Looking Long Term at Water in Tennessee: TN H2O In January 2018, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam led an effort to begin evaluating water supply in the state of Tennessee. The plan, named TN H2O, started with the appointment of a steering committee, chaired by Tennessee Deputy Governor Jim Henry and consisting of 25 business, academic, community, federal, and state leaders. Six working groups have since been developed to focus on specific areas of interest— surface and groundwater, water and wastewater infrastructure, water reuse and land conservation, and institutional and legal framework. There is no imminent water crisis in Tennessee, but the state has decided that now is the time to plan for the future and evaluate the water needs of its growing population. Municipal Water Leader’s senior writer, John Crotty, spoke with Dr. Shari Meghreblian, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and Elaine Boyd, senior advisor for department’s Bureau of Environment, about the development of the TN H20 plan and the goals for the initiative. John Crotty: Where did the drive for the water plan come from? Shari Meghreblian: Ever since Governor Haslam took office, he has been focused on improving and making state government better for the citizens of Tennessee. Knowing that he is in his last year in office, he did not want to let off the gas; he challenged our agency to implement,
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enact, or start a project that would help move the state forward in a positive way. As an agency, we chose to focus on a comprehensive study of water availability that ranges from the water source to delivery systems and end users, and what we can do to ensure that our water remains as it is today for generations to come. All else being constant, the population in our state is expected to roughly double in the next 50 years. Effective water planning will be an essential component for managing this anticipated growth. There are other water availability issues at the forefront as well, such as questions surrounding the use of the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Knowing how many taps we have into the aquifer—and how much is being taken out—is imperative. In addition, aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and interstate battles over water rights stress the need for this plan. One of the [steering] committee members is the president of the Tennessee Municipal League, which represents about 300 cities and municipalities. The league president indicated that if the league were to poll every one of its municipalities today, water availability probably would be one of their top three issues.
From top to bottom: Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Dr. Shari Meghreblian, Senior Advisor for the Bureau of Environment Elaine Boyd.
assessments. It was a pilot that began after we experienced a drought in 2007–2008. Based on the outcome of the pilot, we came up with guidelines for regional water resources planning. TN H2O is more of a proactive effort, and it is statewide in scope, which I believe is a first for the state.
John Crotty: Has the state done anything like this before?
John Crotty: How is this being perceived by the public and those participating in the working groups and steering committees?
Elaine Boyd: In the past, we have conducted regional water resources
Elaine Boyd: The people involved are excited because they are affected by MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
