EPA completes flood response assistance in eastern Kentucky
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on March 21, 2025, that the agency has completed its work assisting the Kentucky Department of Environmental Protection and local health departments with flood response efforts in eastern Kentucky.
“EPA’s ability to rapidly complete this essential first phase of flood response and help assess drinking water wells in the Pikeville area is due to the dedication and hard work of our EPA staff, our federal, state and local partners, and the support of the impacted communities,” said Kevin McOmber, EPA’s Regional Administrator, in a press release. “We will continue to support the impacted communities and our partner agencies as they move through the recovery process.”
Beginning on February 14, a line of severe storms over several days impacted Kentucky and Tennessee, causing widespread flooding. In Kentucky, emergency declarations were issued for all 120 counties.
The Kentucky rivers impacted by the flood event were the Rolling Fork River, Kentucky River, Green River, Tug Fork River, and Ohio River (along northern Kentucky).
In the affected area, 20 public drinking water systems were impacted, as well as 24 wastewater treatment facilities.
EPA’s efforts were focused on the eastern Kentucky region around Pike, Martin, and Perry Counties, which experienced the worst impacts from flooding, and included the deployment of a mobile water testing laboratory at the Pikeville Health Department to test water from local wells.
EPA’s emergency response efforts in eastern Kentucky over the last two months have been part of an all-of-government response including FEMA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and local health departments.
