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A currently proposed joint city and county rural water line expansion project that aims to make city water available at the request of a collection of residents on JE Sartain Road could be a bit more problematic that initially envisioned.

Over the last months a representative of the JE Sartain residents appeared at both county and city committee meetings requesting help to have the lines run along the roadway. The initial proposal was that the county purchase six-inch water lines for the project, the residents’ contract the digging of the lines and the city water department would install the lines.

At the most recent county Health, Welfare and Recreation Department meeting, members voted to enter into discussions with the city to purchase the pipe, but with a possible stipulation added that the city add a fee to recoup the county’s investment in the pipe for similar purchases in the future.

Yet at the May 16 Manchester Water and Sewer Commission meeting, the mayor reasserted her opposition to the project on the grounds that it would divert labor resources from repairing the city’s ailing sewer system.

“We have homeowners that have manholes with crap floating in their backyards,” she said. “I sympathize with (the rural homeowners), but is that going to take away from the homeowners in our city.”

“I’m concerned about overflowing manholes and people who have to clean up crap in their backyards. We crossover our water and our sewer crews, so it’s not like we have enough for crews to do one or the other.”

She said that the project, “which will require design by a city engineer” would be more involved than initially suspected. It would require at least two box culverts and that could mean that it would cross a so-called blue stream,

City Engineer Adam Carter said that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will require the owner (the city) to be the permittee. That will require an Aquatic Relocation and Alteration Permit (ARAP) and construction general permit.

“If you get a private property owner that has a piece of equipment working in a public right of way hand gets someone hurt on the road, there could be some liability,” he said. “If they do something to mess up the permit – get into the stream and tear it all to pieces, it’s going to be the city that’s going to take the fall for that.”

Howard noted that leaks in the fresh water lines have gone in the past months from single digit losses to double digit losses.

Chairman of the Water Commission Michael Anderson expressed support of the project, as did Vice Mayor Mark Messick.

“We have done this in the past, expanded water lines into the county. And we’ve done it with an agreement with the county. I don’t know how much was written or how mush was a handshake,” Anderson said.

“This really got off track with us having two new directors and the loss of the County Mayor (Judd Matheny). I don’t know where … we are to be honest but I think it’s fine to pursue it,” he said.

“We have to do both,” Anderson said. “We’re behind on getting the sewer problem fixed for sure,” Anderson said.

Newly hired Director of Water and Sewer Director Jeffery Perry said that he felt the number priority should be the sewer.

“I know there’re other things that come up, but the sewers should be the priority,” he said.

Messick said that he felt the city could take on both sewer rehab and the JE Sartain Road project.

“Let’s get the county back involved,” he said. “let’s keep the lines of communication going.”

Letters coming on additional chronic manholes

Kevin Raney, Water and Sewer Assistant Director, said at the meeting that additional letters from TDEC are expected concerning chronic manhole overflows.

“We have letters on 839 and 843 near Spring Street and also one on Skinner Flat (Road),” Raney said. “We’ve not received letters yet for the one behind Dave King Park, although I expect that letter to be coming pretty soon.”

Raney said that an upcoming project to flush interceptor lines upstream of the manholes could help with the overflows.

Attempts to video inspect the these main lines that are located near the Waite Street soccer fields were blocked by debris. A request for bids is being drawn out for these lines to be cleaned out.

The project could take several months.