By Tabitha Evans Moore
Editor & Publisher

LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — Two developers seeking to add water and sewer connections inside the Urban Services District of Metro Moore County — the former Lynchburg city limits — have each asked to be placed on the May Metro Planning and Zoning Commission agenda, and both share the same obstacle: as long as the Metro Utility Department (MUD) continues to experience over 40 percent water loss, the Planning Commission seems unwilling to approve additional high-density construction for fear of straining a system whose problems will eventually trickle down to existing ratepayers.

MUD water loss continues to hover above 40 percent

MUD has run at over 40 percent water loss for several years, a number that has barely budged despite two rounds of meter upgrades — one in 2020 and another last year — at a combined cost of more than $2 million. The board approved both projects with hopes the water loss savings would eventually pay for it.

Utilities calculate water loss by comparing the volume of water treated and pumped at the plant against the volume billed to customers. Every thousand gallons of treated water carries costs in labor, chemicals and energy, so minimizing losses matters both for efficiency and for keeping local rates low.

The issue dominated the April 14 MUD Board meeting, where members expressed mounting frustration. The state allows utilities a 20 percent loss threshold before flagging a system, and TDEC scrutiny intensifies above 40 percent — a line MUD has managed to dip below only a handful of times in recent years.

The board worked through a list of possible culprits with no clear resolution. The new ultrasonic meters, which read at 99-plus percent accuracy, were largely ruled out. Attention shifted to whether the billing software is correctly translating meter readings into billed gallons — a unit calibration mismatch between meter types has caused similar problems in other systems — and to whether the SCADA monitoring equipment at the sewer plant is feeding accurate data into loss calculations at all. Members also raised the possibility of undetected main line leaks beneath creek crossings, a scenario the current equipment cannot easily address without additional zone meters at roughly $15,000 per installation.

The board settled on two immediate priorities: getting the recently acquired SCADA equipment installed so sewer flow numbers can be verified, and bringing the billing software vendor in to confirm whether figures passing from meters to billing records are accurate. Until both are ruled out, the board acknowledged it cannot say with certainty where the water — or the revenue — is going.

Until the problem is corrected, the Metro Planning Commission has said it will not approve additional high-density housing projects, effectively stalling both the Gateway Corporation and Retreat at Whiskey Creek as each seeks to move a project forward inside the Urban Services District.

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Both seek nearly 60 additional connections

Gateway Corporation is seeking to build 44 apartment units on roughly five acres behind the Moore County Co-Op, funded through federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. Based on water capacity concerns, the Metro Council capped new apartment developments at 25 units last year, which prompted a lawsuit from Gateway last November claiming the company already held a vested interest when the cap was imposed. However, the Moore County Tax Assessor’s office records show the 5.13 acres in question still belong to Stanley Fanning with no new deed currently on file.

In February, a Moore County Chancery Court judge denied a request by Gateway at Lynchburg, LP, to immediately invalidate the zoning amendment approved by Metro Moore County officials which reduced the total number of apartment allowed, allowing the lawsuit challenging the amendment to continue but declining to rule in Gateway’s favor.

Retreat at Whiskey Creek is seeking approval for approximately 14 additional building sites in Phase 2 of the tiny home community just off Main Street in Lynchburg. The Metro Council previously required 75-80 percent completion of Phase 1 infrastructure before any further construction could be approved. Developer Chip Hayes told the April Planning Commission meeting that water lines at the development were roughly 50 percent complete — but in multiple local public meetings MUD Manager Ronnie Cunningham said those lines “leaked like a sieve” the last time they were on site to test.

Phase 2 faces additional hurdles. Hayes and members of his team requested an administrative meeting last week. Planning Commission Chair Dexter Golden, Mayor Sloan Stewart, Roads Superintendent Shannon Cauble, and Metro Attorney Bill Reeder all attended. Local officials reminded the Retreat team that beyond the water capacity issue, Phase 2 as currently submitted lacks the road access required under subdivision guidelines. The existing bridge into the property is only 16 feet wide, well short of the 30-foot standard. Previously, Roads Superintendent Cauble stated that Inman Drive, which runs along the right side of the property, is also not a viable alternative because TDOT standards prohibit its use as a subdivision access road, and a portion sits in a floodplain, cutting it off during high water.

Other agenda items

Both developers will appear before the Metro Planning Commission on Tuesday.

Silicon Ranch officials have also been invited to the meeting to give a solar farm update. The Commission will also discuss a potential wind farm moratorium in the county. They will consider two zoning issues: a combination of lots along Hurricane Creek Road for James and Mary Thompson and Dane Johnson as well as a minor division along Majors Cemetery Road for Aaron Nunley.

Due to expected high public interest, the meeting will be held at the American Legion, 119 Booneville Highway, at 5:30 p.m. •

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