales in accounts receivable ratio; remove the requirement from the evaluation criteria that the applicant's receipt of a notice of violation of drinking water or other water quality standards occur in the past year; add to the funding eligibility criteria that the funding applicant can demonstrate that the amount of stormwater inflow and groundwater infiltration entering the funding applicant's system seriously impairs its effectiveness; add to the funding evaluation criteria that the funding applicant previously received funding through the program for a prior phase of the proposed project; add to the funding evaluation criteria that the funding applicant can demonstrate that the estimated costs are comparable to actual costs incurred for similar projects; add to the funding evaluation criteria that a licensed professional engineer signed an attestation of the application's veracity; require that in the evaluation of the funding applications, the board separately score and individually rank all eligible projects, with additional consideration given to projects that provide or restore safe water or wastewater utility service; EMERGENCY.
Bill Details
State Kentucky
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb651....
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Sponsors
Josh Bray (Rep - R) Jason Petrie (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-03-31 H passed 93-0 2026-03-31 H House concurred in Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 H posted for passage for concurrence in Senate 2026-03-31 H to Rules (H) 2026-03-31 H received in House 2026-03-31 S 3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 S posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 31 2026 2026-03-31 S reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) as a consent bill 2026-03-26 S returned to Appropriations & Revenue (S) 2026-03-26 S 2nd reading 2026-03-26 S taken from Appropriations & Revenue (S) 2026-03-25 S returned to Appropriations & Revenue (S) 2026-03-25 S 1st reading 2026-03-25 S taken from Appropriations & Revenue (S) 2026-03-06 S to Appropriations & Revenue (S) 2026-03-04 S to Committee on Committees (S) 2026-03-04 S received in Senate 2026-03-03 H 3rd reading, passed 98-0 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-03 H placed in the Orders of the Day 2026-03-03 H taken from Rules 2026-03-03 H reported favorably, to Rules with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-02 H returned to Appropriations & Revenue (H) 2026-03-02 H 2nd reading 2026-03-02 H taken from Appropriations & Revenue (H) 2026-02-27 H reassigned to Appropriations & Revenue (H) 2026-02-27 H returned to Natural Resources & Energy (H) 2026-02-27 H 1st reading 2026-02-27 H taken from Natural Resources & Energy (H) 2026-02-24 H to Natural Resources & Energy (H) 2026-02-17 H to Committee on Committees (H) 2026-02-17 H introduced in House
Votes
2026-03-03 House: Veto Override RCS# 182 Yea: 98 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 Senate: Third Reading RSN# 4059 Yea: 38 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 House: Veto Override RCS# 399 Yea: 93 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-02-17 H Committee On Committees 2026-02-24 H Natural Resources & Energy 2026-02-27 H Appropriations and Revenue 2026-03-04 S Committee on Committees 2026-03-06 S Appropriations and Revenue 2026-03-31 H Rules
Amendments
0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Boards and Commissions Effective Dates, Emergency Engineers and Surveyors Public Utilities Public Works Sewer Systems Water Supply Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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