Five East Tennessee County Mayors today jointly announced the creation of the East Tennessee Regional Water Coalition to address drought-related and public water service issues.
The coalition consists of Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Knox and Union Counties.
“The 2007 drought, as well as the anticipation of multi-year drought conditions, made it clear that while we may have a sufficient supply of water, providing that water to areas most impacted during drought periods is our challenge,” said Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale.
“Water is essential to our citizens’ quality of life and directly affects our economic livelihood,” said Union County Mayor Larry Lay.
“This coalition intends to utilize our shared resources to meet our shared needs while preventing water emergencies and saving money,” added Hancock County Mayor Greg Marion.
The East Tennessee Regional Water Coalition will introduce aggressive plans and creative solutions to help overcome challenges related to inadequate water supplies throughout the five (5) counties previously mentioned.
“Too many of our citizens still lack access to a dependable supply of water,” said Grainger County Mayor Mark Hipsher, “We hope to address this.”
“Our overall goal is simple,” said Claiborne County Mayor Joe Duncan, “we need to find the most efficient and effective ways to meet our water needs.”
Earlier in the year, technical representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and the University of Tennessee held a meeting to craft a blueprint for this effort.
The coalition formulated the following structure: One individual appointed by each of the five county mayors, one representative from the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation to protect agricultural interests, and one representative from the East Tennessee Development District (ETDD) to anticipate development issues and concerns. ETDD will serve as the fiscal agent with Terry Bobrowski as its Executive Director.
Rather than simply focusing on water pipes and pumps, the Coalition will utilize an integrated approach to identifying and resolving problems related to the abundant and constant supply of clean, safe drinking water.
With both water access and distribution at the forefront of the conversation, the coalition also hopes to address issues surrounding agricultural needs, public health concerns, community and economic development, and public financial assistance.
The coalition is currently seeking funding from a variety of sources, including state and federal monies.
The coalition is being managed by longtime public utility executive, Marvin Hammond, who is serving in a pro-bono capacity and brings 35 years of progressive utility management to the process.
