Bullitt County Sewage Spill Highlights Limitations of Package Treatment Plants

Published: Jan. 5, 2012, 5 a.m.

There are 750 so-called "package treatment plants" in Kentucky, each treating between 5,000 and 50,000 gallons of wastewater every day. Larger areas like Louisville have been phasing out the smaller plants, which are prone to failure. But that solution is out of reach for some smaller communities, and for the past few years, one area in Bullitt County has been plagued by sewage releases from a nearby plant. The most recent one was last weekend.