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Jonesborough discusses water leaks, SCADA rollout and new plant as town seeks greater capacity
Summary
Town officials described recent large leaks, plans to add flow-meter zones tied to SCADA telemetry, a pending USDA generators grant and designs for a new water plant and transmission line to boost capacity and resiliency.
Mayor Chuck Vest and town staff told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Jan. 20 that the town is moving to speed leak detection and expand capacity after recent major breaks and near-capacity pumping.
The board heard that Jonesborough currently monitors five distribution “zones” using flow meters and that staff plan to add more zones and connect meters to SCADA (remote telemetry) so crews can pinpoint leaks without extensive field checks. “What we have is 5 zones at the at the moment. They’re called flow meters that goes into these zones,” water staff member Kevin said. He described steps to add meters, place them on SCADA and narrow problem areas remotely.
The discussion framed the upgrades as part of a broader program that includes a new water plant and a 24-inch transmission line. Town officials said the system is pumping just under 3,000,000 gallons per day now—“we’re averaging between 2.5 and 2.8 (million) gallons a day”—and that the planned plant would have an 8,000,000‑gallon design capacity with capabilities to treat up to 12,000,000 gallons with added filters.
Vest and staff emphasized that the current plant and transmission infrastructure limit how much the town can pump and deliver to storage tanks. Vest said the new transmission line will feed the town’s tanks more directly, enabling fuller tanks and improved pressure at the system’s fringes. Town staff also described a planned booster pump station on U.S. 81 North intended to help pressure for customers at the far reaches of the distribution system.
Staff outlined operational steps to reduce response time to leaks: adding flow-meter zones to shorten the search area; putting meters on SCADA so operators can view tank levels and flow rates from phones or the office; and improving materials in new mains (ductile iron rather than older PVC). Kevin said the town now has roughly 500 linear miles of water line to monitor.
Grant and funding updates were included. Town staff said they applied to USDA for generator funding to support a new plant and reported receiving an award notice for about $994,000 (the application request was $1,000,000) though some administrative sign-offs remained outstanding. The board also approved bids on two projects tied to the water system during the meeting: the Bridal waterline extension project and the 81 North booster pump station (see the Votes at a Glance article for action details).
Officials cautioned that the new plant and a dedicated transmission main are necessary before the town can reliably increase pumping and provide real capacity cushion. Vest and Kevin said longer-term work will include replacing legacy pipe assets and adding redundant pumping and generator capacity.
The board did not adopt new policy language during the water discussion; instead members directed staff to proceed with bid awards and with design/coordination steps on SCADA, additional metering zones and project grant administration.
