The Harpeth River, the state’s scenic river for the Nashville region of Tennessee, has been designated by American Rivers as one of 10 Most Endangered Rivers in the US this year. It is one of the few free-flowing rivers in Tennessee and flows through one of the fastest growing and most desirable areas to live in the United States. The future of the river’s water quality depends heavily on the city of Franklin’s sewer and drinking water decisions.
Tuesday, Aug 25th the Board of Mayor and Alderman (BOMA) will consider a resolution to award the construction contract for the Franklin Water Treatmet Plant Modifications to Judy Construction Company in the amount of $14,018,000.00. The Harpeth River Watershed Association is asking people to sign a petition on change.org against updating the water plant and to come to the BOMA meeting Tuesday, April 25th to have their voices heard:
The petition reads:
Since the 1980s, Franklin’s reliable and cost effective drinking water supply comes from purchasing drinking water from a large utility on the Cumberland River. Yet, Franklin clings to its past, wanting to overspend to keep its own tiny, outdated drinking water plant on the Harpeth even though the city’s plant can only produce enough for 8% of Franklin’s demand. It costs more for the city to make its own water than to purchase it, and the proposed expanded plant costs over twice as much per million gallons to produce drinking water than the city’s primary supplier can produce water. Why? Because the Harpeth is too small a river for even the city’s current tiny plant to be able to produce drinking water at the plant’s full capacity year round.
Instead of letting go of the past, Franklin’s overall plan is to “make the Harpeth bigger” in the summer by adding millions of gallons a day of treated sewer effluent to the river just upstream of the proposed new drinking water plant. This “Toilet to Tap” component of the city’s plan is practically unknown to city customers and the public. It’s not even remotely economically realistic since the proposed drinking water plant doesn’t even include the highly expensive treatment systems needed. Franklin’s plan also means the Harpeth River through historic downtown Franklin could easily be over 40% treated effluent during the low flow, summer, season!
Read more about this petition here.
