Bluff City staff outline water, sewer projects and pursue multiple grant options

Bluff City officials heard a project update Wednesday on ongoing water and sewer work and were told staff will pursue several outside funding options.

Austin Smith, an engineer with Mattern & Craig, told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen the town’s water treatment plant improvement project is scheduled to be rebid on Aug. 13 and that asset-management field work for water and sewer systems has been completed and is being entered into the town’s GIS system. "The big thing there left is compiling that into the formal documentation that TDEC . . . wants," Smith said.

The update covered several near-term operational tasks: a sewer replacement across the street from the plant, survey work expected to start next week, and planned smoke testing of a downtown trunk line to locate infiltration and inflow. Smith said one inspector estimated crews can canvas about 4,000 feet of main trunk line in a day in the downtown area, and that for the specific stretch discussed the field work would likely take a day, with additional office time to compile defect reports.

Smith also reviewed a recent rebid of the Carter Street project. He said the initial bid package omitted GoDBE and minority-contractor advertisement requirements during a management transition, forcing a rebid. "That was our mess up, so we did eat the cost for that rebid," Smith said, and the rebid ultimately reduced the paving scope and saved roughly $60,000 in the final contract reconciliation.

Town staff and aldermen discussed eligibility for a state infrastructure planning grant (TNTCP areas). Smith said Bluff City was not on the initial eligible-district list but that he and Town Manager staff contacted the comptroller’s office to ask that the town be added. The criteria he read from the program include being located in a distressed county, sustained negative operating capacity for three or more consecutive months, 12‑month water loss of 40% or greater, I&I (infiltration and inflow) rates exceeding 50%, a high volume of annual sanitary sewer overflows, or operation under a TDEC order or moratorium. "We were informed that we could write a letter to the comptroller’s office . . . request that the town be eligible for some funds," Smith said.

During a later town manager report, staff said they are pursuing additional grant opportunities, including the Hazard Mitigation Program questionnaire submittal to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and applications for the Closing America’s Wastewater Gap technical assistance program and a BRAG (Brownfield Redevelopment Area Grant) through TDEC’s remediation division. The manager also reported ongoing coordination with Sullivan County and with a county grants coordinator to identify immediate funding avenues for Bluff City infrastructure.

Staff described follow-up operational items: the utility metering pit at Lakeview generated an unusually high bill in June related to oil buildup and silt; the town manager said she had contacted the vendor that bills the town and that adjustments were expected. Staff also reported hiring two public works employees and working to schedule the planned smoke testing.

Why it matters: Bluff City officials said the combination of engineering work, targeted smoke testing to find infiltration, and active pursuit of multiple small-to-midsize grants could produce near-term analysis and engineering support needed to plan larger capital projects. Funding eligibility remains dependent on program criteria and approvals.

Aldermen did not take a formal vote on the engineering tasks during the briefing. The board did approve separate budget and financial items later in the meeting.