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Washington, DC -- U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Representative David Davis (R-Tenn.1st) today announced $500,000 in funding for the Intermont Utility District awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
“I’m glad to see that this funding will bring much-needed improvements to Sullivan County’s water infrastructure system,” Sen. Lamar Alexander said. “ARC’s continued investment in our rural communities is bringing a better way of life to many East Tennesseans.”
“Connecting homes in Sullivan County to the public water system will help improve the quality of life for residents and promote economic growth in the region,” Sen. Bob Corker said. “I thank the ARC for its continued investment in the future of East Tennessee and all of Appalachia.”
“The ARC is to be commended for granting this award to Sullivan County for critical water infrastructure for the residents,” Congressman David Davis said. “It will help the county grow its economy and provide the residents with safe, potable water.”
This funding will help extend the Intermont Utility District’s water infrastructure system into the 19th District of northeast Sullivan County. The ARC funds, along with $450,000 from local sources, will be used to install 6.7 miles of water line, a 100,000-gallon water storage tank, and a booster pump station. This project will alleviate the health and safety concerns associated with a heavy reliance in the area on septic tanks as wastewater treatment. The high groundwater table restricts the ability of contaminants from the septic tanks to be safely absorbed and leads to groundwater pollution. The project will bring 112 households safe, potable water and is anticipated to increase the potential for commercial growth and economic expansion in the region.
The ARC is a federal-state partnership that supports economic development and improved quality of life in Appalachia. Appalachia, as defined in the legislation from which the ARC derives its authority, is a 200,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. It includes all of West Virginia and parts of 12 other states: Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. About 23 million people live in the 410 counties of the Appalachian Region; 42 percent of the Region's population is rural, compared with 20 percent of the national population.
The Tennessee counties included as part of the ARC include: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White.
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