Sixty-one Kenton County households that relied on wells, cisterns or hauled water now have access to public water service after a $4.8 million water main extension finished ahead of schedule.

The Northern Kentucky Water District (NKWD) and Kenton County Fiscal Court celebrated the completion of the Subdistrict O project Tuesday, Oct. 20. The project added four miles of new water mains and 32 fire hydrants along eight roads in unincorporated Kenton County, according to NKWD.

"With the addition of four miles of new water mains, 61 additional households will gain access to NKWD's public water system," Lindsey Rechtin, president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Water District, said in a statement.

Rechtin added that more than 99 percent of Kenton County households now have access to public water, a rate she said is significantly higher than the state average.

Construction began in November 2025. The project was funded through a combination of Kenton County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grants, Cleaner Water Program grants from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority (KIA), and local resources. The completion announcement does not itemize contributions from each funding source.

Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said in a statement that ARPA funding gave the county a chance to push forward projects that are otherwise hard to finance. He called Subdistrict O a prime example.

Before the extension, many of the affected households used well water or collected rainwater, with some paying to have water hauled to their properties, Link NKY reported.

The new mains run along portions of eight roads: Scenic Ridge Drive, Steep Creek, Mann Road, Fiskburg Road, Elliot Road, Gene Street, Highwater Road and Alexander Road.

Richard Harrison, NKWD's vice president of engineering and distribution, told Link NKY that adding fire hydrants and fire protection to the extension was an unusual feature for this type of project.

Since 1992, NKWD has initiated 16 water main extension projects totaling more than 100 miles, bringing public water to more than 4,000 customers in Campbell and Kenton counties, according to the district's website.

The district's subdistricts page, which already lists Subdistrict O among completed projects, puts the number of Kenton County households still without public water at about 402. It is unclear whether that figure accounts for the 61 households newly given access. Reaching the remaining unserved households would require roughly 52 more miles of main at an estimated cost of $47 million, according to the same page.

Sara Sgantas, NKWD's communications and public outreach manager, told Link NKY that no additional extensions are in the works and that future projects depend on securing new funding.