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| File photo of Lake George in June |
MARION, Ky. — Marion Mayor D’Anna Browning is warning that the city’s water supply is again nearing a crisis point, as drought conditions and hot weather threaten to push Lake George close to emergency levels.
In a message to regional leaders Thursday, Browning said the city is working with Reveal Leak Detection to replace a valve at Crittenden Community Hospital. But she expressed concern that the Crittenden-Livingston Water District is not in a position to provide backup supply if the hospital needs it.
Browning said state officials had initially approved but later denied a request for outside bottled drinking water distribution, ruling that the situation is not yet considered an emergency. She questioned how low Lake George, Marion’s primary water source, must fall before state officials declare one.
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| Lake George on Sept 14, 2025 |
“We are close to the 2022 level after the breach, which prompted water to be pumped in and bottled water to be distributed,” Browning said.
That earlier crisis began in April 2022, when a leak in the lake’s levee promoted responders to drain Lake George to protect the dam’s integrity. With the reservoir partially lost, Marion has been left without a reliable raw water source, particularly when rainfall is in short supply.
For weeks in 2022, Kentucky Emergency Management trucked in thousands of gallons of water daily, pumping from the Tradewater River and other sources to the treatment plant. National Guard troops also helped distribute bottled water to residents, who were limited to strict conservation measures.
The Kentucky Division of Water later declared Marion’s situation one of the most serious municipal water supply crises in the state’s history. Lake George eventually recovered a bit, but the incident highlighted the vulnerability of a community dependent on a closed reservoir.
Browning said cooler temperatures the last several days have temporarily kept manganese levels in the water under control. But with a return of hot, dry weather this week, she warned water quality could decline rapidly.
“Please understand my concern that we could very well run out of quality raw water soon,” Browning wrote. “I am not a fan of brinkmanship when it comes to supplying our people with potable water.”
Browning copied various local, regional and state leaders on yesterday’s email to ensure information to others as the city monitors the reservoir.
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