TDEC Announces $191.2M In Water Infrastructure Investments

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced 49 grants totaling $191.2M from the state’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) fund, part of which TDEC is administering through competitive grants for regionalization, water reuse, and resource protection, and a state strategic project.

Of the 49 grants announced today, 14 are for regionalization, eight for water reuse, and 27 for resource protection.

Regionalization projects will provide cooperative support across water and wastewater systems to improve the sustainability, affordability, and/or reliability of systems. Water reuse projects will reclaim water from a variety of sources then treat and reuse it for beneficial purposes. Resource protection projects will either improve water infrastructure resilience to extreme weather events, improve the management of stormwater to improve water quality, and/or restore natural landscape features such as streams or wetlands. The additional strategic project will address regional wastewater needs.

Counties and cities, water utility districts, water utility authorities, and for-profit water infrastructure systems – if in partnership with one of the eligible entities as the lead grant applicant – were eligible to apply.

“These water infrastructure grants provide assistance to communities across the state, and accelerate progress in rural Tennessee,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “I commend the communities that have participated in the application process and look forward to the results of these investments.”

“More than ever, infrastructure is critically important to our local communities,” said Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge. “This money will allow cities and towns to address deficiencies and make improvements that will pay dividends not just in the present but in the years to come as well. I greatly appreciate the work of the governor and my colleagues on the Fiscal Accountability Group for their work in making sure these funds were spent appropriately and efficiently.”

“Our infrastructure needs continue to evolve, and we must focus on providing resources that ensure all communities remain successful,” said Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville. “These grants will help address immediate, emerging, and long-term needs and preserve resources so Tennessee remains a preferred destination for businesses and families.”

“This process demonstrates the importance of quality water infrastructure throughout the state, and we are glad we can help make the best investments possible from these funds,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “This is a significant step in providing the water service communities deserve.”

Grants announced today are awarded to:

Regionalization Grants

Details for each award are: 

Regionalization Grants

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.

Resource Protection Grants

City of Chattanooga, $1,785,000
The City of Chattanooga, in partnership with the non-profit WaterWays, will use ARP funds to restore three sites along a stream utilizing natural design methods. Expected project outcomes include stabilizing the stream, restoring the floodplain, reducing in-stream erosion, and overall improving the value of the stream.

City of Cookeville, $3,989,962
The City of Cookeville will use ARP funds to replace existing overhead electric lines from the raw water intake to the water treatment plant with underground electric lines, as well as install a generator for auxiliary power. This project will enhance emergency preparedness and prevent power interruptions due to natural disasters.

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.

City of Johnson City, $3,386,655
The City of Johnson City will use ARP funds on the West Walnut Basin project. This will improve hydrology and reduce flood activity during extreme weather events through the removal of warehouses on the site and the restoration of pervious land through the creation of a pond with increased natural vegetation, and the installation of a high-density polyethylene pipe.

Knox County, $546,800
Knox County, in partnership with Hallsdale Powell Utility District, and West Knox Utility District, will use ARP funds to design, coordination, and construction for the removal of a dam to create a free-flowing stream. Dam removal will improve the overall water quality by reducing areas of stagnant water, decreasing water temperatures, and increasing oxygen levels.

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.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water, $4,023,250
Memphis Light, Gas and Water will use ARP funds purchase and install of a backup generator for select wells in the Davis and Shaw Pumping Station wellfields to provide backup power to the plant during significant electrical outages caused by extreme weather events and prevent interruption of services.

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.

City of Portland, $4,250,000
The City of Portland will use ARP funds to enhance Portland’s raw water harvesting capability and increasing the raw water storage volume of the existing emergency supply reservoir. Additionally, projects will increase the reliable yield of Portland’s water supply source and mitigate drought vulnerability frequency and water supply outages.

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.

Tennessee Wildlife Federation, $1,766,666
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Cumberland River Compact, will use ARP funds to remove a low head dam to stabilize approximately 1,200 feet of streambank on the East Fork Stones River in Readyville, TN. This project will improve resource function, restore the natural flow regime, and reduce sedimentation.

West Tennessee River Basin Authority, $712,500
The West Tennessee River Basin Authority will use ARP funds to restore an abandoned one-mile meandering section of the Hatchie River and Cub Creek. Additionally, the project will re-connect a nine square mile watershed to support the natural flow and function of the channels.

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.