One January day in rural Hickman County, drivers on Highway 7 noticed an inconspicuous sign posted on a bridge crossing Lick Creek, a waterway used for recreation and farming.
Few dared to stop and read, since the bridge obscured the view of incoming traffic, until one curious local hiked to the sign, took a picture and shared it with his neighbors. Written on the sign was a public notice from the Water Authority of Dickson County announcing intentions to build a facility to discharge wastewater into Lick Creek.
A group of residents did a little legwork and learned from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation that 97% of the water treated would come from Williamson and Dickson counties, two counties that are wealthier and more heavily populated than Hickman County.
The small sign along a busy bridge had been the only notice residents had received that Lick Creek, from which many get the water for their crops, could soon be filled with treated wastewater from counties with greater infrastructure than Hickman.
Some residents still depend on Lick Creek for drinking water drawn from wells fed by the waterway.