TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. – After years of concerns from residents regarding the reliability of the town’s water system, Tellico Plains is taking steps to address the issue with the help of state funding. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has awarded the town a $250,000 grant aimed at evaluating its current water infrastructure.
Utility Manager Troy Taubert expressed optimism about the funding, noting that the grant would accelerate the assessment process and provide essential resources to identify areas of the system that require improvement or replacement. “Doing the legwork in evaluating the infrastructure that is here will allow us to pinpoint key areas that need to be upgraded,” Taubert explained.
While there have not been significant water outages recently, Taubert acknowledged the need for more storage capacity. “We need about an additional 300,000 gallons of storage based on our current customer base,” he said.
The grant comes at a time when Tellico Plains is also involved in pending litigation with the state regarding the quality of its water. The town was fined $25,000 after it tested the water quality, a move that has sparked controversy. Taubert has argued that the state’s assessment of their operations was inaccurate, and the lawsuit is still ongoing.
Despite the legal challenges, the town remains committed to improving its water system. With the grant funding, the community hopes to ensure long-term access to clean, reliable water for its residents.
