by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

Sewanee Utility District manager Ben Beavers’ Financial Report at the July 16 commissioners’ meeting showed $203,350 in miscellaneous income from the University reimbursing SUD for expenses incurred when Highway 41A was narrowed. Beavers also reported on drought conditions, a problem with the main intake valve at Lake O’Donnell, a sewer overflow, and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant projects.

In 2020, the Tennessee Department of Transportation undertook took narrowing Highway 41A to accommodate the University’s Sewanee Village Plan. Because it was a state project, the cost of relocating water and sewer lines fell to SUD. In a verbal agreement, the University agreed to “help out” to lessen the utility district’s financial burden [see Sewanee Mountain Messenger Aug. 21, 2020]. The University reimbursed SUD for 80 percent of the expense incurred.

Updating the board of commissioners on drought conditions on the Plateau, Beavers said Monteagle had gone to “mandatory restrictions,” skipping the voluntary restrictions stage of water conservation. “In talking with Tracy City and Big Creek, their lakes are full. Technically we’re in a drought now, a D1, which is the lowest level …[SUD] is about where we normally are [this time of year], which is odd considering the lack of rain. Even with no rain, we’re still three or four weeks away from having to start a conversation about restrictions.”

The location of the main intake at O’Donnell Road has shifted resulting in a crimp in the hose reducing the flow from 650 gallons per minute to 450 gallons per minute. Beavers plans to call in divers to address the problem. The reduced flow has increased man hours at the Water Plant to keep up with demand. “Demand is up. There have been a lot of people in town this summer,” Beavers said.

A technical aberration caused the sewer bypass at Bob Stewman Road, SUD’s main lift station, releasing 2.3 million gallons of untreated wastewater. SUD employees inspect the Bob Stewman location daily and verify the equipment is operating properly, Beavers said. “On a Friday morning, sometime between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. after they left, a power blink knocked the SCADA system and the controller for the pumps offline. The station overflowed until Monday morning … The power has to be out 30 seconds before the generator kicks in. If the power is out for 25 seconds, the controller automatically resets. With a few second jolt like that, it knocks it [the controller] out, but the timer doesn’t register reset.” Because the SCADA system was offline, the device did not send an alarm alert. Beavers reported the incident to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. “What came out of the lift station looks horrible,” he acknowledged. Regulations prevent SUD from using water from its supply lakes to flush the area, because the flow from the cleanup would enter a different watershed from the water source used for the cleanup. “I can’t do anything to clean it up,” Beavers said. “We have to wait until it rains and flushes it out.”

Commenting on the lead and copper survey being financed with the ARPA grant, Beavers said the interns had collected property data, including build dates, for all SUD customers’ residences and buildings. “Anything built after 1988 has no lead,” Beavers said. “We’ll probably need to inspect some of the old houses in Sewanee and take a look at their plumbing.” To comply with federal law, all lead fittings must be replaced. SUD customers can visit the SUD website to complete an online survey about their homes to assist SUD with the inventory.

In conjunction with the leak detection ARPA project, Beavers has requested using ARPA funds for a pressure reducer at Jackson Point. The 400-foot drop in elevation results in high water pressure, and the potential for extreme water loss in the event of line leaks.

The sewer rehab ARPA project will reduce Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) of storm water into the sewer system, which increases costs at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project will focus on manhole rehabilitation. “Over the past 20 years SUD has spent several million dollars on the pipes, but nothing on the manholes,” Beavers said. “Research shows 30 percent of I&I comes from manholes. SUD has 265 manholes. We’ll work our way down the list starting with the worst until we run out of money.” He projected the project would take two and a half years.