Oldham County $9 million waterline project to address rural fire safety concerns

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Oldham County is making changes, after a man's death in a house fire exposed a dangerous problem.

When a fire breaks out, strong water pressure is key to fighting the flames, but the issue is that fire hydrants in rural parts of the area don't have enough pressure to go the distance to fight fires.

Tom Medley died in a house fire in Goshen on South Buckeye Lane in 2020. The North Oldham Fire Department responded, but water pressure was a problem.

"It was a tragedy," said Rob Jefferson, the president of the Buckeye Trace Home Owners Association. "It was very much a wakeup call. We view this as a very serious safety issue."

Medley was Jefferson's neighbor. "Good man. Veteran. Very sad to see what happened," he said.

Four years later, the pressure problem persists. "You see fire hydrants, you assume they're there, they're going to operate," Jefferson said.

North Oldham Fire Chief Hewett Brown said hydrants in parts of the county only keep up pressure for about three minutes. He said that's a problem for homeowners and first responders.

"It's scary because I've got people in those buildings, and to lose pressure is dangerous for those firefighters, as well," Chief Brown said.

A WDRB camera captured a side-by-side comparison by firefighters of hydrants. One that supplies water to protect the Buckeye Trace subdivision quickly ran out of water.

Brown said the county's infrastructure hasn't kept pace with its rapid growth, so some pipes are simply too small. "It went from being all farmland to a bedroom community for Louisville," he said.

Now, changes are being made. From Highway 393 to the Buckeye Lane area, the Oldham County Water District plans to increase the size of the waterlines.

The over $9 million project will start in 2025. Some of that money will come from grants. The rest is from the water district's budget.

Officials said the project could raise rates, but the upgrades could save lives. Neighbors like Jefferson said the change can't come soon enough.

"We are sitting on a bit of a ticking time bomb and are impatient for results," he said.

Officials advised that if you live in a rural area and want to check your hydrant pressure, you should reach out to your local fire department.

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