CROSSVILLE CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES WATER PRODUCTION, AGING INFRASTRUCTURE, AND UPCOMING PILOT PROGRAM
The Crossville City Council convened for a special-called work session today to address water filtration, filter conditions, and water production capacity at Meadow Park Lake. Led by Mayor R.J. Crawford, City Manager Valerie Hale, and city council members, the meeting focused heavily on clarifying the city’s water infrastructure status following recent public concerns.
Addressing Public Concerns Over Water System Status
The special meeting was brought forward by Council Members Mike Turner and Mark A. Fox following a previous report by City Attorney Randy York that used terms like “dire straits” regarding the city’s water resources.
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Citizen Inquiries: Councilman Fox noted that within a day of the attorney’s remarks, 13 residents contacted him asking what terms like “dire straits” and keeping “fingers crossed” translated to regarding safety, imminent failure, or potential boil-water notices.
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Current Standards: Water Resources Director Joe Kerley confirmed that the water currently produced meets all required quality standards, but emphasized that aging infrastructure leaves little room for error.
Infrastructure Challenges and Urgency at Meadow Park Lake
Water Resources Director Joe Kerley and City Engineer Tim Begley provided a detailed overview of the challenges facing the Meadow Park Lake water treatment plant:
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Aging Equipment: Kerley highlighted that filter underdrain failures in 2023 caused an emergency repair cost of $231,000 and dropped plant capacity.
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Capacity Risks: If a filter fails, the plant drops to a fraction of its capacity. Kerley warned that without maintaining proper pressure, distribution systems risk contamination, pointing to recent infrastructure failures in other regional cities like Knoxville and Livingston as cautionary examples.
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Redundancy: Crossville relies on two primary plants—Meadow Park and Holiday Hills—providing vital backup capacity, though Holiday Hills is also approaching timelines for media replacement.
Pilot Program and Future Filtration Technologies
To address the future of the city’s water treatment, the council discussed an authorized pilot program to evaluate modern filtration alternatives against traditional methods:
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The Pilot Project: A delayed pilot program is scheduled to begin in January, costing between $50,000 and $80,000. It will test three different membrane filtration technologies (including ceramic membranes) outdoors under winter conditions to gather raw data on water quality, coagulant use, and long-term cost savings.
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Timelines and Costs: City officials noted that any major overhaul—whether repairing traditional sand-and-anthracite filters (estimated at roughly $2 million for stainless steel bottoms) or transitioning to a new membrane system—will take a minimum of two to three years from contract approval to completion due to supply chain lead times and state reviews.
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Cost-Savings Analysis: While ceramic or advanced membrane upgrades carry substantial projected upfront costs, engineering reviews will evaluate whether long-term savings on backwash water waste can offset the initial investment.
Public Comment on Regionalization
During the public comment portion of the meeting, resident Andrew Kidwell addressed the council, urging them to reject regional water utility integration. Kidwell argued that the city should focus its efforts strictly on Cumberland County’s existing 625-square-mile framework rather than pursuing broader regionalization plans involving neighboring counties or state oversight.
The special work session concluded with the council thanking the water resources team for their detailed presentation and ongoing management of the city’s utility infrastructure.
