The department's mission is to protect and enhance Kentucky's environment. This mission is important because it has a direct impact on Kentucky's public health, our citizens' safety, and the quality of Kentucky's valuable natural resources - our environment.

The department's four divisions apply their unique responsibilities and expertise in a joint effort to ensure the protection and enhancement of Kentucky's environment.

The Division for Air Quality is the state agency primarily responsible for implementing programs to achieve and maintain state and federal air quality standards in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The division regulates the amount of air pollution that may be released into the air by industry and other stationary sources. To meet its obligations, the division staff operate a comprehensive program involving air quality monitoring, planning, construction and operation permitting, compliance inspections and enforcement.

The Division of Environmental Services provides centralized laboratory services and risk assessment services to the department’s programs. Chemical testing of soil, water, fish tissue and air for environmental contaminants supports the other divisions’ work of monitoring, compliance and enforcement. Risk assessment services assist the programs in finding acceptable ways to manage risks from environmental releases.

The Division of Waste Management is charged with managing Kentucky's wastes in order to protect Kentucky’s resources from pollution and degradation. To fulfill this mission, the division regulates the proper management of solid and hazardous wastes and the operations and removal of underground petroleum storage tanks. It also ensures the proper cleanup of contaminated sites, including state and federal Superfund sites.

The Division of Water is the largest division in the department and is responsible for protecting Kentucky's valuable water resources. The division administers the state’s water pollution control, water use, dam safety and floodplain management programs. It establishes criteria and performance standards for stream use and acceptable discharge limits into waters of the Commonwealth. The Division of Water reviews plans for municipal sewage treatment plants and municipal sewer extensions. It also ensures the safety of our drinking water by reviewing drinking water plant designs, monitoring drinking water quality and providing technical assistance to plant operators. The Division of Water is also the lead agency for Kentucky’s groundwater, water quality, wild rivers, water withdrawal programs and nonpoint source pollution control.

Through the joint effort of these four divisions, the department has been able to see significant improvements in Kentucky's environment. The air is clearer, the water is cleaner and hundreds of contaminated soil sites have been addressed throughout Kentucky. However, there are still challenges ahead that will need to be addressed in the coming years. Solutions to these problems will not come easily, but the department is ready for the challenge. Through diligent work, it is the department's vision that we will be able to achieve a Commonwealth where future generations will be able to enjoy an environment that is better than the one that we are able to enjoy today.