Water utilities in middle Tennessee will be better prepared to handle shortages after May’s flooding.
Harpeth Valley Utility District, which serves Brentwood and Franklin, supplemented Metro Water Services while one of Nashville’s two drinking water treatment plants was submerged in floodwater. Operations of the K.R. Harrington facility are getting back to normal, but Metro’s water chief Scott Potter says he wants Harpeth Valley to stick around as a backup.
“Now that we’ve got a temporary connection, it’s in our utility’s interest and in theirs to make it permanent, that way if Harpeth has an issue we can supply them water. If we have an issue, they can supply us water. It just makes sense from a regional cooperative perspective as well.”
Metro already had a connection to Mt. Juliet’s West Wilson utility district. Potter says linking to Harpeth Valley was more difficult because of pressure differences between the two systems.
Harpeth Valley serves 15,000 customers primarily south of Nashville. Metro Water Services supplies nearly 175,000 homes and businesses around Nashville.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM