Board orders staff review after complaints about high water hardness at Gladeville Utility District

The Tennessee Board of Utility Regulation on Thursday directed board staff to visit Gladeville Utility District and report back after hearing local representatives contend the district’s water hardness is unusually high.

Board staff said Gladeville customers reported hard water that prompted complaints to the district and to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. Dewey Branstetter, representing the Gladeville board, told the TBOR that the system obtains groundwater from a geologic spring area and that TDEC had concluded the district was operating properly despite unusually hard water. Branstetter asked the board not to open a formal administrative review because water hardness is not a regulated standard and because Gladeville had not received direct complaints to the utility first.

Board staff recommended opening an administrative review to gather facts and spare the TBOR repeated complaints if the problem persists. Several TBOR members proposed a narrower course: instead of immediately placing the district in a formal administrative review and creating a potentially stigmatizing record, the board would direct staff to meet the utility, collect documentation, and report back at the next meeting. The board voted to direct staff to consult with Gladeville and return findings to the TBOR; staff retained the option to recommend a formal administrative review if the investigation identifies managerial, technical, or financial deficiencies.

Dewey Branstetter and Gladeville General Manager Eric Broomfield told the board the district routinely advises customers to install point-of-use softeners and said TDEC’s recent inspection found the district functioning within legal requirements. Board members said the staff visit would aim to resolve complaints efficiently and determine whether policy or operational changes are warranted.