The City of Elizabethton is currently seeking a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission that could help protect the area from potential major water outages.

The $500,000 grant, if obtained, would go towards a $1,050,000 project to replace two important transmission lines that cross under the Doe River.

Both lines travel near and parallel to the Highway 19E bridge close to Valley Forge Elementary and Valley Forge Freewill Baptist Church.

According to a report being presented to the ARC, the two 16” and 12” transmission lines deliver water from the Hampton Springs and Valley Forge Springs and service 9,000 customers (approximately 75 percent of the total system capacity). The 16” line was installed in 1920 and is made of cast iron. When the line was installed, a protective concrete casing was included. The concrete casing, however, was mostly washed away during the major 1998 flood, leaving some of the 16” line exposed in the creek bed.  The 12” line is also made of cast iron but its date of installation is unknown.

The report, which was prepared by McGill Associates, notes that in the event of a water line breakage at the Doe River Crossing, there would be months of water service interruptions for roughly 9,000 customers while repairs are completed. The report also noted other possible effects including:

—Loss of potable water services necessary for drinking water and sanitary services

—Loss of fire protection

—Operations of current businesses and industries would cease

—Schools and hospitals in the service area would not be able to function

Elizabethton Water Resources General Manager Johann Coetzee said that the two Doe River crossing lines would be safe for day-to-day usage and during the typical storm that rolls through the area. What Coetzee is worried about is large events such as the flood of 1998.

“Say that we get a very catastrophic flood in that river, something like in ’98, then there is a chance that our water lines might be compromised and our city would be out of water,” said Coetzee. “We are fine for day-to-day. We are fine for normal storms. What this is, is preparing for those catastrophic events.”

The need for new lines at the site is a given, said Coetzee. The real question, however, is how to run the lines. There are three options given in the McGill Report. The first is to use the existing US 19E Bridge that crosses the Doe River near where the lines run as support for the lines as they span the river. The report said this option would only be viable if there is sufficient room to run the lines. The report also cites the fact that when the bridge was constructed that the weight of water lines was not calculated in the bridge’s potential weight load.

The second option given is to run the lines under the Doe River using a directional boring. This alternative, however, would be costly due to the need to bore into bedrock under the river. Also, future repairs to the line, if under the river, would be difficult.

The third option is to construct a new utility bridge (pipe bridge) over the river to run the lines across.

“This alternative would provide an easier method of construction, both in length of time of construction, as well as overall cost of construction,” the report said.

During the Oct. 11 council meeting, the Elizabethton City Council approved a resolution to apply for the grant. Last year, the city applied with the ARC for funding to build a pipe bridge but was denied. If this year’s ARC grant is approved, the city would be responsible for the remaining $550,000 in project costs.

Also during last week’s council meeting, the council approved an agreement with the Minnesota Twins to fund $1.5 million in Joe O’Brien Field renovations. To fund those renovations the city will pull funds from the police building fund and two other funds.