In Kentucky’s dense cities and smallest towns, nonprofits are bridging the gap between those who grow food, those who have excess and those who need it.
A public hearing does not guarantee that the School Board will increase the occupational licenses tax. But some School Board members want to leave the option on the table.
EQPW Committee votes to study two locations for new pump station
There may be a location other than the current Mint Lane Pump Station site that could be more efficient for new infrastructure - but it's outside the Urban Service Area.
In August 12th's Environmental Quality and Public Works (EQPW) Committee, Councilmembers voted to require the Division of Water Quality to study two locations for a new pump station in West Lexington: the current location of the Mint Lane Pump Station, and a portion of Mill Ridge Farm located near Bowman's Mill Road. The full Council will have to vote on whether or not to support this study in the coming weeks.
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What's a pump station? Pump stations move water and sewage from homes and businesses to water treatment plants. If pump stations are at lower elevations, gravity can carry the sewage without much assistance from other expensive infrastructure.
However, the Bell family – who own and operate Mill Ridge Farm – has approached LFUCG to potentially sell or donate a portion of the farm to serve as a new location for the Pump Station. The property, due to its being further downstream along Cave Creek and being at a lower elevation than most of the area served by the current Mint Lane Pump Station, could be a more efficient location for a pump station.
However, Mill Ridge Farm is located outside the Urban Service Area. The Urban Service Area (USA) is meant to host all of Lexington's urban service infrastructure, including pump stations.
🙋♀️ What is the Urban Service Area?
This Urban Service Area (USA) is an area in Fayette County that contains almost all new development of buildings inside of it - leaving the remainder of the county as rural, natural, or agricultural land.
The Urban Service Area controls the ability of land to be developed and receive city services like water and sewer. It is controlled via ordinance by the City of Lexington, and has been historically changed through the city’s Comprehensive Planning process.
There are some examples of areas outside the USA with pump stations – including the Blue Grass Airport, the Blue Sky Industrial Area, the Lexington Country Club, and the Bluegrass Stockyards. The majority of pump stations outside the USA have had to be specifically approved by Council before construction or purchase, and they largely serve specific properties and businesses rather than general urban areas like the Mint Lane Pump Station serves.
Moving the Pump Station outside the USA does not necessarily equate to or require an expansion of the USA. Interim Commissioner of Law David Barberie did stress to the EQPW Committee that moving the Pump Station to Mill Ridge Farm could be seen by some as a step toward including Mill Ridge Farm in any future USA expansions.
The $2 million in the FY26 Budget originally allocated for the design of the Mint Lane Pump Station will be reallocated to evaluate both the current pump station location and Mill Ridge Farm to determine how efficient each site would be, how much it may cost to build a new pump station at each site, as well as other details. Results from the assessment will be presented to the full Council in March 2026.
The Mint Lane Pump Station, regardless of where it ends up being located, needs major improvements. The EPA Consent Decree requires improvements to the Pump Station to be made due to excess sewage leaks from the station into neighboring areas and waterways.
There have been 28 reported overflows from the Pump Station since 2015.
12.9 million gallons of untreated sewage have leaked in the same time frame.
The full Council will vote in the coming weeks on whether or not to support a study of the current Mint Lane location and Mill Ridge Farm in the coming weeks.
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How can you get involved? Reach out to your Councilmembers with your thoughts on how the Mint Lane Pump Station should be addressed!
In Kentucky’s dense cities and smallest towns, nonprofits are bridging the gap between those who grow food, those who have excess and those who need it.
