LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Constant rain has caused issues for Louisville, with the Louisville Metropolitan Sewer Districts’ systems at capacity and several roads closed.

Louisville MSD water quality treatment centers have clarifiers as part of the process to treat water.

“It's where the solids kind of settle down and the water starts rising up and it goes on through the treatment process, and the solids are eventually made into fertilizer,” said Sheryl Lauder, MSD communications director.

All the Floyds Fork treatment center’s clarifiers are full from the rain. 

One of the clarifiers at MSD's Floyds Fork Water Quality Treatment Center. It is full of water, along with the other four. (Spectrum News 1/Geraldine Torrellas)

“Normally, on an average day, there would be two of these clarifiers in service, but as you can see, all five are full today,” Lauder said. “That's how much water is in the system.”

According to MSD, this has caused its sanitary sewer systems to be at capacity. Despite that, everything coming in is still getting treated.

“It's an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Lauder said. “We've got people working 24/7 to operate all of our systems, including our drainage and certainly our flood protection system folks are in high gear right now. But the wastewater team that works 24/7, really every day of the year, they're on high alert as well.”

MSD asked people avoid using large amounts of water for systems that discharge into sewer pipes, including dishwashers and washing machines. The advisory was lifted Monday morning.

“Every little bit helps, so if you can delay or take a short shower instead of a long one, that would be great,” Lauder said.

People experiencing a backup are asked to hold off using those systems until the storms stop.

The rain has also caused flooding for several streets.

Barricades are up on the intersection of River Road and East Witherspoon Street in Louisville on April 5, 2025, due to flooding on the road. (Spectrum News 1/Geraldine Torrellas)

“We continue to post all of the road closures on our website,” said Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville. “As the waters go up, we're getting ahead of that based on our knowledge from previous years of flooding … what roads we have to close based on the river rising to certain levels.”

City officials are urging people to "turn around, don't drown." 

“If a roadway has barricades on it, don't move them, don't drive around them because they're there for a reason,” Lauder said.

MSD has five floodwall closures in place and doesn’t foresee needing to add any more.