The Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation on Oct. 21 heard a complaint from Ben Walker, the leasee of Saltillo Marina and RV, who said municipal water was promised when he entered a lease‑to‑purchase agreement but the Saltillo Utility District told him it could only activate an existing residence meter and could not extend service across the 35‑acre parcel.

Walker told the board that he is losing revenue because he lacks potable water for RV lots and that the current meter service is limited to a single double‑wide trailer at the entrance. Saltillo utility representatives told the board the system faces supply and yield limits from its wells, has limited storage and cannot serve large new developments without additional supply or treatment infrastructure. They said they are not under a TDEC moratorium but have capacity constraints and must evaluate large new requests case‑by‑case.

Board staff recommended the complainant work with the utility to present a full, engineered request that specifies gallons‑per‑minute and pressure needs, and then the utility must show whether the request can be met. The board voted to keep the complaint open and gave the complainant and Saltillo Utility District an opportunity to continue technical discussions and bring more detailed engineering and demand data to the board if the utility formally denies a properly documented request.

The board emphasized utilities may limit expansion when wells, storage or CT/disinfection requirements prevent additional service but should document capacity decisions and provide applicants the technical basis for denials. Staff will continue engagement and will bring the matter forward if a denial is formalized.