No, for real. A city either has too much or too little of it – and that will change from time to time.
I know many of you were thinking crime, education, or poverty as the big problems. And they are ......more so in some places than others.
But water is tough for all of us. Think about the many towns that have too little supply which is aggravated during drought conditions leading to water rationing. Think about flooding that regularly occurs across the county – that’s too much water in the wrong place at the wrong time. And let’s not forget that we have to purify potable water so you can drink it and then treat it after it’s used so the next town downstream can use it too. And of course, when you turn on the faucet you expect that it will be there in sufficient pressure and volume to meet your daily household and business needs – yes, water is the toughest…..by far.
We are fortunate to have a great water supply (South Holston Reservoir), a water plant meeting all water quality standards with sufficient capacity for growth (5.5 million gallons per day average demand with a 10 million gallon per day capacity), a strong distribution and reservoir system (2 days worth of storage), and a wastewater plant operating at high levels (10 million gallons per day average demand with 15 million per day capacity).
So the next time you take a drink – of water from the tap that is – enjoy and know that your city is working hard to keep it in the right place, at the right time, for the right purpose, for you. Cheers.
