Whether it be from a think-tank discussion or internal/external analysis, every municipal project begins as an idea, and it has a point of genesis.
Such a moment has come for the Hopkinsville Water Environment Authority and the City of Oak Grove, whose officials now find themselves in the very preliminary stages of what could eventually be a $35 million upgrade of an existing central water treatment plant in southern Christian County, into a fully-functional sewage pumping station for HWEA treatment.
According to the October 2025 Kentucky eClearinghouse Report, the project’s scope does remain under review — but, if approved, could include the demolition of existing operations, and the construction of a new operations building, an equalization basin, a sewage pumping station, a headworks system, a grit removal station and more than 84,000 linear feet of sewer force main from Oak Grove to Hopkinsville.
Derrick Watson, HWEA’s retiring president & CEO, called this a “visioning project,” in which all parties are looking ahead and preparing local and regional growth.
Every July, Watson said an “intended use plan” gets published for all to see — showcasing those project rankings for all utilities and municipalities to review.
Typically, Watson noted more than 200 projects are annually submitted, and what is most often the case is new projects are held lower on the funding ladder — but climb the rungs in future years.
About 20-to-30 major projects get funded per biennium budget cycle, meaning it could be anywhere between 3-to-10 years before these Christian County talks gain steam.
That new clean water plant, Watson said, started as a “visioning project” back in 2008 — and saw many revisions, cost changes and addendum before its eventual construction and November 2024 ribbon cutting.
As for Oak Grove, Watson said “all options” remain on the table. The plant is older, but is currently “doing fine” and has “plenty of capacity.” But so much foresight, he said, is required.
Once the Kentucky Industrial Authority notifies HWEA and Oak Grove, Watson said there will be two options: a remodel, or a rebuild.
The eventual construction of Buc-ee’s is but a snapshot of Oak Grove’s projected growth. According to U.S. Census data and state officials, the city is among five in south western Kentucky as some of the Commonwealth’s fastest-growing residential markets. From 2020 to 2025, its population has grown from 7,935 to 7,982, and that is expected to exponentially ramp in the future.
