Friday, 11/30/07

Franklin gets permit to expand water plant

FRANKLIN — After receiving approval this week from state environmental officials, Franklin leaders can now expand or build a new water plant along the Harpeth River.

Whether that happens will be decided by Mayor John Schroer and city aldermen, who must consider Franklin's growth, as well as the future of the environmentally troubled river as a source for the city's water.

On Wednesday, state Department of Environment and Conservation officials gave Franklin a permit that would allow the city to nearly double the water its 55-year-old plant treats.

The plant, located off Lewisburg Pike, treats 2.1 million gallons of water a day. With TDEC's permission, that amount now can be increased to 4.15 million gallons.

Schroer has said he wants to eventually stop relying on the Harpeth River. Franklin already buys much of its water from the Harpeth Valley Utility District, which pumps water south from the Cumberland River.

"If we expand and increase our water supply, we still have a problem getting all the water we need from the Harpeth River," Schroer said Thursday. "(The Harpeth River) is never going to increase its flow miraculously."

As part of the approval, state officials said withdrawal can't occur when the river is flowing below 10 cubic feet of water per second — a stricter cut-off limitation than a city-authorized consultant's report recommended last year.

"Our position is that the permit condition governs withdrawal from this point forward, whether or not the city expands pumping capacity," state inspectors wrote.

Up until TDEC's decision this week, the city had no state-mandated limitations on how much water its plant could pump from the river. The plant was built before tighter environmental permit regulations.

Harpeth River Watershed Association executive director Dorie Bolze said she "absolutely" viewed TDEC's decision as a victory because it sets a limit on the city's withdrawal from the river.

It also means Franklin must confront a decision about the fate of the aging plant.

"It's going to make the consultants look at what's the best use of our money." Bolze said. "Do we build a new 2-million-gallon-a-day plant or a 4-million (gallon) plant that we can only use six months out of the year?"

During the summer's drought, the plant stopped water treatment altogether for several weeks, and all of the city's water was purchased from the Harpeth Valley Utility District.

Aldermen will likely discuss the matter at a city utilities committee meeting set for 5 p.m. Dec. 17.

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