MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — A utility company in Morristown is working to bring a main water supply to part of Jefferson County after finding wells contaminated with E. coli that people use as their primary water source.
Currently, there is no main water supply in the Chestnut Hill community. Benjamin Harris, the general manager of Witt Utility District, said his company's solution is to run the water it collects from the Nolichucky River through a series of pipes into the community to create a new main supply.
Currently, the utility company said the E.coli levels have gotten so high in the wells that some people have resorted to using bottled water to bathe their children. Harris said it became personal for him.
"Knowing that when you open your faucet you have something quality to drink. That's the most basic necessity of what every community needs is drinking water. You can't do anything without water," Harris said.
Harris said the water from Witt's treatment plant can be provided by gravity flow to the Chestnut Hill area of the county, so Witt would not incur costs for pumping over a greater distance.
The pipe project would replace many of the wells and would affect roughly 4,000 homes. In total, the proposed project would be part of a $100 million infrastructure project that would add fire hydrants where there are none and provide a backup water source to nine other utilities.
"Witt will have the ability to do this project if it is able to obtain approximately $45 million in federal grant funds through the American Rescue Act. This money will allow the project to proceed, and it will directly benefit the over 3,000 residents of Chestnut Hill," it said.
For those interested in learning more, a community meeting is planned for Saturday, April 9 at 10 a.m. at the Chestnut Hill Fire Department in Jefferson County.