Charles Rollins
Tommy McFarland

TRACY CITY, Tenn. — The solution to the South Cumberland Plateau’s water supply is running downhill to the Tennessee River.

Raising the Big Fiery Gizzard Lake dam to hold more rainfall at the top of the mountain — instead of allowing the water to run off the mountain — is a cost-effective way to boost water supplies, said Tommy McFarland, general manager at Tracy City Public Utility.

“When you raise this dam seven feet, it would satisfy the average demand for over 4,800 more users,” Mr. McFarland said from the seat in his utility truck at the top of the dam.

Staff Photo by John Rawlston -- Tracy City Public Utility General Manager Tommy McFarland uses a stick to show the proposed new level of the dam at Big Fiery Gizzard Lake. Adding seven feet to the dam would increase the system’s capacity to 1.35 million gallons a day.

Spending the estimated $1.5 million it would take to raise the dam could boost the 58-acre reservoir’s capacity from 680,000 gallons a day to 1.35 million, he said. Another $900,000 could connect the reservoir to another water source, possibly adding as much as 400,000 gallons a day in capacity, he said.

The cost is a fraction of the estimated $11.2 million needed for a connection to the Tennessee River at South Pittsburg, he said. Big Fiery Gizzard, completed in November 1997, was built with expansion in mind, he said.

But Monteagle, Tenn., Mayor Charles Rollins said last year’s drought underlined limitations of man-made lakes to “impound” runoff in reservoirs.

“We cannot rely on the rainfall,” he said. “If they don’t have the rainfall to fill it up, it doesn’t matter how high they raise (the dam).”

Relying on this strategy to provide water for the developments that are coming within the next 10 to 15 years is illogical, he said.

“It’s plain and simple, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “On the plateau, the only answer to our water problems is the Tennessee River.

Water supply has been a continuing problem for the plateau, but last year’s drought put the area in a crisis from September through December. Monteagle, one of the hardest hit, purchased all of its drinking water from neighboring utilities when its reservoir got so low workers started mowing it. The mountaintop utilities helped each other through interconnections, but none had a link to a major water source.

Mr. McFarland and Mr. Rollins agree that an increasing number of residential developments in Marion, Grundy and Franklin counties has all utilities looking to the future.

South Pittsburg, Tenn., Mayor Mike Killian said recently that his town’s water plant is pumping about half its capacity and can help the plateau. But “it’s hard to say” whether South Pittsburg can be the long-term supply for the Southern Cumberland Plateau, Mr. Killian said.

“For one thing, you’ve got to think of the water capacity in 100,000-gallons-per-day increments. It is finite, at some point, what South Pittsburg can supply,” he said.

If the connection is made, a regional board representing all communities should oversee how the water is distributed, Mr. Killian said.

State Sen. Andy Berke, D-Chattanooga, recently sponsored a bill in the state Senate calling for regional planning and study by utility districts.

“Ultimately, the Cumberland Plateau needs water that is available for reasonable development, and we have to come together and find the best mechanism,” Sen. Berke said Friday.

Tammy Heise, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said her department has taken no stance on either idea.

“We have not had an opportunity to study either option,” Ms. Heise said.

Tracy City invested about $30,000 to study the Big Fiery Gizzard dam proposal, and the acquisition of 21 properties adjacent to the reservoir will add to the cost of the Tracy City proposal, officials said.

Lonnie Layne’s 10.5-acre tract near the reservoir would be the most affected by the dam raising. Mr. Layne understands the need for water but said he’s worried about his land.

“I don’t know how much they’ll take off of it yet,” Mr. Layne said. He said he’s waiting to see if he’ll still have access to his property once surveys lay out the reservoir’s proposed footprint.

The answer to the plateau’s problems lies in further study of both ideas, according to two area utility managers.

Allen Joslyn, the manager at Big Creek Utility District in north Grundy County, said the river connection is the more permanent link, but water demand might require a look at both ideas.

“I personally think both can be done,” Mr. Joslyn said. “I think we’ll have to have more in-depth study from both aspects, as far as which one should have more priority.”

Sewanee Utility District Manager Ben Beavers said utilities need to have a better idea of future demand before they commit to a proposal.

“We may have to do these impoundments; we may have to go to the Tennessee River or the Elk or wherever we can find water,” Mr. Beavers said. “But we’re going to have to find out what those needs are first.”