Hardin County, TN - Water Project

Community Background

A community in Hardin County, Tennessee, has a water source that is contaminated with PFAS and PFOA. A water supply system that utilizes this water source serves over 8,000 residents, the majority of whom are living in poverty. In addition to supporting full-time residents, the system also provides water for a large tourist population, drawn to the town due to the Tennessee River.

Community Need

The community will benefit from Community Engineering Corps’s participation in this project as, in addition to having clean, uncontaminated water, their utility expenses will not have to increase. The water systems serve many demographics, including students aged kindergarten through eighth grade, elderly individuals who are on a fixed income, and tourists, who provide a valuable financial resource for the community.

Some steps have already been taken for providing a solution to the contamination problem, with the EPA bringing a mobile filtration lab and piloting a reverse osmosis system. This lab will study which filtration system is the most appropriate. This study began in the spring of 2024, and is projected to take six months to complete.

Project Team Needs

A Preliminary Engineering Report will need to be completed, informed by the findings of the EPA’s mobile filtration lab. This will provide a detailed overview of designs, an alternatives analysis, cost estimates, and other relevant information, and will be critical for the community’s grant application.