Byrdstown Water Plant Searching For Dynamite Crew

The Byrdstown Water Treatment Plant Project underway despite the contractor having issues finding a dynamite crew.

Plant Superintendent of the Byrdstown Water Treatment Plant Buster Harmon said the project requires the removal of sandstone and limestone. He said there are too few dynamite crews with Tennessee licenses available.

“If they don’t use dynamite then they are going to have to go in there and drill and use what they call a whole ram,” Harmon said. “And it will take a lot longer to do it and will be a lot noisier for the neighborhood around here.”

The area will include sedimentation basins and plot chambers to help purify the water before it comes into the plant. Harmon said contractors had a dynamite crew scheduled, but the crew backed out for an unknown reason.

“That’s something that I have no preview to,” Harmon said. “That’s just what they were telling me, that’s their issues with their crews, that’s something they deal with. The city and myself don’t have to deal with it since it’s under contract.”

Harmon said despite the hurdle the project is still in motion as the project just began.

“Right now we are in the beginning phases of it,” Harmon said. “It’s more of just getting everything ready for demolition crews to come in and getting everything plotted out, and waiting for the demolitions crew to come in and do their deal before we can actually start moving heavy ground and all that kind of stuff.”

Harmon said the contractors have not given them an estimated timeframe of when to expect a dynamite crew to come in or if they will begin drilling. The project currently has surveys being done to provide to potential crews who can complete the job.