by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“It’s not looking real good for this year as far as drought goes,” said Sewanee Utility District Manager Ben Beavers reporting on operations at the April 21 board of commissioners meeting. “At the end of February Lake O’Donnell was one foot down and Lake Jackson was overflowing. O’Donnell is now between a foot and two feet down and Jackson is overflowing, but just barely.”

Beavers pointed out the region had been on a 20-year drought cycle. “We’re at the 20-year mark,” observed Board President Charlie Smith. At present the plateau verges on the “moderate” drought range, according to Beavers. “We’re not in the extreme range yet, but there are places in Tennessee that are,” he said. “This time last year both lakes were overflowing. Often both of them overflow into June.” Rainfall for February was 3.08 inches; for March less than 4 inches, unusually low for that month; and so far for April less than one-half inch with only one major rainfall event. “Right now all the systems on the plateau are okay,” Beavers said, “but it pays to keep an eye on it.”

In other business, Beavers updated the board on the American Rescue Plan Act projects. Beavers applied to redirect unused funds from the Lead and Copper Survey to the Sewer Rehabilitation project. He has not yet received confirmation, but the Franklin County official administering the grant anticipated the request would be approved. Plans call for final inspection and close out of the Lead and Copper Survey project and the Asset Management Plan project in May. The Sewer Rehabilitation project prioritized fixing and replacing manholes. If approved, the $162,000 in excess funds will be used to TV inspect and repair sewer lines.

The 74-page Asset Management Plan lists all SUD’s physical assets, the assets value with depreciation accounted for, and the anticipated date when replacement will be required. Beavers will provide the firm conducting SUD’s rate study with the document to aid in analyzing SUD’s rate structure with a view to future needs. The study is currently “on-hold,” according to Beavers. Accountant Buddy Petty, principal for the RateStudies firm, alerted Beavers of an irregularity in the 2023 and 2024 financial statements; category totals were accurate but line-item entries were missing. Smith speculated the irregularity resulted when SUD transitioned to using different software for financial record keeping in 2023. Beavers will adjust the entries and resubmit the documents to Petty, as well as informing the state comptroller of the error.

Looking to the future, Beavers intends to apply for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help pay for repainting the farm water tank, estimated cost $450,000. The high cost is due to lead paint on the exterior which will require sandblasting to remove. Franklin County only receives one CDBG grant, but Winchester and Cowan qualify for CDBG grants as municipalities, reducing the competition, Beavers pointed out. “We’ve never gotten a CDBG grant, so it’s our turn,” he observed. Beavers will have SUD’s engineer put together a data package for use in the grant application, that could also be used to apply for other grant or loan opportunities.