TDEC unveils $191.2 million water infrastructure investment across Tennessee

(UI) — The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has revealed a comprehensive $191.2 million investment plan aimed at bolstering water infrastructure across the state. The funding will be channeled into diverse projects ranging from wastewater and drinking water enhancements to stormwater management initiatives.

These strategic investments, made possible through the American Rescue Plan, are poised to significantly elevate the resilience, efficiency, and sustainability of Tennessee's water systems, addressing regional needs and promoting long-term environmental well-being.

Town of Atoka, $8,192,350

The Town of Atoka, in partnership with the City of Munford, will use ARP funds to address regional wastewater needs. Funds will be used on a collection of projects to reduce the load of a currently at-maximum-capacity lagoon that is jointly owned by Atoka, Munford, and Brighton. Projects include upgrades to lift stations and a smoke testing program to identify areas of infiltration and inflow (I/I).

Blount County Collaborative Utility Projects, $6,632,720

Blount County Collaborative Utility Projects, in partnership with Tuckaleechee Utility District (TUD), will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project entails constructing a connection point between South Blount County Utility District and Tuckleechee Utility District, as well as constructing a second pipeline for the city of Townsend, which is served by TUD. This additional source of water and pipeline will mitigate the risk of limited water supply in the Townsend area.

City of Crossville, $8,170,000

The City of Crossville, in partnership with Crab Orchard Utility District, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs by installing a new interconnection facility between the two entities. This project will help the region meet its growing water supply demand.

First Utility District of Knox County, $6,774,849

The First Utility District of Knox County (FUD), in partnership with Lenoir City, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project will allow the utilization of FUD’s surplus capacity to supplement Lenoir City’s capacity deficit, while creating an opportunity to improve interjurisdictional connections with other water systems. Project activities include treatment capacity pumping and storage to supply Lenoir City with an additional three million gallons of water per day.

City of Gallatin, $19,000,000

The City of Gallatin, in partnership with the City of Portland, the City of Westmoreland, Castalian Springs Bethpage Water Utility District (CSBWUD), and Sumner County, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs and protect against drought deficits. The project entails the construction of a singular 118,000 linear foot transmission main to supply water to CSBWUD, Portland, and Westmoreland. This collaboration enables a large infrastructure investment to be made while reducing the individual cost to each community.

City of Harriman, $10,705,550

The City of Harriman, in partnership with Crab Orchard Utility District (COUD), will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project entails a large-scale distribution system upgrade to allow interconnection between the two utility districts. System upgrades will enable a significant supply of water to COUD and address water shortage and containment challenges in response to continued growth and development.

City of Lexington, $15,959,667

The City of Lexington, in partnership with the City of Scotts Hill and the City of Sardis, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. Lexington will absorb Sardis’s plant and distribution system and connect Scotts Hill’s system to Lexington, enabling the region to address inadequacies throughout its water systems.

Maury County Board of Public Utilities, $7,760,000

The Maury County Board of Public Utilities, in partnership with Hillsboro, Burwood, and Thompson’s Station Utility District (HB&TS), will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project entails the construction of a single transmission line that will improve Maury County’s water availability and water source capacity while serving the needs of both water utilities.

Town of Mountain City, $997,500

The Town of Mountain City, in partnership with Cold Springs Utility District (CSUD), will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project will integrate the CSUD system into Mountain City’s system, addressing increased demand for drinking water in Mountain City while allowing higher efficiency lower costs.

City of Norris, $3,372,500

The City of Norris, in partnership with Anderson County Water Authority and Clinton Utilities Board, will use ARP funds to address regional wastewater needs. This project will develop a Wastewater Regionalization Master Plan, with the goal of identifying long-term solutions related to sewer system and treatment plant expansion to provide mutual benefit to the three utility systems in the area.

City of Pigeon Forge, $11,400,000

The City of Pigeon Forge, in partnership with the City of Gatlinburg and Sevier County, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project will add a raw water line to enhance the current capacity of the raw water system, enabling the region to match growth by improving the reliability and capacity of the regional water system.

Warren County Utility District, $9,500,000

Warren County Utility District, in partnership with the City of Spencer, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. The project entails the replacement of Spencer’s water system infrastructure in preparation for the system’s merger with Warren County Utility District, improving water quality and quantity for residents in the region.

Water & Wastewater Authority of Wilson County, $7,290,900

The Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County (WWAWC), in partnership with Alexandria Waterworks, Dekalb Utility District, Hartsville Trousdale Water and Sewer Utility District, Laguardo Utility District, and Smith Utility District, will use ARP funds to address regional drinking water needs. Projects include the extension and connection of emergency drinking water across parts of five counties in Middle Tennessee through the construction of physical connections, pump station upgrades, and acquisition of additional drinking water lines.

Water Authority of Dickson County, $10,200,000

The Water Authority of Dickson County, in partnership with the Town of White Bluff and the Town of Charlotte, will use ARP funds to address regional wastewater needs through a Regional Water Reclamation System project. The Regional Water Reclamation System project is a long-term effort to accommodate growth in the Dickson, Williamson, and Hickman County areas while reducing nutrient loadings and discharges into smaller receiving streams.

Water Reuse Grants

City of Chattanooga, $4,250,000

The City of Chattanooga will use ARP funds to address non-potable water reuse needs. The project includes the conversion of the existing plant water system into a new reclaimed water system, as well as improvements to the potable and plant water systems at the facility. Water conservation efforts will be implemented to reduce consumption and substitution of lower-grade water for certain non-potable water process uses and finding and eliminating leaks in the plant water system.

City of Clarksville, $425,000

The City of Clarksville will use ARP funds to address non-potable water reuse needs. The city will complete a study on water reuse at Clarksville Industrial Park (CIP), evaluating reusing water that is currently discarded into the Cumberland River, treating it to an appropriate level, and then using it within the CIP as non-contact, non-potable water.

Cleveland Utilities, $2,470,000

Cleveland Utilities will use ARP funds to address non-potable water reuse needs. The project involves construction of a non-potable water reuse system at the Hiwassee River Wastewater Treatment Plant with the capacity to meet current peak demands and an anticipated future peak demand of 400 gallons per minute.

City of Franklin, $5,600,000

The City of Franklin will use ARP funds to address potable water reuse needs. The city will construct a new clean water facility, which will provide treatment of collected sanitary sewerage sufficient for multiple potential beneficial end uses, including river flow augmentation, non-potable reuse, and raw water reservoir augmentation for potable reuse.

Ocoee Utility District of Bradley and Polk counties, $712,500

The Ocoee Utility District of Bradley and Polk counties will use ARP funds to address potable water reuse needs. The project includes treating water from the Old Parksville Wastewater Treatment Plant as a supplementary water source to Carpenter Springs Water Treatment Plant, which will increase the District’s resiliency with multiple water sources and remove the need to discharge into a stream.

City of Spring Hill, $2,398,760

The City of Spring Hill will use ARP funds to address potable water reuse needs. Spring Hill plans to construct an advanced purification pilot project and will use these funds for the design of the pilot, operation assistance, lab testing and sampling, and procurement of the individual treatment train units.

Town of Thompson’s Station, $4,000,000

The Town of Thompson’s Station will use ARP funds to address non-potable water reuse needs. This project is part of a larger series of upgrades at the Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, and entails replacement of the plant influent pump station, expansion of the ultraviolet disinfection capacity, installation of a mixer in the effluent reservoir, increase of effluent pumping capacity, and installation of a sludge screw press.

Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County, $120,000

The Water and Wastewater Authority of Wilson County (WWAWC) will use ARP funds to address non-potable water reuse needs. The project entails investigating and planning a data-driven pilot non-potable water reuse program and identifying potential end users for engagement in the project and scenarios where benefits exceed costs for target end users.

Cumberland River Compact, $1,109,900

The Cumberland River Compact, in partnership with Metro Water Services and Piccadilly Square Homeowners Association, will use ARP funds for a tributary restoration project which will focus on removing in-channel stormwater detention structures and re-establishing channel, bank, and riparian buffers to restore the natural stream morphology and ensure biological integrity.

Cumberland River Compact, $976,250

The Cumberland River Compact, in partnership with Metro Water Services and Tennessee State University (TSU), will use ARP funds to enhance the stormwater management functions of the TSU Tiger Bay Wetland by preserving and restoring ecosystem services through multiple neighborhood-scale green infrastructure projects in the catchment area to reduce stress on the wetland function.

City of Dyersburg, $665,000

The City of Dyersburg will use ARP funds for green infrastructure improvements to stabilize and rehabilitate the stream banks in four locations identified during a previous pilot program. These locations are in areas most likely to be affected by stream erosion.

Erwin Utilities, $875,425

Erwin Utilities will use ARP funds to relocate approximately 1,000 linear feet of water main and two stream crossings to outside a stream buffer and floodway, which will protect both from future flood damage and improve access for maintenance and repair during flood events. 

Town of Farragut, $2,017,591

The Town of Farragut will use ARP funds to construct a large parking lot in McFee Park using permeable pavers that will allow runoff to infiltrate beneath and around the stone base to reduce runoff from the site while filtering contaminants from the parking lot.

Hamilton County, $1,000,000

Hamilton County will use ARP funds for stormwater management planning. The project includes a stormwater inventory and condition assessment of the county’s existing stormwater system, creation of a GIS database of the stormwater system, and a masterplan to evaluate and prioritize system improvements. The masterplan will allow the county to effectively evaluate and incorporate green infrastructure upgrades into their stormwater system to enhance water quality, manage stormwater runoff, and prevent flooding.

Town of Huntingdon, $1,369,900

The Town of Huntingdon will use ARP funds for infrastructure improvements to promote resilience. The project includes the raising of lagoon levees, the replacement of the existing disinfection building with a new building at the same modified elevation, and the raising of a portion of the access road. Infrastructure changes will prevent flood waters from overtopping the levees and compromising the lagoon while enabling staff to access the facilities in flood conditions.

Knoxville Utilities Board, $4,750,000

The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) will use ARP funds to upgrade and strategically invest in KUB’s water system to mitigate sanitary sewer overflows and increase capacity to better perform during extreme wet weather events.

City of McMinnville, $503,500

The City of McMinnville will use ARP funds to address stormwater challenges faced by the watershed. The project entails the creation of a park consisting of a wetland rain garden, a detention pond, and a permeable paver parking lot and walking path.

City of McMinnville, $503,500

The City of McMinnville will use ARP funds to rehabilitate a wetland through strategic planting of hydrophytic plants, create a conservation easement, and some light grading to divert water to the center of the wetland. Infrastructure improvements will increase resilience to extreme weather events, improve stormwater management, and restore natural landscape features for improved hydrology.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water, $402,325

Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) will use ARP funds to purchase and install a backup generator for the MLGW Arlington Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Water Pumping Station. The generator will enable the station to remain online during a significant electrical outage.

City of Memphis, $4,750,000

The City of Memphis will use ARP funds to improve the resilience of its wastewater system. The project includes the reduction of sewer line breaks at stream crossings, preventing the interruptions in service that occur when systems are shut down or altered for line repairs.

Town of Monterey, $1,178,000

The Town of Monterey will use ARP funds to improve Monterey’s ability to address its severe drainage problems by cleaning creek banks. Additionally, the Town will work to identify if areas may be utilized for bioretention, detention, or other means of stormwater runoff management.

Town of Selmer, $1,900,000

The Town of Selmer will use ARP funds to plan, design, and construct a stormwater infrastructure system that can handle structural and fill bearing pressures, decrease sediment discharge, and have a longer lifespan to help protect the community and its facilities from potential catastrophic events.

City of Sevierville Water and Sewer, $1,094,040

City of Sevierville Water and Sewer will use ARP funds to construct a new wastewater main line that will be installed below the Little Pigeon River bottom and bank stabilization on both sides of the river, enabling the restoration of the natural river bottom and reducing the potential for breaks due to impacts from debris.

City of Spring Hill, $800,000

The City of Spring Hill will use ARP funds to investigate and plan for a water supply reservoir on vacant land. The reservoir will allow Spring Hill to provide strategic local drought management and promote resiliency and planning for extreme weather events.

Sweetwater Utilities Board, $340,328

The Sweetwater Utilities Board will use ARP funds to construct a new wall around Cannon Spring, the primary drinking water source to the town, to protect it from flood inundation. The new wall will minimize the potential for stormwater runoff from the adjacent public works vehicle facility to contaminate the spring during flooding.

West Tennessee River Basin Authority, $4,607,500

The West Tennessee River Basin Authority, in partnership with the Jackson Housing Authority, Jackson Energy Authority, City of Jackson, Jackson Community Redevelopment Agency, and the Jackson-Madison County School System, will use ARP funds to restore and revitalize Central Creek in Jackson, which is an impaired stream facing severe alteration and ongoing threats from aging water and wastewater infrastructure.

West Tennessee River Basin Authority, $712,500

The West Tennessee River Basin Authority, in partnership with the City of Waverly, will use ARP funds to remove a low head dam that is disrupting the flow and function of Trace Creek.

Related News

From Archive

• Most Read
• Most Commented