Rep. Darby and Rep. Martin Announce $3.3 million for Projects in Carroll, Weakley Counties

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. Tandy Darby, R-Greenfield, and State Rep. Brock Martin, R-Huntingdon, today announced $3.3 million in grants to improve water infrastructure in Carroll and Weakley counties.

The grants, administered by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), are among 24 grants totaling $125.9 million from the state’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) fund.

Grant recepients include:

• City of Martin: $3,066,446 to conduct six drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects. These projects include developing an asset management plan for the wastewater system, eliminating asbestos cement water lines in the distribution system, replacing wastewater system lines that are more than 50 years old, and replacing deteriorated drains that could lead to sinkholes.
• Carroll County: $260,869 for its drinking water utility district to develop an asset management plan (AMP). The plan will use a geographic information system (GIS) to leverage existing paper maps and field data to develop a water system base map. Once constructed, the active AMP and GIS will allow the district to track the age and repair history of its infrastructure.

“It is important that we have the necessary infrastructure in place to best serve the residents and businesses in our communities,” Darby and Martin said in a joint statement. “These grants will address existing needs that we have while also ensuring we are adequately prepared for the future. We appreciate the efforts of TDEC and everyone involved in these worthy projects.”

“These grants will address important water infrastructure needs throughout our state, especially those among disadvantaged communities,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “We look forward to the improvements the projects will bring, and we commend the communities who have gone through the application process.”

“We are grateful to the local applicants, and we anticipate excellent results from these grants,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “This shows that Tennessee recognizes the need for improved water infrastructure, and we are grateful for the leadership of Governor Lee and the General Assembly in seeing that communities get this assistance.” 

Tennessee received $3.7 billion from the ARP, and the state’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group dedicated $1.35 billion of those funds to TDEC to support water projects in communities throughout Tennessee. Of the $1.35 billion, approximately $1 billion was designated for non-competitive formula-based grants offered to counties and eligible cities. The remaining funds will go to state-initiated projects and competitive grants.

TDEC is focusing these grants on the following goals:

• Protect and promote human health and safety and improve the quality of water by supporting water systems in non-compliance to work toward compliance with water quality requirements;
• Improve the technical, managerial, and financial capabilities of small, disadvantaged, or underserved water infrastructure systems; and
• Address critical water infrastructure needs across the state

TDEC’s strategy for the deployment of ARP funds is described in the Water Infrastructure Investment Plan. This plan was developed by TDEC based on input from leaders and experts from agencies internal and external to state government. All funds from the ARP must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and expended by Dec. 31, 2026.