Let There Be Water In The Valley
| After thirty years of waiting, the residents of
Hotchkiss Valley and the surrounding area, are on the verge of seeing
their dreams come true. Mickey Barger of Watts Bar Utility announced
they would be bringing water service to the valley. Barger stated that
he hoped to be underway by late spring 08. A large crowd gathered at New
Providence Baptist Tuesday morning to hear the
announcement. The residents of the community have been seeking water service for many years. Originally in the Dixie Lee service area then later in the LCUB area, neither utility would ever bring service to the area. In 2005, then county mayor, George Miller declared the area in need of service which paved the way to opening the area to any utility that would bring service. Even though they refused to serve the area, LCUB sued to prevent other utilities from bringing water to the valley. LCUB lost the suit which opened the door for the first provider who wanted to serve the area. Watts Bar Utility of Roane County, which currently
serves a small portion of Loudon County, applied for and received
$3,100,000.00 from the USDA that will enable them to expand into
Hotchkiss Valley and surrounding areas. |