Change to Tullahoma water reset for February

Holiday breaks and unexpected cold temperatures have postponed the final connection between the Wartrace and Tullahoma Utility Board water lines.

"The weather really hurt us bad," said Brian Smith of the Wartrace Water Department at the Monday night meeting of the water board. "The contractors on the (Philippi Road) bypass project couldn't even get their equipment to work at all last week. One sewer pump froze."

The date for the long-planned connection has suffered several setbacks as old lines were replaced with new ones, better capable of handling the increased water pressure that will becoming from Tullahoma. Also, water pressure regulators had to be installed. One date for the conversion had been in the fall.

"But with everybody's being off for the holidays, we thought it wouldn't be a good time. We moved it to the first week of January," said Smith.

Unfortunately, the first week in January brought record low temperatures and snow.

"It has to be above 40 degrees for the conversion," said Mayor Don Gallagher."

The tentative changeover date is now the first week in February.

"Weather permitting," said Gallagher.

The delay in establishing the TUB line has also caused financial difficulties for the town, with water revenue coming in almost half of what had been budgeted. Once the connection is complete, Bell Buckle and other clients will be charged a higher rate, and it was that higher rate that was used in figuring the budget. Also, said Smith, the usage for the George Dickel Distillery has been lower than anticipated because of holidays and shutdowns.

The freeze affected some pipes, he said, but nothing on the scale of Shelbyville's recent water woes.

"Over the past month, the system has had many small service leaks," said Smith, saying they had only had to repair one major one. He told the water board that if they had not replaced so much line in preparation for the TUB connection, they would have probably had more serious leaks during the freeze, especially in the Haley Road area.

Lines wanted

Joe Barton, a resident of Red Hill Road, approached the board about water service in that area, suggesting a two-phase plan that would include Red Hill Road first, then Union Ridge and Lazy Branch roads.

"We're still in great need of water," he told the board.

He said there are 14 houses on the road and more than half of them are classified as low-income, qualifying the project for grants, and that four out of five of the homes have water that "tested bad."

Gallagher told Barton the matter would be looked into, and that a previous plan to take water to the area failed.

"I know these people need water," he said. "The biggest problem is going to be pitching it to the state."

Other business

* The water board also approved the expenditure of $1,700 to profile the town's sewer ponds to find the exact depth of sludge in them.

"The sludge is starting to get high," said Smith. "The ponds are over 20 years old."

After a certain depth is reached, he said, the ponds will have to be dredged and the sludge removed, requiring special permits for both the removal and dispersal of the sludge.

* Smith was commended for passing the Biological Natural System Exam and has received his license.