Crossville City Council takes steps toward increased water supply

By Jim Young

January 15, 2003

Engineer Scott Christian of ECE Services (left) and Crossville city planner Time Begley discuss with city council the possibility of raising the dam at Meadow Park Lake to increase the size of the reservoir . If successful, the move could help hold off a critical shortage of water for Cumberland County. (Photo by Jim Young)

The Crossville City Council approved funding for an engineering proposal to study the possible expansion of Meadow Park Lake by raising the dam in order to give Cumberland County additional water storage until a more permanent solution can be found.

The first phase of the engineering study will cost $34,400 and will help determine of the idea is feasible by looking at the structure of the 64 year old dam and how high it could be raised. Council also approved a $2.6 million bond as part of the financing for 11.5 miles of water lines from the new Meadow Park Lake water plant to the city’s water system.

In introducing the agenda item on water resources, councilman Boyd Wyatt said, “Our top priority is water. We’ve spent thousands of dollars doing studies and looked at numerous plans but I don’t believe we are any closer to finding the water source we need today than we were several years ago.”

According to Wyatt, city planner Tim Begley has been studying the effect of raising the Meadow Park Dam and how that would increase the amount of water storage capacity in the lake. Begley’s studies show that a one-foot increase in the height of the lake would add 87 million gallons of storage. Begley studied raising the dam from 1 foot to 16 feet and the increase in storage capacity ranges all the way up to almost an additional 2 billion gallons with a 16-foot increase in the height of the dam.

Wyatt explained that the next step in the process is to look at the engineering studies on the dam and the feasibility of the project. Council was presented with a proposal from ECE services to provide engineering services to study the dam that was built by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in 1938. The engineers will look at the stability of the dam and the estimated cost to raise it.

The cost of the study is set at $24,400 with up to an additional $10,000 possible for testing of the dam itself and surrounding areas.

Scott Christian, partner of ECE Services explained to the council that it would be much easier to permit a modification to an existing dam than it would be to get a permit to build a new one.

Christian added that he felt it was not a question of whether it would be economically feasible to raise the Meadow Park Lake Dam, “It is feasible.” The question Christian couldn’t answer was what is the optimum height to raise the dam for the greatest rate of return on the investment. He said to find that out would take the engineering study.

On a motion by councilman Wyatt, the council unanimously approved spending up to $34,400 with ECE Services on the initial round of engineering studies to look at the dam’s structural integrity and how high it could economically be raised.

If the report were favorable, the next step would be to study the hydrology of the lake and dam to determine how much water runoff would go into the lake and if there is enough runoff to fill the lake and keep it filled. The hydrology study would cost the city approximately an additional $48,000.

Finally the plans and designs would have to be prepared if all the other reports are favorable but no estimate for that work was given in the current proposal.

In other water related action, the council also approved a resolution authorizing the city to borrow $2.6 million from Rural Development for part of the funding of the 11.5 miles of water lines in the southern portion of the city’s utility district.