Brownlow Utility receives $500K for MC connection

The Brownlow Utility System is getting half a million dollars to connect to the Mountain City Utility System. The $500,000 grants comes from the Infrastructure Planning Grant (IPG) as part of the Rural Economic Opportunity Act. "These dollars are so important for the citizens of Johnson County as the funds will be used to connect the Brownlow Utility to the Mountain City Utility together," State Senator Rusty Crowe said. "There is an approximate 5000-to-6000-foot span that needed to be connected. These funds will allow the Brownlow Utility to become an asset to Mountain City Utility because once they are both connected Brownlow Utility can be a backup for Mountain City Utility which will benefit everyone in the Brownlow and Mountain City communities." "I want to express my appreciation to all who have worked with Senator Crowe and myself to make these funds available for the Brownlow and Mountain City Utility Districts who have worked so hard especially since the flood to sure up our water systems in Johnson County", said State Representative Timothy Hill. "We look forward to further improvements in the future and appreciate this revenue more than you know". Funds can be used in the following program categories: water system mapping and modeling, water system analysis, sewer system mapping and modeling, sewer system analysis, asset management-related activities and regionalization studies. The Brownlow Utility System serves 683 customers in Johnson County. Applications from communities and utility districts were based on comptroller eligibility, and these systems have been referred to the Board of Utility Regulation (formerly the Utility Management Review Board or the Water and Wastewater Financing Board) because of their net position, non-revenue water or high levels of debt. The Brownlow grant was part of more than $2 million in infrastructure grants announced Thursday for rural cities and towns in Northeast Tennessee. In total, $7.4 million was awarded to 24 applicants across the state. Northeast Tennessee received a little over a quarter of those funds. Bloomingdale Utility District: $370,000 Brownlow Utility District of Johnson County: $500,000 City of Elizabethton: $500,000 Erwin Utilities Authority: $500,000 Town of Rogersville Water Department: $194,800 The funding comes from the state's Infrastructure Planning Grant program, which provides assistance to utility systems in distressed counties and rural communities.