Norris seeks grant to study expanding sewer service
Norris has joined the Anderson County Water Authority and the Clinton Utilities Board to apply for a $3.55 million state “water infrastructure” grant to pay for a study on regionalization of the city’s wastewater treatment facilities.
“The proposed project will study the benefit of diverting a portion of ACWA sewer flows from CUB to Norris, allowing Norris to increase revenue to offset capital costs associated with [its Wastewater Treatment Plant] improvements,” according to a letter from the Anderson County Water Authority to the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation’s Division of Water Resources.
“The study will also look at growth potential to appropriately size the Norris [Wastewater Treatment Plant] improvements for the future as part of long-term regionalization efforts.”
Norris is currently under a TDEC director’s order to make millions of dollars in upgrades and improvements to its wastewater treatment system, which also could eventually require construction of a new treatment plant to replace the aging facility off East Norris Road.
But because Norris now has only about 600 sewer customers, it is looking for ways to expand the wastewater system’s customer base to help keep sewer rates down.
The ACWA sewer lines in the Andersonville area now route their flow of collected wastewater to a CUB treatment plant miles away
With this proposed change, however, the sewage would be treated at the much-closer Norris plant instead.
“Re-routing ACWA’s flows to the Norris plant will also remove a portion of wastewater flows that enter the ACWA system and ultimately the CUB plant, which will in turn help provide additional capacity in the interim of a CUB long-term plant expansion,” the ACWA letter said.
“ACWA stands to also benefit by reducing the distance it is required to pump its wastewater, providing energy savings and extending equipment lifespans.”
The application summary submitted to the state notes that:
“This [application] proposes a ‘Wastewater Regionalization Master Plan’ in eastern Anderson County, with the goal of … treatment plant expansion to provide mutual benefit to three utility systems in the area [Norris, ACWA and CUB].”
All required matching funds for the grant would be provided by Norris, the application notes.
Norris Mayor Chris Mitchell discussed the proposal with the City Council during its August meeting, and he praised Water and Sewer Superintendent Tony Wilkerson for taking a lead role in planning the application.