By Heather Mullinix / hmullinix@crossville-chronicle.com
A proposal to allow the city of Crossville to purchase water rights at Lake Tansi for water harvesting has some residents of the resort community worried the jewel of the village will be left too low to enjoy water recreation and homeowners could face strict restrictions on using the body of water.
Ted Meadows, Crossville city manager, said the city had no interest in harming the quality of life at Lake Tansi Village.
“Our whole economy is based on sales tax, recreation and tourism,” Meadows told the Lake Tansi Property Owners Association board of directors during a recent work session. “You are one of the top two attractions on the Plateau. It would be stupid to cut off the hand that feeds us.”
But members of the POA worry there is not enough information about the project and possible effects on the lake and community.
“I feel like, boom! Here we are with less than two weeks. The fact is you don’t know if you’ll get the money for the dam or the water harvesting. Yet you want us to sign the rights over with no guarantee,” said Jim Hellem, chairman of the POA board.
The city proposes placing a 36-inch pipe in Lake Tansi that would act as a wet well. Pumps capable of pumping 5,000 gallons a minute would then pump that water through lines to the Meadow Park Lake water filtration plant.
The city is seeking water rights to the first 12 inches of water at Lake Tansi, about 160 million gallons. The reason such a large pipe was needed, Meadows said, was to provide adequate water pressure to operate the water pumps. They propose to pay the Lake Tansi POA a one-time $500,000 water storage fee.
Meadows said the city would only use the water from Lake Tansi in three circumstances.
•To take water during the wet winter months when the lake is at full pool to help refill Meadow Park Lake once construction on a larger dam is complete. The city plans to raise the dam 23 feet and nearly double the size of the water supply lake. Doing so would expand the city’s water supply capabilities to 14 million gallons of water a day for 288 days without rainfall. Today, the city uses about 3.6 million gallons of water a day, with a peak usage of 4.3 million.
Meadows said the project should handle the area’s water supply needs for the next 40 years.
•During certain phases of dam construction, Meadow Park Lake will have to be lowered in order to complete the work. At that time, should water demand be greater than the filtration capacity available at the Holiday Hills water filtration plant, water could be piped from Lake Tansi to the Meadow Park Lake filtration plant.
Meadows noted the city provided water to city of Crossville and Catoosa Utility District customers and also sold water to South Cumberland Utility District, which supplies household water for Lake Tansi.
•During a federally declared emergency drought. This would not include agricultural disaster declarations regarding crop failure, Meadows said. He was not aware of the area ever falling under the more stringent disaster classification.
“The Plateau went through two terrible summers relative to drought, 2007 and 2008,” Meadows said. “But we never reached a crisis point in which we would have needed to draw water. The government determined 2007 was a 108-year drought. It was the driest it had been in 108 years and we didn’t need to draw water then.”
The two projects are not new, Meadows said, noting the idea to raise Meadow Park Dam had been in the works since 1996.
Time is of the essence to move forward with the project. Federal stimulus funds are available for the water harvesting project and dam projects, but applications have to be completed soon. Meadows said the city hoped to hear a positive answer from the Lake Tansi POA by the July 15 meeting of the Crossville City Council. The council approved applying for stimulus funds during its June meeting.
“Because of the stimulus money, if we get it done right now, $2 million of the $5 million will be grants. If we don’t, they’ll still give us the $5 million, but we’ll have to pay it all back,” Meadows said.
But Lake Tansi was constructed as a recreational lake, not a water supply source. If the city were to draw down the top 12 inches of water from the lake, residents are concerned some channels would not be usable by property owners and it could pose a hazard to boaters and others using the lake for recreation.
“There is the potential we would be exposed to litigation to repair water rights,” said Larry Robertson. “If those people won’t be able to use their boat because they can’t get it out, we could be repairing water rights.”
The agreement would shield the POA from legal action resulting from the city’s use of the water.
The possibility of the water being used for drinking water raises other questions. Robertson noted some communities restricted the use of fertilizer and other chemicals.
“We’re concerned if this becomes a drinking water lake we could be subject to limitations and standards we don’t currently have,” Robertson said. “Don’t fertilize your yard because it’s getting into the lake, or don’t water the golf course because we need that water right now. In California, it’s gotten to the point they don’t allow bodily contact with drinking water lakes. These are real concerns. And property values coincide with this.”
“This is your lake,” said Meadows. He also noted the pH balance in Lake Tansi was more favorable than the water at Meadow Park Lake.
Some communities have implemented watershed control regulations when they are unable to treat the water to remove chemicals such as nitrogen from fertilizer. Crossville does not have such regulations.
Frank Thierry noted in the recent drought the lake had fallen dramatically below its usual level. He asked if there was ever a point when the city would be prevented from using the water in Lake Tansi because it fell below a certain level.
Meadows said the city would only use water from Lake Tansi during dam construction or a federally declared drought disaster.
Members of the POA board asked if the city had considered using water from wells drilled by South Cumberland Utility District in past years or if it would be possible to use the water from Lake Tansi after it had gone over the spillway or from the POA pipe used to draw the lake down.
Robertson also asked if the city had completed an environmental assessment, since water would be traveling from one watershed to another, or if taking the water from the lake would affect Basses Creek downstream of Lake Tansi.
Scott Christian, engineer with ECE, the engineering firm working with the city on the two projects, said an environmental assessment will be complete by the end of July. He does not anticipate the project having significant impact, so a more detailed environmental impact study may not be necessary. Also, the project will not be for flood control downstream of Lake Tansi, so he does not believe there will be an impact on Basses Creek.
Robertson asked if the city would need an alteration permit. Christian said since Lake Tansi was privately owned, he did not believe that would be necessary.
Marlene Reitz, board member, asked if the property owners really had a choice in the matter.
“You keep saying ‘if’ we agree. Do we have a choice?” she asked.
Meadows acknowledged the city could enter into legal proceedings, but stressed the city did not wish to do that.
“We want to be good neighbors and partners,” he said. “We have no intent and will do everything to avoid damage to Lake Tansi. But the city is responsible to provide water to drink.”
