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FALL CREEK FALLS STATE PARK By Mike Bernard, P.E. and Lindsay Bryant, P.E.
East Bound, Down, and Out of Water
The 2016 drought in Tennessee reservoir, the water that they were treating Concurrently, budgetary quotes were
garnered the most attention for its was very high in manganese and difficult received from a trucking company who
relevance to the catastrophic wildfires to treat. could haul potable water from Crossville
that destroyed parts of Gatlinburg and and several equipment suppliers who
the Great Smoky Mountains National Messages to and from Tennessee could provide mobile equipment
Park in late November. Lesser known is American confirmed that this was the necessary to produce potable water from
the impact that the drought had on water water system they were inquiring for the the Fall Creek Falls State Park Lake. All
systems in Southeast Tennessee. Although previous day. With the dots connected, of this information was summarized in a
subsequent rains wiped the worst of the the SSR team began to inquire about brief memo to TDOC. Based on the best
drought conditions, they did not erase the potential of treating water using information available and the assumption
the story of exceptional measures by mobile treatment units and asked if there that the emergency supply would have
state agencies and local municipalities were any suitable sources in the area. A to last three months, it appeared that the
in conjunction with numerous different quick Google Earth search identified the mobile treatment alternative was the most
water professionals to ensure that Fall Creek Falls State Park Lake as the economical way to provide water not
Tennesseans in Bledsoe County and its largest reservoir in the area. Subsequent only to the Bledsoe County Correction
environs were supplied with adequate discussions also indicated that the Taft Complex, but also to supplement the Fall
drinking water. WTP supplied water to the park through Creek Falls State Park and the Fall Creek
the Fall Creek Falls Utility District Falls Utility District.
It All Started With Two Emails… distribution system, so there was already
piping in the ground to convey water from A meeting was held the same day at
Monday, Oct. 24, Tennessee American a mobile plant. Further discussions ensued the State Capitol that included Governor
Water sent out an email asking if anyone regarding other alternatives including Bill Haslam and representatives of the
knew of a 0.5 MGD portable water trucking bulk water from neighboring Governor’s Office, the State Legislature,
treatment system that could be used to systems. Crossville appeared to be a TDEC, TDOC, TEMA and the affected
help a drought stricken utility. Based on viable option. The meeting ended with a municipalities/utilities. After a brief
previous experience, Smith Seckman Reid, mandate from TDOC for SSR to evaluate summary of the issues, alternatives were
Inc., replied that both Pall Corporation the feasibility and costs associated with discussed. Many of these alternatives
and GE Water had mobile membrane both of these alternatives and have a focused on lengthy line extensions to
filtration units that could meet this summary ready the next day. It was neighboring utilities that could take six
requirement. agreed to use 3 months as the term for the months or more to construct. At that
evaluation based upon National Weather point, Governor Haslam stated that a
At the same time, an email was Service projections that the drought could solution that could be implemented in
circulating internally at SSR asking for last until the spring of 2017. under a month was required. It was at that
assistance with a prison - the Bledsoe time that the alternative of an emergency
County Correction Complex - that Several phone calls over the next 24 water treatment plant at Fall Creek Falls
was experiencing water shortages. hours identified an existing connection State Park was advanced. “Can this be
Representatives from the Tennessee between the Fall Creek Falls Utility operational in under three weeks?”
Department of Correction were holding District distribution system and Governor Haslam asked. SSR agreed that
a meeting at SSR to discuss alternatives. Crossville treatment facilities via the if TDEC and TDOC could work through
One idea, as a last resort, even called for South Cumberland Utility District the procurement and the legalities, it
the National Guard to truck in potable distribution system. The connection could be running that quickly. After a
water for the 2,500 inmates of the Bledsoe had been made several years before, but brief executive discussion the decision
County Correction Complex. TDOC was never commissioned. Discussions was made to move forward with the
indicated that their primary source of with South Cumberland Utility District emergency treatment plant.
water, the City of Pikeville, was having to and their engineer (Joel B. Spaulding
curtail them because all of their wells were & Co.) indicated that the connection Long Way To Go And A Short Time To
beginning to run dry. Their secondary could support up to about 100 GPM. Get There…
source of water was the Taft Water The existence of the connection with
Treatment Plant which TDOC owned and Fall Creek Falls Utility District was also SSR immediately went to work. There
operated. Unfortunately, they estimated confirmed with Fall Creek Falls Utility were an incredible number of details
that the Bee Creek Reservoir that supplies District’s engineer (James C. Hailey & associated with such an undertaking
its source water only had 38 days of Associates). Both engineers supplied and not much time to ponder them. The
storage remaining, and debris collecting shapefiles of the water distribution very next day, SSR and TDEC met at
at the intake had recently dropped their systems which SSR used in conjunction Fall Creek Falls State Park to determine
actual raw water pump capacity by with Crossville’s data to create a a suitable location for the facility, and to
about 75 percent. Additionally, because comprehensive system inventory in collect the required samples for TDEC to
the water level was so depressed in this Google Earth. issue a Source Water Approval. The park’s
8 TPW March/April 2017
