The federal budget passed by both chambers of Congress this week would block a future fee on some southern Kentucky towns that use Lake Cumberland as a water source.
The US Army Corps of Engineers was set to complete a study on allocating water storage capacity.
The Herald-leader reports that the study would have resulted in the charging of a one-time fee to area cities and counties that use Lake Cumberland as a water source. That includes Somerset, Burnside, Monticello, Jamestown, Albany, and McCreary County.
Somerset officials have warned their fee would be around $1 million. Local officials were also worried that they would have to pay fees to help maintain Wolf Creek Dam.
U.S. Representative Hal Rogers of Somerset said in a news release that local communities only use one percent of the water in Lake Cumberland and shouldn’t be subjected to unreasonable fees.