News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Four possible water solutions for Cumberland County brought to the table during a recent meeting between TDEC officials and representatives from the Cumberland Plateau Water Authority.
Cumberland Plateau Water Authority Board Chair Greg Hanson said bringing in water from Daddy’s Creek or the Emory River would be the most viable options at that point.
“We talked about where we should be headed from here and options that we’ve identified,” Hanson said. “And they provided some feedback on each and then also promised to give me some additional resource material that they had that might help us better understand each of the options.”
Hanson said Meadow Creek Lake and Clear Creek also offer possible solutions, but the costs in both cases might be prohibitive short-term. At Meadow Creek, the dam would need to be raised. A reservoir could be created at Clear Creek.
None of the four solutions comes without challenges, Hanson said, thus, the need for the authority.
“The ability to take water from Daddy’s Creek, the issue we’d be facing there is where to store it in the interim before we can get it moved and treated,” Hanson said. “We’d need some kind of storage tank or area.”
He said a potential project to create a reservoir at Clear Creek for both water storage and recreation is a large, expensive undertaking that may not make the most sense at this time. He said Meadow Creek is likely more a city issue.
Hanson said of the many TDEC representatives present joined Crossville Mayor RJ Crawford, Cumberland County Mayor Allen Foster, and himself in wanting to find a long-term water solution.
