Duck River demand may outstrip supply

James Smithey and his daughter Ashley take in some fishing near Halls Mill on the Duck River, a section of the waterway which may not be able to meet the future demands of the community, according to a TVA study. (T-G Photo by Brian Mosely) [Order this photo]

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.

The agency already is working on a comprehensive water supply plan to address shortage concerns caused by drought conditions and also how to meet the future demands for Bedford and other counties in the Duck River watershed.

According to Doug Murphy, director of DRA, the TVA study entitled "Water Supply and Demand in Tennessee River Watershed Streams Below Reservoirs" released in July, was an examination of the tail water areas below the reservoirs that supply water to the region.

"The Duck River region from Shelbyville to Columbia was the only area in the Tennessee Valley that TVA highlighted as an area to expect future demand to exceed its current supply," Murphy said.

Murphy said that this latest study only reiterated what was said in the TVA report entitled "Future Water Supply Needs in the Upper Duck River Basin," which was released in 2000.

Recent projections by TVA and the U.S. Geological Survey indicate the Tennessee River watershed will add about 1.2 million more residents to the existing 4.7 million by 2030.

Additionally, TVA says growth in urban areas around the region, some of which are already facing water-supply challenges, will increase pressure on the Tennessee Valley's water resources.

TVA first made water demand projections in 1979, Murphy said, and additional projections have been made by the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

CBER used population projections and data on industrial growth, but when combined with the study from USGS, the region could see water shortages by 2010 to 2015 in a worst case scenario.

"If we had a drought like we had in 2007, yeah, we could possibly start seeing some issues," Murphy said.

In that type of shortage, "we would really have to tighten down and do some mandatory restrictions for water use, operate the reservoir different," Murphy explained.

However, Murphy stresses that computer models are still being run and that it is not possible to set a date and say "this is when we're going to run out of water," but he added as demand for water grows and more water is drawn from the Duck without more supply provided, "then you have issues."

Also, the state mandates that a certain amount of water, measured in cubic feet per second, has to keep flowing through the Duck to meet environmental needs.

"We've got to prepare for future demand either by coming up with ways to manage the river different or to offering alternative supplies," Murphy said.

Murphy said they are looking "at about 30 to 40 alternatives," right now to boost the water supply -- "everything from pipelines to storing water in rock quarries or tributary reservoirs and storage facilities."

The 2000 TVA report presented several options for supplying more water to the Duck River, including:

* transfer of water from Tim's Ford Reservoir to Normandy Reservoir by pipeline,

* building another reservoir in the downstream part of the Fountain Creek watershed southeast of Columbia,

* constructing a water supply intake on the Duck River downstream from the mouth of Catheys Creek northwest of Columbia

* or raising the pool level of Normandy Lake.

Murphy said that at the next DRA workshop, set to be held on Dec. 2, they hope to "weed out" some of the alternatives that are currently on the table.