1. science
2. ecology
3. pollution

StreamLine
N ews
and
E vents
at
MSD
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M ay 2015
O ur Vision
Achieving Clean , Safe W aterways
for a H ealthy and V ibrant C ommunity
Morris Forman WQTC experiences
major power outage
MSD’s Morris Forman WQTC is situated on the Ohio River
at Algonquin Parkway
The Morris Forman Water Quality Treatment Center (WQTC)
experienced a power outage due to a surge in the high-voltage yard
on April 8, 2015, at approximately 9:40 p.m. The surge affected the
South Oil Circuit Breaker and may have been the cause of a small
fire. While the power was out, approximately 40 percent of the
plant treatment processes and equipment were flooded with diluted
wastewater. Electrical, mechanical and treatment equipment in various portions of the facility were significantly damaged. Power was
restored by 5:30 a.m. the following morning.
Once the primary power supply was restored, MSD began cleanup,
repair and replacement of the treatment systems. MSD crews and
contractors also pumped wastewater out of the lower areas of the
plant. Within 12 hours, Morris Forman WQTC regained preliminary
and primary treatment, and disinfection and dechlorination. Through
the remainder of April, Batteries A, B, and C were re-established to
provide full biological treatment. A portion of the wastewater flow
continues to be diverted to the Derek Guthrie WQTC.
Portions of Morris Forman WQTC continue to have power supplied
by generators. While full plant recovery is likely to take up to nine
months, MSD anticipates full compliance with its required U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency standards in May. Two separate
investigations are underway to determine the cause of this event.
MSD Executive Director to retire
Greg Heitzman, who was appointed as MSD Executive
Director by Mayor Greg Fischer in December 2012,
will retire at the end of July.
Before his appointment to MSD, Heitzman
served as President and CEO of the
Louisville Water Company (LWC) from
2007 to 2013 and as Chief Engineer at
LWC from 1990 to 2007. Fischer appointed
Heitzman as Interim Executive Director
Greg C. Heitzman of MSD in December 2011, to address the
Executive Director 125 recommendations of a state audit.
He served in a dual leadership role for both
LWC and MSD for one year before his appointment by the
Mayor as full-time Executive Director of MSD.
Under Heitzman’s leadership, MSD developed a strategic
business plan; stabilized its financial portfolio; improved
regulatory compliance and safety; and, implemented a teambased culture, focusing on customer service and performance.
MSD also improved operating efficiencies leading to lower rate
increases for funding the Consent Decree.
Mayor Fischer has initiated a national search for Heitzman’s
replacement to lead MSD and continue the development
of One Water.
24/7/365 Customer Relations:
502-587-0603
[email protected]
LouisvilleMSD.org
Our Mission
Providing Exceptional
Wastewater, Drainage
and Flood Protection Services
for Our Community
MSD
Metropolitan Sewer District
MSD S tream L ine
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M ay 2015
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Ken
Carla
Progressing toward
five regional WQTCs
Hunting Creek South
WQTC Site Map
MSD plans the elimination of difficult-to-maintain and inefficient
treatment facilities as it strives to attain its vision of clean, safe
waterways for our community. By the end of 2015, MSD will
remove nine remaining smaller treatment facilities and the
Jeffersontown Water Quality Treatment Center (WQTC),
leaving five regional WQTCs in its system. These
eliminations will not only reduce operational costs
and maintenance issues related to these sites, but
will enhance water quality in our river and streams.
McNeely Lake WQTC
elimination enters final stage
The McNeely Lake WQTC, located in south-central
Jefferson County, will be decommissioned, along
with the Brook Bend Pump Station. Flow
will be diverted to Cedar Creek WQTC.
The completion of this project by the end
of the year will offer protection from
sanitary sewer overflows to the Pond Creek watershed.
Hunting Creek North
Shadow Timberlake
Wood
Hite Creek
Regional WQTC
Bancroft
Berrytown
Middletown
Starview
Estates
Morris Forman
Regional WQTC
Floyds Fork
Regional WQTC
Jeffersontown
Cedar Creek
Regional WQTC
McNeely
Lake
Derek R. Guthrie
Regional WQTC
MSD acquires and will eliminate Middletown WQTC
MSD has acquired the Middletown Waste Disposal facility,
located off Old English Station Road, from the Kentucky Public
Service System. Before MSD’s acquisition, the Middletown
facility was the last privately-owned wastewater treatment facility
in Jefferson County. Its outdated systems discharge wastewater
into a nearby lagoon and creek in a way that is not environmentally
sound. MSD will divert flow from the area to Floyds Fork WQTC,
one of its five regional treatment plants. The completion of this
project by the end of 2015, will offer protection from sanitary
sewer overflows to the Floyds Fork watershed.
Plant your
rain garden now
Rain gardens help infiltrate rainwater
before it reaches the drainage system,
and reduce the amount of stormwater
and pollutants running into storm drains,
combined sewers or streams.
For your FREE Rain Garden Guide,
contact MSD Customer Relations at
502-587-0603, or online at
[email protected].
WQTCs to be eliminated by 12/31/15
Regional WQTCs
MSD Milestones
Welcome to MSD:
Happy service anniversary:
Whitney Boles,
20 years Public Relations Specialist
Kevin Bright
Mark Kessinger, Field Inspector II
Shawn Sisk
LeShawn Thomas, Utility Trainee
15 years William (Mike) Wharton,
Thomas Madden Sr.
Health & Safety Administrator
Shaun Smith
Congratulations on your promotion:
10 years Jamar Blevins
Matthew Bobo, Process Tech III
Michael Moore
Johnny Caudill, Utility Worker II
Daymond Talley
Jason Kustes, Utility Worker III
5 years John Yarbrough, Field Specialist
Steve Blanford
John Graf
Welcome to a new role:
Jeff Nalley, Storeroom/Inventory Materials Specialist
24/7/365 MSD Customer Relations
502-587-0603
[email protected]
MSD S tream L ine
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Group evaluates solutions for homeowners in floodprone areas
Significant rain events in 2009, 2011, 2013, March 2015 and
recently on April 3, impacted thousands of homes throughout
Louisville Metro. In the mid-20th century, residential development
occurred in many areas that are prone to flooding. Homes in these
areas have suffered enough cumulative flood damage to prevent
owners from obtaining rebuilding permits due to restrictions
in the 2006 Louisville Metro Floodplain Ordinance.
Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer appointed a group—made up
of Metro Government and MSD members—to identify a course of
action for addressing the most severely flooded homes from the
March 2015 and April 3, 2015 rain events. They will provide shortterm recommendations within 30 days for those repetitive-loss homes
that do not qualify for rebuilding permits. The group will also
evaluate long-term solutions for mitigation and home buyouts.
Group members are:
Angela Akridge, MSD Chief Engineer
Madonna Flood, Louisville Metro Councilwoman, District 24
Greg Heitzman, MSD Executive Director
Dan Johnson, Louisville Metro Councilman, District 21
Angela Leet, Louisville Metro Councilwoman, District 7
Jim McKinney, All Hazards Mitigation Coordinator
Jim Mims, Develop Louisville Director
Joyce Mott, MSD Board Member
John Phelps, MSD Board Member
Tonya Sangester, Louisville/Jefferson County Emergency
Management Agency
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Greg Heitzman will serve as the Chair of the group.
Mayor appoints new Chief Engineer and Board member
Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer recently appointed Angela Akridge, PE to replace the
retiring Steve Emly as MSD Chief Engineer. Akridge is a native of Louisville and a graduate
of the University of Louisville’s J. B. Speed School of Engineering. She first worked for MSD
in 1992 as an engineering intern. Upon completion of her civil engineering bachelor’s and master’s
degrees, she joined MSD as a full-time employee in 1995.
Angela Akridge
Chief Engineer
As chief engineer, Akridge will lead the planning, design and construction of MSD’s $125 million
annual capital improvement program, which includes the 19-year, $850 million federal Consent
Decree program to renovate the sewer system.
Chugh appointed to MSD Board
On Monday, April 27, the Board unanimously confirmed Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer
appointment of Sujata Barai Chugh to the MSD Board. She is a public policy and nonprofit
grant-writing consultant, and represents Senatorial District 26.
Sujata Barai Chugh
MSD Board Member
Chugh earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School, a Master of Science in Social Policy and
Planning from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree from Princeton
University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. She has lived
in Louisville since 2007.
MSD S tream L ine
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M ay 2015
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Creating an educational partnership with LWC and The Parklands
It was an overcast but dry day, when
MSD, the Louisville Water Company
(LWC) and The Parklands of Floyds
Fork joined together to launch an
educational effort at the Floyds Fork
Water Quality Treatment Center
(WQTC). A group of environmental
science teachers and students from
Moore Middle School agreed to be
the pilot group for the April 15 event.
Students rotated through four message
areas—drinking water, wastewater,
stormwater and life in the waterway
—to gain insight about our impact
on the water cycle.
Louisville Water Company provided
information about the water cycle—
where our drinking water comes
from, how it is cleaned and how
it is transmitted to our homes.
What happens when the water leaves
Kevin Ries describes the secondary treatment process to students on a tour of Floyds Fork WQTC.
our homes? This was the topic explored
by Kevin Ries and Duane Wright
as they guided the students through
Floyds Fork WQTC. Through each
step of the wastewater treatment
process, Ries emphasized that the
water MSD puts back into Floyds
Fork is cleaner than the water that
is naturally present in the stream.
Erin Wagoner took over at this
point to deliver the MSD stormwater
message, including what all of us
can do to improve the quality of our
waterways. This dovetailed into the
“life in the creek” message presented
by The Parklands of Floyds Fork.
The feedback from the students and
staff has been very positive. All three
groups look forward to launching
this program to area schools
Students participating in the educational partnership receive the MSD Stormwater message
in the future.
from Erin Wagoner.
MSD S tream L ine
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What you don’t see can harm you!
It is fun to splash in the waterways after it rains, but those waters
could contain harmful bacteria, which can make you sick.
Rainwater runoff can overwhelm the sanitary sewer
system and back up into roadways and streams
when it rains. You should minimize
contact with waterways to be safe
during storms and even for 48 hours
after the rain has ended. During
these times, avoid swimming,
fishing, wading and splashing
in the water.
MSD has made significant
progress in decreasing sewer
overflows into our waterways, but there
is more work to be done. Please follow
the instructions that are posted on our
MSD
overflow advisory signs. Wash with warm,
Metropolitan Sewer District
LouisvilleMSD.org
soapy water if you come into contact with
water that may have been contaminated
by a sewage overflow.
DO NOT FLUSH
WIPES!
‘Flushable’ wipes ...
are more expensive than you think
Wipes do not break down, even if their labels read
“flushable.” They can cause problems for home
plumbing systems and lead to sewer backups.
Wipes also clog and damage sewer line pumps,
screens and other mechanical parts at water quality
treatment centers. Wipes cause 60 percent of the clogs
that MSD employees must repair.
Toss your wipes into the trash—
NOT into the toilet!
Customer Compliments
I’d like to compliment Robin Ferrell, Michael Young,
Jeremy Pierson and Garland Lindsay for their work on the
drainage area of Nancy Lane. They did a great job clearing the
channel of trash and debris.
—James Fortner
There was a cave-in on my property. I reported it to Tracey Crawley
in Customer Relations. She called me back to make sure the area
had been secured and told me when someone from MSD would be
back to evaluate the situation. I really enjoyed talking to Tracey, and
she did a wonderful job of giving me the information I needed.
—Dorothy Carter
MSD S tream L ine
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MSD volunteers give 600 hours for the Mayor’s Give-A-Day Week of Service
MSD employees generously contributed nearly 600 hours of their
time to Louisville Metro Mayor Greg Fischer’s fourth annual
“Give-A-Day” week of public service April 18–24.
Employees participated in trash pickup along:
Floyds Fork
Beargrass Creek
Green Mile—Algonquin Parkway
Buechel Basin area
Logan Street Basin area
Butchertown,
Mill Creek
green infrastructure sites
Streets in MSD Main Office area
Cherokee Park
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MSD crews collected tires from Mill Creek.
MSD volunteers also worked to improve and enhance the rain and
sensory gardens at the Louisville Nature Center, and encouraged
used shoe donations to WaterStep.
The following employees participated in “Give-A-Day”
Angela Akridge
Jill Allen
Dane Anderson
Daniel Bailey
Jordan Basham
Joe Bentley
Brian Bingham
Julie Blanford
Whitney Boles
Anthony Bradford
Michael Brazel
Keith Brooks
James Brown
Virgil Brown
Julie Buckler
Chris Bullock
Robin Burch
Larry Byrd
Patricia Capito
Gary Coates
Chad Collier
Vicki Coombs
Chad Crabtree
Tony Crawford
Mike Crotzer
Larry Cummings
Gina Davis
Tamika Davis
Josh Dickerson
Heather Dodds
Shannon Donovan
June Embers
Meskerem Eshetu
Joe Exely
Robin Ferrell
Todd Ferriell
Brandon Flaherty
Lynne Fleming
Terry French
Walt Furlong
Rich Galardi
Saundra Gibson
Chris Glasser
Tony Glore
Richard Grigsby
Lisa Hardley
Roderick Harris
Greg Heitzman
Lopez High
David Johnson
Tony Kelly
Calbert Kelsey
Corey Keye
Sharlie Khan
Tim Kraus
Sheryl Lauder
Stephanie Laughlin
Loren Levitz
Christal Lewis
Garland Lindsay
Tom Luckett
William Marshall
Jacob Mathis
Eldra McWhorter
Steve Miles
Christian Miller
Dearon Mimms
Tony Morrison
Tori Perkins
William Phillips
Jeremy Pierson
Julie Potempa
Greg Powell
Steve Prestigiacomo
Dana Price
Paula Purifoy
Lori Rafferty
Eric Sawyers
Brad Selch
Derek Shields
Theresa Singleton
Benjamin Smith
Chuck Spencer
LaShawn Starling
Wes Sydnor
Alex Talbott
Steve Tedder
Daren Thompson
Erin Wagoner
Jennifer Waters
Kirk Willis
Sharon Worley
Mike Young
Gary Zollman
Jeremy Pierson works to cleanup
along Algonquin Parkway.
Brad Selch collects trash gathered
in the Logan Street Basin area.
Chris Glasser and Gary Coates find
a large bone while cleaning up along
Beargrass Creek.
Dane Anderson helps cleanup
the Buechel Basin area.
Theresa Singleton, Mike Brazel, Loren Levitz and William Marshall
were part of the team at the Buechel Basin.
MSD S tream L ine
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M ay 2015
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Mike Harris (Jacobi, Toombs and Lanz), Daren Thompson and Clay Kelly (Strand Associates )
pulled several grocery carts, a refrigerator and other items from Beargrass Creek.
Jordan Basham and David Johnson collect
trash at The Parklands of Floyds Fork.
Sharlie Khan and Eldra McWhorter collect
debris near the Beargrass Flood Pump Station.
The volunteers at the Logan Street basin site stand in front of their contribution to the four
tandem-dump-truck loads trash that MSD collected during the “Give-A-Day” events. From left to
right are—Brandon Flaherty, Brad Selch, Heather Dodds, Josh Dickerson, Neal Crawford (Qk4),
Todd Tharpe (Black & Veatch), Benjamin Smith, Dearon Mimms and Ben Shinabery (Qk4).
Above: Julie Buckler, Keith Coombs, Sheryl Lauder, Joe Coombs,
Vicki Coombs, Tom Tri (T&M Associates) and Julie Potempa
prepare to cleanup Floyds Fork.
Right: Whitney Boles collects trash along Beargrass Creek.
Below: MSD volunteers collected four tandem-dump-truck loads
of trash during the “Give-A-Day” events.
Eugene Downs works the main office site.
MSD
Metropolitan Sewer District
700 West Liberty Street
Louisville, KY 40203-1911
Printed on 30% post-consumer
content paper.
© COPYRIGHT 2015
LOJIC map data copyrighted by the Louisville and Jefferson County
Metropolitan Sewer District, Louisville Water Company, Louisville
Metro Government and Jefferson County Property Valuation
Administrator. All rights reserved.
MSD Board information:
You can find information about
MSD Board actions on our website,
msdrecords.louisvillemsd.org
The public is welcome to attend MSD Board meetings.
Access msdlouky.org/aboutmsd/board.htm
for the schedule of both regular
and Board committee meetings.
MSD S tream L ine
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M ay 2015
Upcoming Events
May 19
MSD Finance Committee Meeting
2 p.m., 700 West Liberty Street
May 21
MSD Infrastructure Committee Meeting
1 p.m., 700 West Liberty Street
May 25
MSD Offices closed
For emergency service anytime, phone MSD’s Customer Relations Department at 502-587-0603.
May 26
MSD Board Meeting
1 p.m., Open Session, 700 West Liberty Street
Make plans now to attend
Ohio River Sweep
Saturday, June 20, 2015
9 a.m. to Noon
Contact MSD’s Rhonda Boyle-Crotzer, at 502-548-8409
or [email protected], for information.
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