Officials representing a water department in an eastern Kentucky county say the district could collapse within 60 to 90 days without an immediate influx of cash.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Kentucky's Public Service Commission held a hearing in Frankfort on Friday to consider the Martin County Water District's application for an emergency rate increase of nearly 50 percent for its 3,500 customers.

John Horn, chairman of the Martin County Water Board, said that without additional revenue, the district will soon miss payroll.

The water district shut off water to thousands of customers for days when an intake pump and service pipes froze during frigid weather earlier this month. For years, the district has lost more than half of the water it treats through leaky pipes and tanks.