Duck River Agency

Duck pond area upgrade to arrive soon (03/01/12)
Warmer weather means that one of Shelbyville's most dangerous intersections will finally see some safety improvements. Work is set to begin within 30 to 60 days at the intersection at Fairfield Pike and Tulip Tree Drive, where a 2010 Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) accident study said that it met the criteria for a grant to rework it and try to make it more safe...

Farmers plead for FSA office to remain (01/29/12)
A packed room of farmers and community leaders told federal officials on Friday that Bedford County, which leads the state in some agricultural statistics, should not lose its U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency office. A public hearing was held at the University of Tennessee Extension offices on Midland Road on a proposal to close the FSA office in Shelbyville, which serves Bedford and Moore counties, and consolidate it into the office in Lewisburg...

Quake drill is critical (01/19/12)
Tennessee Emergency Management Agency is encouraging schools, families and businesses to participate in an earthquake drill next month. Registration is open for the second annual Great Central U. S. ShakeOut earthquake drill, scheduled for Feb. 7 at 10:15 a.m.. Last April, more than 3 million people in 11 states, including 250,000 Tennesseans, took part...

Two local USDA agencies to shut due to cost-cutting (01/10/12)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday it will close nearly 260 offices nationwide, including the Farm Service Agency and Rural Development offices at 709 East Lane St. in Shelbyville, which serve Bedford and Moore counties. USDA's plans won praise for cutting costs but raised concerns about the possible effect on food safety...

Creativity flows from students' minds (12/21/11)
In October, fifth grade students in Bedford County took part in what has become an annual tradition. RiverFest, hosted by the Duck River Watershed Education Committee, fulfills part of the Life Science curriculum for the year for the 650 students who visit...

Ready for the Country? (11/15/11)
Nashville may be the center of the country music scene, but tucked away in the tiny community of Normandy is a company representing one of the industry's icons. That connection has resulted in the little town coming alive on weekends with live performances from some surprising sources (see related story)...

New, future legends flow through River (11/15/11)
You can't miss Nikki Mitchell's River Café as you cross the railroad tracks in Normandy. But the place just isn't for good food on the weekends, It's for great music as well. For example, this Saturday visitors have a rare opportunity to hear an artist who opened for the Beatles during their 1964 American tour...

RiverFest: Serious fun (10/19/11)
Fair skies prevailed Tuesday morning as Bedford County fifth graders from eight different schools made their way through exhibits at RiverFest on the Duck River Greenway at River Bottom Park. Now in its seventh year, the Duck River Watershed Education Committee hosts the event which allows students to investigate how living things interact with each other and with nonliving elements of their environment...

Johnson had close call during attacks (09/11/11)
In September 2001, Scott and Alice Johnson were living in Washington, D.C. Scott was working as an agent for the U.S. Air Force, while Alice taught at a local elementary school. Their two children were in high school in northern Virginia...

Area not immune to terror (09/11/11)
Shelbyville may seem like an unlikely place to find terrorists, but that doesn't eliminate the need for vigilance or homeland security, according to Scott Johnson, director of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency and a terrorism liaison officer for the state...

McDonald still feels the spark (07/26/11)
Even on the week of his retirement, Charles McDonald talks excitedly about future projects and initiatives at Duck River Electric Membership Corporation, his employer for the past 37 years. McDonald, director of member services for the Shelbyville-based, multi-county electric cooperative, which serves 2,500 square miles of Middle Tennessee, will retire on Friday...

Power fails on hot night (07/19/11)
A major overnight power outage affected most of Bedford County early this morning. Just after 1 a.m. one of two feeder transmission lines at Tennessee Valley Authority's substation in Wartrace went out, affecting all of Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System's 9,500 customers, according to general manager David Crowell...

Nearly 200 participants make Duck River Cleanup a success (06/26/11)
The weather cooperated for the 14th annual Duck River Cleanup event on Saturday by providing overcast skies and cool breezes. Calling it "our best day," co-chair Wayne Bomar reported almost 200 volunteers, with more participants signing up this year than any other...

Cleanup in honor of Moulder (06/22/11)
This year's Duck River Cleanup is dedicated to the memory of Lee Anne Moulder, who passed away at age 23 last July. Her family earmarked memorial contributions to the Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee, Duck River Clean Up Project. Known for her love of water and sporting, Lee Anne was a member of the Shelbyville swim team for six years and won many blue ribbons...

Cleaning the Duck (06/22/11)
When National Geographic looked for places to capture cubes of the planet's ecosystem, their quest took them to exotic places like a coral reef in French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean, Table Mountain in South Africa and a cloud forest in Costa Rica. And to the Duck River...

Fishin' time (06/12/11)
See our photo gallery.

'Duck pond' intersection to receive upgrades (05/17/11)
Shelbyville City Council has executed a contract with Tennessee Department of Transportation for safety improvements for the "duck pond" intersection at Fairfield Pike and Hickory Drive. TDOT will install a number of safety improvements to the intersection at Fairfield and nearby Tulip Tree Drive, including doing away with the northern fork of Hickory Drive, which runs between the two duck ponds at the site...

'Duck pond' work nears (05/06/11)
The city is one step closer to the start of work at a intersection that's been considered dangerous. Shelbyville's city council will vote next Thursday to sign a contract with Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) to install a number of safety improvements to the intersection at Fairfield Pike and Tulip Tree Drive...

Starting to fall (04/29/11)
The flood-swollen Duck River is receding after nearly reaching its 25-foot flood level on Thursday. The intense storms that pelted the South on Wednesday resulted in the river reaching 24.37 feet on Thursday before it began to slowly fall below its banks, but not before the waters inundated Fisherman's Park.

UPDATED: Fortunate escape (04/28/11)
The Duck River was beginning to fall this morning after several days of heavy rain pushed the waterway toward flood stage. Bedford County got a soaking on Wednesday but managed to avoid any serious damage from the high winds and tornados that lashed several states...

Wartrace offers deal on Bell Buckle water (04/12/11)
And the issue trickles on ... The ongoing saga of getting clean, healthy water to Bell Buckle has taken yet another turn at the Monday night board of mayor and aldermen meeting -- in Wartrace. "Bell Buckle has been switching back and forth," said Wartrace Mayor Ron Stacy...

Healthy response hoped for test (04/03/11)
Bedford and 11 other counties will participate in a drill April 14 to test state and local responses to a public health emergency. The scenario for the exercise involves the release of a nerve agent affecting a limited number of people, and how to deploy medical countermeasures for treatment...

Dealing with drought (03/30/11)
Progress is continuing on a regional plan focusing on how to cope with another drought that could impact residents that use the Duck River. Last November, the Duck River Development Agency board of directors voted to approve the recommendation of O'Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc. to adopt and implement a Comprehensive Regional Water Supply Plan for Bedford, Coffee, Marshall, Maury, and southern Williamson counties...

Storm causes little damage (02/25/11)
Scott Johnson of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency said the county experienced "sporadic power outages, downed trees and some temporary flash flooding" as the result of Thursday night's severe weather. "As the strong squall line moved into Marshall County from west to east about 10 p.m., it had some indications of potential tornado activity," wrote Johnson in an e-mail to the Times-Gazette. ...

River by rail: Gold River prepares for operation (12/21/10)
Gold River Feed Products received its first tanker shipments of molasses and steep water (water in which grain has been steeped) last week and plans to begin test runs this week, entering actual production of its livestock feed supplements after the first of the year...

Water supply plan gains DRA approval (11/02/10)
The Duck River Development Agency will be bringing experts to the table to help implement a water supply plan for the region that was approved last Thursday. DRA's board of directors voted to approve the recommendation of O'Brien & Gere Engineers, Inc. to adopt and implement a Comprehensive Regional Water Supply Plan for Bedford, Coffee, Marshall, Maury, and southern Williamson counties...

Water plans will flow (08/10/10)
Regional utility managers and others will gather for a final workshop on Wednesday at Henry Horton State Park to plan for the area's future water supply needs. Since June 2009, the Duck River Agency, along with area utilities and environmental groups, has been holding workshops to work out alternatives to a Comprehensive Regional Water Supply Plan for Bedford, Coffee, Marshall, Maury, and southern Williamson counties...

Duck River Cleanup brings community together (06/27/10)
Volunteers from all over Bedford County turned out Saturday morning to clean the banks of Duck River. "This is really a community effort," said Helen Garner of the 2010 Duck River Clean-Up, organized by the Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee. "People bring their boats and canoes and ride up the river picking up any litter they see ... we also clean streamside, under bridges, overpasses, and access points."...

Duck River Cleanup nears (06/17/10)
The annual Duck River Cleanup will be held Saturday, June 26, according to co-chair Helen Garner, and as always volunteers are being sought. Boat owners are particularly needed but anyone is welcome, said Garner. The event begins with registration and breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Work begins in earnest at 8 a.m. and continues until noon; volunteers are served lunch afterward. The headquarters for the event is Riverwalk Park behind Shelbyville Power, Water and Sewerage System on South Main Street...

New industry brings 34 jobs (06/10/10)
The creation of 34 new jobs and a $7.25 million investment in Bedford County was announced Wednesday at the former location of DESA Industries. Kentucky-based Gold River Feed Products will open a new location at 783 Eagle Blvd. that will employ the workers over the next five years...

City, police department out of race track lawsuit (05/06/10)
The city, the police department and others have been dropped as third party defendants in a countersuit filed over an incident at the Duck River Speedway nearly two years ago. Last year, Marvin Parker and Parker Brothers LLC were sued by Christopher and James Smotherman Sr. Christopher was struck by a race car driven by Parker in June 2008...

CORRECTED: Area's future water supply to be focus of open houses (03/02/10)
Where are we going to get our water in the future? That important question is to be discussed at two open houses set for later this month to let the public know about long term planning with regards to the area's water supply. The Duck River Agency, in conjunction with other organizations such as area utilities and environmental groups, has been holding workshops since last year to work out alternatives to their Comprehensive Regional Water Supply Plan...

Pool level change (03/02/10)
What's the best way to prepare for future water supply issues for the Duck River watershed? The public will get a chance to see four possible ideas at an upcoming open house to be held at Henry Horton Park (see related story). Four of the ideas are considered "cornerstone" plans while others are either labeled backup plans or ideas that are "highly unlikely."...

Duck River featured in 'National Geographic' (01/31/10)
A feature in the current issue of National Geographic magazine highlights "four of the most biologically-rich places in the world," and one of them is the Duck River. The magazined assigned photographer David Liittschwager to document places where a variety of life forms could be found in a single cubic foot...

Duck River demand may outstrip supply (10/08/09)
A recent TVA study expects that the future demand for water on the Duck River between Shelbyville and Columbia could exceed the current supply. However, a needs assessment study to be released next month by the Duck River Agency may help to address water supply issues that may occur in the future...

Students learn about Duck River's importance (10/07/09)
Despite dreary skies and threat of rain Tuesday, fifth graders from across the county paid a visit to the Duck River to learn its importance. Duck River Watershed Education Committee kicked off its fourth annual Duck RiverFest at the Greenway behind the Shelbyville power plant with various displays and activities...

Johnson tells Patriot Day crowd of close brush with Sept. 11 (09/13/09)
Everyone can remember exactly where they were on Sept. 11, 2001 when they heard news of the attacks on America. Whether you were at home, work, attending school or commuting, it's hard to erase that day from memory. For Scott Johnson, director of Bedford County Emergency Management Agency, the day has special meaning. He was supposed to be at the Pentagon for a meeting on that day...

Water shortage plan being prepared by DRA (09/11/09)
During the peak of the region's recent drought, Doug Murphy, the head of the Duck River Agency (DRA), said that half of the area's water supply was gone. Nearly two years later, Murphy says he wants to be better prepared when such a situation arises again...

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